Bridging the Gap from Science to Uptake
Contact
Karen McEwan (IWK Health): karen.mcewan@iwk.nshealth.ca
For general inquiries: bridgingthegap@iwk.nshealth.ca
Principal Investigators
Patrick McGrath (IWK Health, Dalhousie University)
Lucyna Lach (McGill University)
Research team
Janet Curran (IWK Health)
Samuel Ragot (McGill University)
Kimberly McIvor (Postdoctoral fellow, IWK Health)
Torri MacIntosh
Project summary
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD; e.g., autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD) and their families face significant challenges in obtaining supports and services. Although Canadian funding agencies have invested in the development of evidence-based psychosocial interventions to improve their quality of life, little is known about the processes used by, and factors that influence, decision-makers and scientists in moving these interventions from research into practice. This study seeks to help bridge the gap between research on psychosocial interventions for
children with (NDD) and their caregivers and the uptake of these interventions into practice. We are exploring similarities and differences between the processes used by Canadian decision-makers in health, education, and child and family/social services when choosing to adopt interventions into their agencies, and those used by researchers who are developing,
testing, and scaling-up these interventions, and the factors that influence both groups within their respective roles. We are also exploring barriers and facilitators to the scaling up and adoption of interventions.
Research theme: BRIGHT Realities – Projects to effectively bring interventions into the lives of children and their families
Audience:
Decision-makers in health, education, and social services who are providing supports for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Clinicians and intervention deliverers.
Children/youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families.
Policy makers in health, education, and social services.
Scientists and implementation teams who are developing, testing, and scaling up interventions for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Funders of research and innovation focused on supports for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Phase 1 study: Strongest Families Neurodevelopmental Program (Strongest Families ND)
Project updates
2024-25
The project has received approval from CCSMTL (CRIR), and we are in the process of securing ethics approval from McGill University. Data collection is now complete, and data analysis and manuscript preparation for publication are currently underway. Preliminary findings were presented in a concurrent session at the 2025 Children’s Healthcare Canada Conference in Ottawa on April 14, 2025. Recently, our team held a full-day meeting at the Halifax Central Public Library to discuss next steps and explore the policy implications of the study’s findings.
2023-24
The Bridging the Gap project has received research ethics approval at one of its study sites and has started data collection. The team is identifying barriers and facilitators to adoption of psychosocial interventions.
Follow our work
Study website: Bridge the Gap
Lab website: Centre for Research in Family Health
Members on social media: @AskDrPat | @LucyLach | @McEwanK1 | @crfam