Frequently Asked Questions

I am the parent of a youth in the process of transitioning to adulthood, where can I find a list of local resources in my community?

As a research organization, CanChild does not keep a database of programs available for youth in transition. To find these resources we recommend you contact your local children's treatment centre for community specific information, or use local community databases to find agencies, such as red or blue books. If you live in Ontario, the Door 2 Adulthood website offers a variety of resources for many communities across the province.

I am the parent of a youth in the process of transitioning to adulthood, what resources do you have available to parents?

To assist with planning for transitions, CanChild has developed the The KIT, which stands for Keeping It Together, that offers a place to keep information about their youth and plan for transitions, starting from preschool to elementary school through adulthood, click here for more information.

I read about the Youth KIT on the website, when will it be available?

The Youth KIT is now available here.

I am a parent or youth and I would be interested in participating in research in the future, who do I contact?

Research conducted by CanChild varies by topic area and type of study being conducted. Although we appreciate your interest, CanChild does not keep a database of interested study participants.

In many of your documents, the term capacity is used, what does this mean?

In the past, therapeutic interventions have been focused on individual independence and skills or components needed to complete tasks such as dressing oneself. Rather than focusing on just on skills or components, recent research suggests that it is better to focus on the capacity of the individual to participate in activities that are important of them, and to learn how to direct someone else to support the individual two complete tasks/activities. The ability to direct care is only one component of capacity, other components include: having a social network and supports that can be relied upon; the ability to problem solve and provide solutions to solve problems; and learning how to be "interdependent: rather than "independent".

The individual is not the only focus of capacity. Families and communities also have capacity as well. The capacity of families includes important elements of the relationships, support networks, and for youth in transition to adulthood, it also includes learning to "let go" when appropriate.

Community capacity refers to the resources and supports in place for an individual with a disability to participate fully in that community. Within the context of transition to adulthood, community capacity refers to building supports for youth moving from pediatric to adult services, which can include changing attitudes towards inclusion and becoming more accessible for all persons with disabilities.

Capacity building is a new focus of research, building on what we have learned in the past decade. For more information on our most current research, please see the "Best Journey to Adult Life: Best Practice Guidelines".