Pediatric Oncology Neuro Social lab

The

PONS

Welcome to the PONS (Pediatric Oncology Neuro Social) lab website!

Thank you for your interest in understanding and improving psychosocial outcomes in children diagnosed with cancer.

In this site you will find information on our current research projects, resources related to pediatric oncology, and upcoming knowledge sharing activities. Please reach out if you have any questions or comments.

Vision & Mission

Our lab is focused on understanding and improving psychosocial outcomes in children diagnosed with cancer.

There are three main themes to the research projects we are currently pursuing:

The use of psychosocial screening measures to better tailor interventions to individual family needs
Understanding social competence strengths and challenges in pediatric brain tumor survivors in order to develop targeted interventions
Supporting the transition of cancer survivors from pediatric to adult healthcare. Our goal is to develop research projects, knowledge-sharing activities, and collaborative relationships that will have a positive impact on pediatric cancer survivor well-being.

Current Projects

Please click on the text for more information regarding our projects.

01

Cognitive Screening for Pediatric Cancer Survivors

The study's primary objective is to find a screening tool that is highly accurate and precise in identifying cognitive deficits in pediatric cancer survivors.

04

Trust in Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors

Knowing more about trust in the interpersonal relationships of pediatric brain tumor survivors is important as it will inform us about whether working on trust in social competence interventions is of interest.

07

Transition readiness workshops for brain tumour survivors

Pediatric brain tumor survivors are at risk of social competence and cognitive functioning challenges that further complicate their transition readiness. Our workshops will be specifically designed to include information and transition skills relevant not only to disease management but also social competence, and cognitive functioning.

02

Implementing the TRAQ in the Oncology Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic

Our study aims to find the best method for integrating the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ) into the annual medical follow-up process for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors at Ste-Justine's oncology long-term follow-up clinic. Additionally, we intend to evaluate the effects of this integration.

05

Social Behaviors in Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors

This study aims to understand the social difficulties that pediatric brain tumor survivors often face through the use of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Tool (ADOS-2) to assess the social behaviors of pediatric brain tumor survivors compared to healthy controls.

08

Understanding neurocognitive outcomes in Pediatric Brain Tumour Survivors

This study will evaluate the cognitive functioning of a large group of pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTS) using both objective and parent-reported assessments. Our goal is to investigate how various medical and socio-demographic factors could contribute to cognitive outcomes in this population.

03

Validation of the French Version of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool.

This project aims to validate the French translation of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT). This tool is used to screen the level of psychosocial risk of parents of a child diagnosed with cancer.

06

ELANT Screening for Transition Readiness in Pediatric Oncology Survivors

Our research project "ELANT Screening for Transition Readiness in Pediatric Oncology Survivors" aims to explore how adolescent and young adult childhood cancer survivors' readiness to transfer from pediatric to adult care settings evolve over time.

09

Fathers Mental Health

This project aims to better understand the impact of pediatric cancer on fathers' mental health, as well as their use of currently available psychosocial services.

10

Understanding neurocognitive outcomes in Pediatric Brain Tumour Survivors

After experiencing a brain tumor in childhood, friendships and/or social life may change. This research project aims to gather input from young people and their parents to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences. Their ideas will help us create a new resource to better support young people in their social relationships.

Participate in our research

For Children, Adolescents & Young Adults

For Parents or Guardians