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Participant Recruitment

We are looking for Occupational Therapists and parents of children with disabilities who have accessed occupational therapy for their preschool-aged (3-4 years) children in the last 5 years to participate in a study.

Why is this study being done?

This research aims to create a tailored practice resource for occupational therapists to implement the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years with preschool-aged clients (aged 3-4 years) with developmental disabilities. These guidelines recommend a balanced approach to physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep, which is crucial for the healthy development of all young children. However, occupational therapists, who play a key role in supporting children with developmental disabilities, have not been using these guidelines in their practice and have requested supports to do so. This study will use a co-design approach to develop a guideline implementation resource for occupational therapists. 

 

What this study involves:

We are asking occupational therapists and parents to participate in an advisory group for this co-design study to co-lead the development, design, and evaluation of a guideline implementation resource. The advisory group will also include four researchers from Western University. Topic area experts from Canadian universities will also act as consultants to the advisory group to ensure the developed resource is scientifically appropriate. 

 

Over the course of the study, the advisory group will participate in four virtual 1-hour workshops on Microsoft Teams to create this resource. These will be conversation-based and collaborative. In workshop 1 the advisory group will meet for introductions and establish consensus on format and requirements for a resource to incorporate the guidelines into practice. The expert consultants will then meet separately to provide input on a prototype of the resource.  Workshop 2 for the advisory group will involve a think aloud session. Think-aloud involves participants verbalizing their thoughts while working through the prototype. We will work through the prototype together, making adjustments as required. Occupational therapists then be asked to test the prototype of the resource with their clients in practice and complete brief momentary reflections via Qualtrics to evaluate the tool for revisions. We will collectively decide on timelines needed for testing the prototype with clients in practice. Workshop 3 will subsequently involve debriefing the use of the prototype in practice with the whole advisory group. Workshop 4 will involve generating live consensus to resolve remaining issues, with involvement of all partners (advisory group and consultants) to finalize the resource.

Occupational therapists are eligible to participate in this study if you:  

  1. are currently registered to practice as an occupational therapist in Canada;  

  2. have experience working with paediatric clients (aged 3-4 years) with developmental disabilities; 

  3. are able to speak, read, and write in English; and, 

  4. have access to the internet.

Parents are eligible to participate in this study if you: 

  1. self-identify as a parent of a child under the age of 8 years with a developmental disability;  

  2. self-identify as having experience using occupational therapy for your child, during their preschool years; 

  3. are able to speak, read, and write in English; and, 

  4. have access to the internet.

 

For more information, please check out our study video or the letters of information below:

 

Letter of Information for Occupational Therapists

 

Letter of Information for Parents

To express your interest and verify your eligibility to participate in this study, please fill out the form below.

 

Your contact information will be forwarded to doctoral candidate, Leah Taylor at: ltaylo83@uwo.ca

I am a(n)...
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What’s involved?

  • You and your child will be asked to wear a small device called an accelerometer on your wrist and your child’s hip for 14 days

  • You will be asked to complete a short diary reporting on your own sleep and your child’s sleep 

  • You will receive up to 5 texts each day from an automatic text messaging service (https://www.textmagic.com/) with a link to a brief online questionnaire 

  • You will also be asked to complete a short questionnaire before and after the intervention

 

Why is this research important?

The Active Family study aims to examine the effectiveness of a physical activity intervention delivered using smartphones for stay-at-home parents and their young children. If effective, this intervention will increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time in young children and their parents

Who should I contact if I’m interested?

