Children diagnosed with arthritis often experience common symptoms like pain, redness, warmth and swelling of the joints. A lot of the time, the symptoms that are associated with these conditions can be debilitating and challenge the day to day lives of children that are affected as well as affect their families. It is very important to be able to diagnose these conditions quickly and to provide effective treatments in order to prevent further damage to the joints and affected areas. In order to achieve this, we must understand the underlying causes of these conditions, which are yet to be discovered. One of the biggest challenges when it comes to treating childhood arthritis is providing the correct treatment at the right time. While advanced biologic therapies are often used and can be highly effective, we are currently unable to accurately predict which children should start biologic therapies and which can discontinue treatment without having a disease flare. The overall goal of the UCAN CAN-DU study is to address this gap in treatment approaches as well as support and advance personalized care for all children with juvenile arthritis. Our team of researchers believes that studying childhood rheumatic disease is key to providing better patient care, as well as improving quality of life and health outcomes of children suffering with these conditions.

We are doing a research study about children who have a problem with their circulation (blood flow) caused by an infection. This medical name for this situation is ‘septic shock’. Some people think that giving children lots of intravenous (IV) fluid is the best way to fix the circulation (blood flow) for children with septic shock, but other people worry that giving lots of IV fluid may cause problems for the patient. Another way to fix the circulation (blood flow) is to give less IV fluid and more medication. This research study will help us decide which is the best way to fix the circulation (blood flow) for children experiencing septic shock.

We want to see if whether knowing how a child’s brain works helps get better blood sugar control in Type 1 Diabetes. We use information about how a child's brain works to determine the best way to work with the child and family to improve blood sugar levels. We also want to see if having this information lowers family stress and helps the family quality of life.

Hand and arm intensive therapy is important for improving lifelong outcomes for infants and toddlers with cerebral palsy (CP). This play-based therapy is delivered by caregivers who are coached by therapists. However, access to this therapy is very limited for Canadian children with CP younger than two years old. This project aims to first identify reasons that support or stop the delivery of intensive therapy from the viewpoints of caregivers, therapists, and healthcare administrators. Findings will inform the design of implementation strategies, with the goal of increasing intensive therapy delivered to infants and toddlers across Canada.

Childhood arthritis is one of the top causes of acquired musculoskeletal disability in children. Many children suffer from a form of arthritis or rheumatic disease, and while we have many new treatments that work well for many children, there are still unanswered questions. The CARRA (Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance) Registry is a North American organization of pediatric rheumatologists and other healthcare professionals working to answer critical questions about arthritis and rheumatic diseases by collecting information about children with pediatric rheumatic diseases. Using this information, researchers are able to study how children do over the long term and better understand the safety of the treatments they receive. By participating, you and your child will contribute to a better understanding of pediatric rheumatic disease and improved outcomes for children and young adults with arthritis and rheumatic diseases.

This study will determine whether presence of a specific gene may increase the risk of developing diabetes in women who were first found to have gestational diabetes during their pregnancy. Diabetes first identified during pregnancy, more commonly referred to as gestational diabetes (GDM), is relatively common, affecting up to 20% of pregnancies. It is associated with an increased risk of both maternal and neonatal complications. Importantly, GDM is a major risk factor for the postpartum development of pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes (T2D). Specifically, half of women with gestational diabetes will develop pre-diabetes or T2D within 10 years of delivery. Currently, we don’t have a clear understanding of why some women with a history of GDM progress to T2D postpartum while some may take years to progress to T2D. A clearer understanding of the risk factors for the GDM-to-T2D progression will help us identify high risk individuals and allow us to find a strategy to delay or prevent this progression. This study will test whether the presence of a specific gene, which, so far, has no known health effect in humans, is a risk factor for GDM-to-T2D progression.

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) impact a person's developing brain. NDDs are conditions like intellectual disability and autism. Children with NDDs often have behaviours of concern such as hurting themselves or others. These behaviours are hard to understand and treat. Brain imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help us understand the brain. Taking brain images from these children can help us understand more about these behaviours. As brain imaging needs children to lie still for minutes in a small space, it is very hard to do this for children with NDDs who have behaviours of concern. As a result, little is known about the developing brain in these patients. Our research team is developing a protocol for imaging children with NDDs who have behaviours of concern without sedation. We will use it in a pilot study to look at their brains for differences that might help us understand and treat these behaviours.

This study is for children age between 2 and 18 years who have tuberous sclerosis complex to take part in a 62 weeks long clinical research study. The primary purpose of this clinical research study is to learn more about behavioral challenges and other non-seizure symptoms in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex who start EPID(I/Y)OLEX (an investigational study medicine) as add-on therapy for their seizures. Individuals will be evaluated to determine their eligibility to participate in this study. Each patient who qualifies will receive the investigational medication, as well as study-related medical exams and study-related laboratory tests, at no cost. Compensation for time and travel may also, be available.

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have sleep disturbances and problem behaviors, such as aggression. Sleep disturbances may cause irritability or mood concerns that could contribute to problem behaviours. The purpose of this research study is to learn more about the relationships between sleep patterns, Autism symptoms, and problem behaviors in children with ASD. We would like to learn about this through parent questionnaires about behavior and a wrist device that measures sleep and activity level. Parents will fill out questionnaires about their child online. Children will be asked to wear a device on their wrist that measures their sleep and activity level and parents will complete a 7 day sleep diary at the same time. The devices and diary will be sent in the mail.

Some children are unable to communicate by speaking. There are a range of tools and strategies that these children can use to help them communicate with others. One set of technologies that is being developed is called “Brain Computer Interface” or “BCI” for short. BCI is a technology where the brain to communicates directly with a computer that detects and translates the brain’s signals. Specifically, BCI uses electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of the electrical activity of the brain. BCI is a relatively new technology and our understanding of how different BCI systems work for children is still evolving. One type of BCI system for communication flashes pictures of different objects on a screen while the person focuses on the object they want to select. The BCI then tries to identify which picture the user was paying attention to. The purpose of this research study is to test how modifying the timing of flashes and altering the computer’s method for making predictions influence the accuracy of the BCI system. To assess these differences, children and adolescents with no known neurological conditions are needed to test the BCI system.