Neoliberal Pedagogies of Motherhood at an Ontario Early Years Centre

This article examines how the neoliberal turn is shaping the realm of motherhood in Canada by focusing on the activities of government-funded Ontario Early Years Centres (OEYCs). New mothers are often targets for expert interventions that aim to fulfill particular political, economic, or social objectives. In the province of Ontario, many state-sanctioned messages about raising children are disseminated through OEYCs. I argue that OEYC activities are shaped by, and in turn reproduce, neoliberal values, techniques, and philosophies. Through their activities, OEYCs promote the values of responsibility, reliance on experts, risk management, and a commitment to self-improvement, thus inculcating in the participant mothers a subjectivity that is consistent with neoliberal objectives. This secures the optimal social reproduction of the future generation for the knowledge economy, while placing the entire responsibility for this on the shoulders of mothers. The case of the OEYCs illustrates the way in which the contemporary Canadian state acts on the most intimate areas of life to forge subjectivities that align people with neoliberal agendas

“Falling Off a Cliff”: Mothering Disabled Children through the Pandemic and Beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on the lives of mothers of disabled children. These children have complex needs that require health, educational, and social care support services, but most of these services were cancelled or reduced because of COVID-19-related restrictions. In this article, a group of mother-researchers use a collaborative autoethnographic approach to highlight the essential role that mothers and carework play in social organization; identify gaps in services and systems due to COVID-19 policies; and provide suggestions to transform our social care support systems to better meet the needs of disabled children and their families

Performance of the CMS muon trigger system in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV

The muon trigger system of the CMS experiment uses a combination of hardware and software to identify events containing a muon. During Run 2 (covering 2015-2018) the LHC achieved instantaneous luminosities as high as 2 × 10 cm s while delivering proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV. The challenge for the trigger system of the CMS experiment is to reduce the registered event rate from about 40 MHz to about 1 kHz. Significant improvements important for the success of the CMS physics program have been made to the muon trigger system via improved muon reconstruction and identification algorithms since the end of Run 1 and throughout the Run 2 data-taking period. The new algorithms maintain the acceptance of the muon triggers at the same or even lower rate throughout the data-taking period despite the increasing number of additional proton-proton interactions in each LHC bunch crossing. In this paper, the algorithms used in 2015 and 2016 and their improvements throughout 2017 and 2018 are described. Measurements of the CMS muon trigger performance for this data-taking period are presented, including efficiencies, transverse momentum resolution, trigger rates, and the purity of the selected muon sample. This paper focuses on the single- and double-muon triggers with the lowest sustainable transverse momentum thresholds used by CMS. The efficiency is measured in a transverse momentum range from 8 to several hundred GeV

Model Socialist Town, Two Decades Later: Contesting the Past in Nowa Huta, Poland

This work examines people’s experiences of the postsocialist transformation in Poland through the lens of memory. Since socialism’s collapse over two decades ago, Poland has undergone dramatic political, economic and social changes. However, the past continues to enter into current politics, economic debates and social issues. This work examines the changes that have taken place by looking at how socialism is remembered two decades after its collapse in the Polish former “model socialist town” of Nowa Huta. It explores how ideas about the past are produced, reproduced and contested in different contexts: in Nowa Huta’s cityscape, in museums, commemorations, and the town’s steelworks (once the cornerstone of all social life in town), as well as in the personal accounts and recollections of Nowa Huta residents of different generations. Through this, it links together memory, place and generation in postsocialist East-Central Europe. This work shows that the process of remembering at times of major political, economic and social changes always entails contestation. It argues that the postsocialist period in Poland has been characterized by a complex and paradoxical relationship to the socialist past. On the one hand, there are attempts to delineate the socialist past as distinct and radically different from the present, and to set it aside in favour of present concerns. For example, a generational divide is perceived between people who have experienced life in socialist Poland and those who have not. On the other hand, the past is deployed to validate the political and economic reforms that ensued. Hegemonic accounts thus characterize the socialist period as a time of repression, resistance and inefficiency, although these representations do not go uncontested. Nowa Huta is a site that embodies these contradictions in memory and representation. In Nowa Huta, there are presently two major trends in representing the past: one seeing to downplay the town’s association with socialism by highlighting its legacy of resistance against the socialist system, the other enumerating its socialist-era accomplishments such as architecture, an industrial tradition, and a legacy of work

