In Ethiopia, early diagnosis improves care of kids with cerebral palsy lkinross Fri, 04/12/2024 - 09:47 Apr 12, 2024 By Louise Kinross In Canada, children with cerebral palsy are usually diagnosed before they're 18 months old. In Ethiopia, the average age is five-and-a-half years—missing a critical window for therapy that can improve a child’s life. Dr. Selamenesh Tsige (above), a former pediatrician at Addis Ababa University hospital, knew this firsthand. So while completing a fellowship in developmental pediatrics at Holland Bloorview, she worked with staff and residents at Addis Ababa Univ ..read more

In this graphic novel, being different is cool lkinross Tue, 04/09/2024 - 13:16 Apr 09, 2024 By Louise Kinross Shiny Misfits is a children's book about standing out.  It's written by American comedian Maysoon Zayid (above) and illustrated by Colombian Shadia Amin. The protagonist is 10-year-old Bay Ann, a Muslim girl with a disability who is passionate about tap dancing. She craves the spotlight and dreams of going viral. Bay Ann has two besties and a crush on a classmate. He's a slick overachiever she's determined to beat—whether at a talent show, a bake-off or in a school deb ..read more

Respite workers are more difficult to find and afford lkinross Fri, 04/05/2024 - 14:46 Apr 05, 2024 By Louise Kinross During COVID, Gunjan Seth (photo right) became very sick and realized she had to find some respite from caring for her son Ajay (left), now 16, who has autism. Respite care gives parents a short break from the emotional and physical demands of caring for a child with a disability—while enabling the child to participate in activities in the community or learn new skills. But not only was it difficult for Gunjan to find a worker, the cost was prohibitive. Prior to the pandemic ..read more

'The Ride Ahead' is about finding power in community lkinross Mon, 04/01/2024 - 13:23 Apr 01, 2024 By Louise Kinross Samuel Habib is a 24-year-old New Hampshire college student who wants to date. He drives a 350-pound wheelchair and has laboured speech, so dictating what he wants to say to someone who types it into his voice device is painstaking. "I want to figure out how to follow my dreams, but nobody tells you how to be an adult, let alone an adult with a disability," he says. In The Ride Ahead, a film premiering at Hot Docs April 28 and 30, Samuel crosses the United States with his dad D ..read more

Check out the new BLOOM lkinross Mon, 04/01/2024 - 09:24 Apr 01, 2024 By Louise Kinross Take a look at our latest BLOOM. Here are some quotes to draw you into the content:   From the lead of an Ontario study showing adults with intellectual disabilities are significantly more likely to die of three types of cancer than those without, regardless of when it’s diagnosed. ‘I think it's a challenging topic to bring back to health professionals, to say 'You may be contributing to this problem because of how you feel, and how you're acting on those values.' We've actually gotten a lot of pushb ..read more

How to break the ice when you're the new kid at school lkinross Wed, 03/27/2024 - 11:49 Mar 27, 2024 By Louise Kinross Switching schools is tough. In All About Me, a girl with a disability navigates her first day at an elementary school. The book is written by Desiree Da Costa, a former client at Holland Bloorview who is now a staff member registering children and families and scheduling clinics. As a young child, Desiree, who has cerebral palsy, went to our kindergarten program for kids with and without disabilities. Her new children's book is modelled on one she wrote at age six to int ..read more

An au pair and a cottage are part of a family's care plan for their son lkinross Mon, 03/25/2024 - 10:22 Mar 25, 2024 By Louise Kinross John Cooper lives with his wife Celia and children James, 11, and Claire, 9, on the edge of their organic farm in Winterville, Georgia. Celia runs the farm and John is a partner in a family investment company, working from an office at the farm. James has an undiagnosed condition and epilepsy and autism. We first interviewed John in 2020. Since then, the family embarked on a new adventure. They built a 1,150-square-foot cottage on their property with an ..read more

Black med students bump up against 'white man's club' in surgical training lkinross Mon, 03/18/2024 - 14:40 Mar 18, 2024 By Louise Kinross Last year a groundbreaking study found that Black people in American counties with more Black primary-care doctors live longer. Yet research shows that Black medical students have higher rates of burnout and attrition than white students. Now a new study explores why so few Black medical students in Canada become surgeons. Scientists from St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto's medical school interviewed 18 Black med ..read more

A robot helps children with cerebral palsy move in new ways lkinross Mon, 03/18/2024 - 10:32 Mar 14, 2024 By Louise Kinross For children with cerebral palsy and limited movement, walking in a walker can be exhausting, often painful, work. The Trexo is a robotic frame that attaches to a walker and powers leg movements so children can experience comfortable, pain-free walking while using their body in new ways. Xio Rivero, then five (above), named it “the green machine.” Researchers at Holland Bloorview are wrapping up a feasibility study that saw 10 children aged three to seven use the device ..read more

'Assume that I can' is a cool ad, with a caveat lkinross Thu, 03/14/2024 - 11:48 Mar 14, 2024 By Louise Kinross Every year CoorDown, an Italian group of associations for people with Down syndrome, releases a thought-provoking ad for World Down Syndrome Day. This year it's 'Assume that I can,' featuring Toronto actor Madison Tevlin. Madison questions the assumptions many hold about people with Down syndrome: That they can't drink alcohol? That they shouldn't live alone? That they don't want to party or have sex? Or learn about Shakespeare? Or become a decent boxer? Or get a job? The ad, by the ..read more