Projects
01
Pediatric cancer survivors face a higher risk of living with cognitive deficits that can impact their quality of life and daily functioning. Not all pediatric cancer survivors will manifest cognitive deficits, while others may manifest them to varying degrees. This calls for an individualized approach to the identification and management of cognitive deficits. However, comprehensive assessments by pediatric neuropsychologists are costly and intensive. Therefore, this study aims to identify the most sensitive and specific screening tool for measuring cognitive deficits in pediatric cancer survivors. Identifying this tool could facilitate its regular administration in clinical settings, help identify survivors in greatest need of comprehensive assessments, improve resource allocation, and ultimately enhance the quality of life of pediatric cancer survivors.
02
Implementing the TRAQ in the Oncology Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic
Transition readiness involves preparing adolescent and young adult cancer survivors for a successful shift from pediatric to adult care. This process focuses on nurturing their independence and self-management skills, typically beginning around the age of 14. To gauge an individual's readiness for this transition, we have the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ) available. Unfortunately, this valuable tool is not widely used in routine clinical care for pediatric cancer survivors, which limits its potential benefits for patients. Consequently, our project aims to explore the optimal way to incorporate the TRAQ into annual medical follow-ups for cancer survivors and assess the impact of its integration.
04
Brain tumor survivors often face many difficulties in social competence. One of which being, facing impairment in interpersonal trust. They often recognize trust as being an important aspect of relationships, but they don’t mention it as being present in their own relationships. A lack of trust in relationships may have a negative impact on relationships quality by slowing the development of a more intimate, meaningful, and fulfilling bond, which could negatively affect the social adjustment and quality of life of pediatric brain tumor survivors. Lower levels of trust have also been known to be related to higher levels of loneliness. To date, there have been no quantitative studies examining trust in pediatric brain tumor survivors and how loneliness might relate to this. To address this gap, this study will be the first to quantitatively look at trust levels of pediatric brain tumor survivors compared to children from the community. Information on other aspects related to social competence and trust will be looked at (e.g., socioeconomic status, loneliness, social adjustment). Knowing more about trust in pediatric brain tumor survivors is important as it will inform us about whether working on trust in social competence interventions is of interest.
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. The validation process allows the translated version to be more representative of the reality experienced by francophone families in Quebec. Eventually, the PAT will be used in clinical settings to better assist parents.
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. This project is important as it will help improve social skills interventions. By knowing the specific social behaviors that pediatric brain tumor survivors are experiencing difficulties in, interventions can focus on supporting the development of these particular skills that they may be struggling with. Reducing social competence difficulties will have an important impact on the quality of life of pediatric brain tumor survivors.
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. We are particularly interested in evaluating transition readiness using the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ) and in identifying both facilitators and barriers to a successful transition to adult care settings.
07
Transition readiness workshops for brain tumor survivors
To successfully navigate the transition to adult healthcare, it is recommended that youth in pediatric care develop transition readiness skills. Existing transition readiness interventions often focus on disease management. However, pediatric brain tumor survivors are also at risk of social competence and cognitive functioning challenges that further complicate their transition readiness. Our workshops will be specifically designed to meet the needs of pediatric brain tumor survivors and their caregivers. Specifically, the workshops will include information and transition skills relevant to disease management, social competence, and cognitive functioning.
08
Understanding neurocognitive outcomes in Pediatric Brain Tumour Survivors
Pediatric Brain Tumour Survivors (PBTS) face an increased risk of neurocognitive impairments throughout their survivorship. However, not all survivors will experience such impairments. Therefore, it is crucial to understand which factors contribute to cognitive difficulties in order to aid early identification and intervention efforts. Consequently, this study aims to investigate how various medical and socio-demographic factors may contribute to cognitive outcomes within this population.
2021 - present
Title
ELANT Screening for Transition Readiness in Pediatric Oncology Survivors
Presentation
Presented at science day of Université de Montréal on May 5th, 2023