Tasks performed by parents to enable telepractice for children with communication disorders: an interview study with clinicians and parents

Current service models in childhood rehabilitation promote the active participation of parents/caregivers in their children’s therapies. The existing literature provides a limited understanding of the tasks and responsibilities parents undertake in their children’s therapies, especially over telepractice. This study describes the tasks undertaken by parents in their children’s speech therapy delivered virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted with parents and speech-language pathologists, using open-ended interviews. Interviews were analyzed using a combination qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis. Parents performed many tasks to enable telepractice. These tasks happened before (e.g., setting up both physical and virtual space for therapy), during (e.g., managing child’s behavior), and after the virtual therapy session (e.g., carrying out home practice). While parents were willing to perform these tasks in order to help their children, some expressed the toll that it can take on them. Compared to what is known from in-person visits, some of these tasks were novel and unique to telepractice. We recommend that clinicians and parents collaboratively decide on tasks and responsibilities to avoid burdening parents, and that they weigh the costs associated with performing these tasks against the benefits of teletherapy.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONParents perform many tasks to support their children’s therapies, both during and outside of therapy sessionsTherapies delivered virtually require parents to assume additional tasks to support their childrenFor services to be Family-Centered, tasks and responsibilities need to be decided collaboratively between parents and clinicians Parents perform many tasks to support their children’s therapies, both during and outside of therapy sessions Therapies delivered virtually require parents to assume additional tasks to support their children For services to be Family-Centered, tasks and responsibilities need to be decided collaboratively between parents and clinicians</p

Establishing and sustaining authentic organizational partnerships in childhood disability research: lessons learned

Abstract There is an increased interest from both researchers and knowledge users to partner in research to generate meaningful research ideas, implement research projects, and disseminate research findings. There is accumulating research evidence to suggest the benefits of engaging children/youth with disabilities and their parents/families in research partnerships; however, less is known about the benefits of, and challenges to, engaging organizations as partners in research. The purpose of this commentary is to reflect on successful organizational partnership experiences from the perspectives of researchers at an internationally-recognized childhood disability research centre (CanChild), and to identify and share key ingredients for developing partnerships between organizations and academic institutions. A companion study is underway to examine partnership experiences with CanChild from the partners’ perspective. Four CanChild researchers and two co-facilitators participated in a collaborative auto-ethnography approach to share experiences with organizational research partnerships and to reflect, interpret, and synthesize common themes and lessons learned. The researchers and facilitators met virtually via Zoom for 105 min. Researchers were asked to discuss the following: the formation of their organizational partnerships; if/how partnerships evolved over time; if/how partnerships were sustained; and lessons learned about benefits and challenges to building research partnerships with organizations. The meeting was recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by the facilitators to identify and synthesize common experiences and reflections. Multiple rounds of asynchronous reflection and feedback supported refinement of the final set of analytic themes. Researchers agreed that partnerships with organizations should be formed through a mutual interest, and that partnerships evolved by branching to include new organizations and researchers, while also involving trainees. Researchers identified the importance of defining roles and responsibilities of key individuals within each partnering group to sustain the partnership. Lessons learned from organizational partnerships included reciprocity between the partnering organization and academic institution, leveraging small pockets of funds to sustain a partnership over time, and building a strong rapport with individuals in a partnership. This commentary summarized lessons-learned and provided recommendations for researchers and organizations to consider when forming, growing, and sustaining research partnerships over time

ENabling VISions and Growing Expectations (ENVISAGE) : Parent reviewers’ perspectives of a co-designed program to support parents raising a child with an early-onset neurodevelopmental disability