If you are interested in participating or have any questions about the study, please fill out the form below. Your contact information will be forwarded to Bayley Inniss at bayley.inniss@uwo.ca and Dr. Trish Tucker who is the principal investigator of this study: ttucker2@uwo.ca / 519-661-2111 x88977

L'Étude TEACH-FR

Pour signifier votre intérêt à accéder au cours d'apprentissage en ligne TEACH, veuillez remplir le formulaire. Vous serez contacté par Myranda Hawthorne (mhawtho3@uwo.ca)

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Avec la contribution de spécialistes dans les domaines de l'activité physique et de l'éducation de la petite enfance, le Child Health and Physical Activity Lab de l'Université Western a mis au point un cours en ligne sur l'activité physique à l'intention des éducatrices de la petite enfance (connu sous l'acronyme TEACH). Le but de ce cours est d'accroître les connaissances et l'efficacité personnelle d'éducatrices de la petite enfance au Canada afin de promouvoir des comportements physiquement actifs chez les tout-petits. Le cours d'apprentissage en ligne TEACH se compose de quatre modules interactifs qui prennent environ cinq heures à compléter: une introduction à l'activité physique et aux comportements sédentaires dans la petite enfance; les activités physiques et comportements sédentaires en milieux de garde; promotion de l'activité physique dans les milieux de garde; et apprentissage professionnel et bibliothèque de ressources.

 

Maintenant, les chercheurs du Child Health and Physical Activity Lab souhaitent recruter des éducatrices francophones pour participer à une étude à grande échelle visant à déterminer l'efficacité du cours d'apprentissage en ligne chez les éducatrices de la petite enfance. Les participantes seront placées de façon aléatoire soit dans un groupe expérimental, qui aura immédiatement accès au cours, soit dans un groupe témoin qui aura accès au cours à la fin de l'étude. Les participantes seront également invitées à remplir des sondages en ligne pour évaluer leur efficacité personnelle et leurs connaissances en matière d'activité physique, ainsi que leur intention comportementale et leur maîtrise comportementale perçue pour promouvoir les occasions de faire de l'activité physique en milieux de garde. 

MOvement behaviours and IrritaBILITY in
early childhood

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We are looking for young children (aged 2-4 years) and their parents/guardians to participate in the MOvement and irritaBILITY (MOBILITY) study.

This study will explore the association between movement behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sitting, sleeping) and symptoms of irritability in young children.

 

What is involved? 

Children will be asked to wear a small device called an accelerometer on their hip for 7 days on three occasions over 12 months (baseline, 6 months, 12 months). Parents will be asked to complete a questionnaire at each of these time points.  

You will be compensated for your time participating in this study.

Who should I contact if I'm interested? 

​If you are interested in participating or have any questions about the study, please fill out the form.

 

Your contact information will be forwarded to Sophie Phillips (sphil@uwo.ca).

You can also find out more information and sign up using this link:

https://uwo.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9tdDXscXMhAAUkK

The SUNRISE Study: International Study of 24-Hour Movement Behaviours in the Early Years

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We are looking for young children (aged 3-4 years) and their parents/guardians living in London, ON and surrounding areas to participate in the SUNRISE study.

This study will explore the proportion of young children who are meeting the World Health Organization Global Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep and the relation of these behaviours to children's health and development.

What is involved? 

We will be using a variety of methods to test children's fine and gross motor skills, such as the 9-hole peg board test, standing long jump, and supine timed up and go, as well as their balance and muscular strength. We will also be measuring their cognitive development via two different iPad games, and will take height and weight measurements. Children will also wear a motion sensor belt called an accelerometer around their waist 24 hours per day for 7 days in a row, which will measure their physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep during this time.

Parents of participating children will be asked to complete a brief 15-minute questionnaire on their child's sleep, screen-viewing, and dietary behaviours, their child's overall development, as well as demographic questions to help us describe our sample. Parents will also be asked to complete a brief log book during the child’s 7 days of wearing the motion sensor belt.

For participating in this study, parents will receive a $25 gift card to President's Choice. For helping facilitate recruitment and data collection, participating childcare centres will receive a $50 gift card to the store of their choosing.

Who should I contact if I'm interested? 

​If you are interested in participating or have any questions about the study, please get in touch by filling out this form. Your contact information will be forwarded to Dr. Trish Tucker (ttucker2@uwo.ca