Research Themes

Offord researchers are involved in studies examining various child mental health disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and more.

Research includes:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD):

• monitoring ASD prevalence using provincial Early Development Instrument (EDI) data
• examining developmental trajectories of young children with ASD as they transition from initial preschool diagnosis until Grade 1
• investigating the effects of Riluzole, a glutamate-modulating medication, on core ASD symptoms

Brain Imaging and Biomarkers:

• neurological foundations of human emotion and cognition, with a focus on neurodevelopmental disorders and psychopathology
• brain imaging of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with a focus on perfectionism and hoarding
• examining peripheral markers of bipolar disorder in children and emotional regulation circuits in the offspring of patients with bipolar disorder

Other Disorders:

• impact of Developmental Coordination Disorder on the physical health of young children
• the presentation of borderline personality features in depressed adolescent girls

Studies

The following are the studies, in this area of focus, which have websites:

• MiNDS
• MacART
• Pathways in ASD
• POND Network

Many factors play a role in the healthy development of children and much of our research focuses on learning more about these influences. They might be contextual effects of schools, families and neighbourhoods or they might include prenatal and genetic factors impacting development.

Research includes:

Understanding School Success:

• studying children’s educational trajectories from kindergarten into the junior grades
• social inclusion or exclusion of children with special needs and mental health disorders
• studies examining bulling prevention programs, summer school programs, reading practices, anxious school refusal, chronic suspension, mental health and academic achievement among immigrant youth

Neighbourhood Influences:

• impact of housing and neighbourhood interventions on healthy child development
• impact of receiving subsidized housing on adult mental health and healthy child development
• explaining neighbourhood change in EDI scores in Peel and Hamilton

Early Life Influences:

• metabolic, cardiovascular and cognitive outcomes and determinants in young adults born with extremely low birth weights
• how temperament and early life experiences shape brain-behavioural relations and affect processing and regulation
• brain development in children exposed to adversity

Vulnerable Populations:

• information about parenting and child development and health service utilization among subgroups of young mothers
• early origins of addiction in children and youth
• examining the extent to which inequities in mental health and academic achievement exist between immigrant, refugee and non-immigrant children

Social and Contextual Influences:

• 2014 Ontario Child Health Study(OCHS)
• cross-national differences in the effects of socio-economic status variables, preventive interventions and other exposures on child growth and mortality
• secondary analysis studies of Demographic Health Surveys conducted in over 60 developing countries
• studies examining social information processing, family relationships, social competence & cooperation

Studies

The following are the studies with websites, which our researchers are involved in within this area of focus:

• EDI 
• Strong Families
• Family Violence Education Resources
• McMaster Infant Studies Group 

The Offord Centre conducts research on how best to provide treatment and services for children experiencing difficulties. This includes studies on how services are used, how service usage can be improved, how disorders can be measured and how interventions can be implemented.

Research includes:

Service Usage:

• service utilization among young mothers
• evaluation of the Brief Child and Family Phone Interview and use of consumer preference modeling strategies
• estimating the use of medical services in adults who meet diagnostic criteria for a major mental disorder

Treatments and Interventions:

• early intervention services for mental health problems
• optimizing the health of women with substance use issues and their children
• evaluating treatment and interventions including home visitation, CBT, specialised eating disorder treatment
• evaluating the effectiveness of an Intimate Partner Violence curriculum embedded in the Nurse Family Partnership in preventing IPV
• design and evaluation of school-wide programs to prevent aggression and violence

Measurement and classification:

• questions surrounding the classification of child and adolescent psychiatric disorder
• screening and early identification of preschool-aged children with disruptive behaviour disorders
• measurement development for emotional dysregulation within disruptive behaviour disorders
• evaluation of Nipissing Developmental District Screening Tool to screen for developmental delay
• analysing preliminary data on an Early Child Development Index for 3- and 4-year-olds in 12 country samples

Studies

The following are the studies with websites, which our researchers are involved in within this area of focus:

• BC Healthy Connections Project
• Nurse-Family Partnership 

Offord Centre research could not be done without partnerships and participation from numerous organizations, such as international health organizations, academic institutions, various levels of government, and at a more local level, schools and clinical service providers. The knowledge produced is then moved from the lab, research journal and academic conference to the people and organizations who can put the information to practical use.

Work in knowledge translation includes:

• promoting healthy child development through Improved Knowledge Translation Strategies
• dissemination of evidence-based mental health strategies
• policy evaluation and data collection coordination in collaboration with Ontario Ministries of Education, Child and Youth Services and Health and Long-Term Care and other provincial ministries
• development & promotion of integrated research and knowledge translation agenda
• knowledge translation-related studies in the fields of child welfare, public health, eating disorder clinician training and violence against women
• Offord Centre Research Training Program for Young Scientists

Studies

The following are the studies with websites, which our researchers are involved in within this area of focus:

• Researching the Impact of Service Provider Education 
• Making the Race Fair