Cross-Canada autism study looking for Manitoba children to participate
A new cross-Canada project is looking for children living with autism in the province to participate in a new study that will determine why some children do better than others and create a national best practice guide for treatment.
The Pediatric Autism Research Cohort (PARC) study will gather data from newly diagnosed children across the country, including here in Winnipeg, and researchers hope to recruit 150 children.
"What we want to do is follow the children from the time they're diagnosed over the next few years until they're eight," said Dr. Ana Hanlon-Dearman, medical director of the Child Development Clinic.
Families will regularly fill out questionnaires about the symptoms children are facing, and treatment they're receiving and through regular dialogue, researchers hope they'll be able to determine the factors that allow one child to do better than another child. They will then use that information to develop a Canada-wide best practice for autism treatment.
"Then we can really advocate for those services and personalize them," said Hanlon-Dearman.
The symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder can be varied in children and the causes are not known.
"Some kids will talk, some won't, and some are in between," said Hanlon-Dearman, adding that the number of children being diagnosed is on the rise.
"Twenty, 25 years ago, I would have seen maybe 40 kids in the course of an entire year be diagnosed with autism," said Hanlon-Dearman. "And in the last year we saw well over 600 children."
People working with children living with autism say they've seen the increase firsthand.
The Autism Learning Centre has been in operation for 15 years, and offers a wide variety of supports to parents, including one for pre-school aged children.
"It's a parent participation class run by an early childhood educator," said Executive Director Demetra Hajidiacos. "We get our students ready for their first experience in the school setting."
If you're interested in taking part, you're asked to contact Hanlon-Dearman's research assistant Amina Butt by email at abutt@rccinc.ca
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton dead following prison attack
Convicted B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, who preyed on women he lured from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to his rural pig farm, has died.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
DND moving 1,000 employees out of Ottawa office building due to safety concerns
The Department of National Defence is moving approximately 1,000 employees out of an office building in Ottawa's Lowertown neighbourhood, citing safety concerns for its employees.
Baby dead after being delivered via emergency C-section to woman who was in police custody
A newborn is dead after being delivered via emergency C-section to a woman in police custody.
Biden speaks after Donald Trump's conviction in hush money case
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee held a press conference Friday where he spoke publicly about the conviction and his White House bid.
How did Ontario's bankrupt 'Crypto King' travel the world on Scene+ points?
Newly released documents suggest Ontario’s so-called ‘Crypto King’ paid for months of world travels with $13,000 worth of Scene+ points while bankrupt – but how?
More counterfeit drugs seized, hot water boiler causes fire: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada recalled various items this week, including more unauthorized products, counterfeit drugs and bassinets.
Mediterranean diet helps women live much longer, a large new study finds
Women who closely followed a Mediterranean diet lived much longer than those who did not, according to a new study that followed more than 25,000 women for 25 years.
Solutions coming for piled-up bodies outside Newfoundland hospital
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say they are only weeks away from a solution to move unclaimed human remains out of roadside freezers and into a nearby hospital.