Aims This study reports parents’ perspectives of, ENVISAGE: ENabling VISions And Growing Expectations. ENVISAGE – co-designed by parents and researchers – is an early intervention program for parents raising children with neurodisability. Methods and procedures Using an integrated Knowledge Translation approach, this feasibility study explored parents’ perspectives of the comprehensibility, acceptability, and usability of ENVISAGE workshops. Participants were Australian and Canadian parents of children with neurodisabilities, ≥12 months post-diagnosis, who independently reviewed ENVISAGE workshops using an online learning platform. Parents completed study-specific 5-point Likert-scaled surveys about individual workshops. Following this, qualitative interviews about their perceptions of ENVISAGE were conducted. Survey data were analysed descriptively, and interviews analysed inductively using interpretive description. Outcomes and results Fifteen parents completed surveys, of whom 11 participated in interviews. Workshops were reported to be understandable, relevant, and meaningful to families. ENVISAGE was judged to empower parents through enhancing knowledge and skills to communicate, collaborate and connect with others. Pragmatic recommendations were offered to improve accessibility of ENVISAGE. Conclusions and implications ENVISAGE workshops address key issues and concerns of parents of children with neurodisability in a way that was perceived as empowering. Involving parents as reviewers enabled refinement of the workshops prior to the pilot study

Co-development of the ENVISAGE-Families programme for parents of children with disabilities: Reflections on a parent–researcher partnership

Introduction In childhood disability research, the involvement of families is essential for optimal outcomes for all participants. ENVISAGE (ENabling VISions And Growing Expectations)-Families is a programme comprising five online workshops for parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The workshops aim to introduce parents to strengths-based perspectives on health and development. The research is based on an integrated Knowledge Translation (iKT) approach, in which knowledge users are involved throughout the research process. This article is co-authored by the ENVISAGE health service researchers (N = 9) and parent partners (N = 3) to describe the process through which we co-developed and implemented the workshops. Methods Collaborative auto-ethnography methods, based on a combination of interviews, qualitative surveys, and discussions held to complete the Guidance for Reporting Involvement of Patients and Public-2 tool, were used to describe the co-design process, the benefits gained, and lessons learned. Findings Parents (n = 118) were involved in developing and implementing the ENVISAGE workshops across the different phases, as partners, collaborators, or participants. Three parents were involved as investigators throughout. We identify seven key ingredients that we believe are necessary for a successful parent–researcher working relationship: (i) consistent communication; (ii) clear roles and expectations; (iii) onboarding and feedback; (iv) flexibility; (v) understanding; (vi) self-reflection; and (vii) funding. Conclusion Patient and family engagement in research is a rapidly growing area of scholarship with new knowledge and tools added every year. As our team embarks on new collaborative studies, we incorporate this knowledge as well as the practical experience we gain from working together

Patients and Families as Partners in Patient-Oriented Research: How Should They Be Compensated?

Patient and family engagement has become a widely accepted approach in health care research. We recognize that research conducted in partnership with people with relevant lived experience can substantially improve the quality of that research and lead to meaningful outcomes. Despite the benefits of patient-researcher collaboration, research teams sometimes face challenges in answering the questions of how patient and family research partners should be compensated, due to the limited guidance and lack of infrastructure for acknowledging partner contributions. In this paper, we present some of the resources that might help teams to navigate conversations about compensation with their patient and family partners and report how existing resources can be leveraged to compensate patient and family partners fairly and appropriately. We also present some of our first-hand experiences with patient and family compensation and offer suggestions for research leaders, agencies, and organizations so that the health care stakeholders can collectively move toward more equitable recognition of patient and family partners in research

CHILD-BRIGHT READYorNot Brain-Based Disabilities Trial: protocol of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) investigating the effectiveness of a patient-facing e-health intervention designed to enhance healthcare transition readiness in youth

Introduction Youth with brain-based disabilities (BBDs), as well as their parents/caregivers, often feel ill-prepared for the transfer from paediatric to adult healthcare services. To address this pressing issue, we developed the MyREADY TransitionTM BBD App, a patient-facing e-health intervention. The primary aim of this randomised controlled trial (RCT) was to determine whether the App will result in greater transition readiness compared with usual care for youth with BBD. Secondary aims included exploring the contextual experiences of youth using the App, as well as the interactive processes of youth, their parents/caregivers and healthcare providers around use of the intervention.Methods and analysis We aimed to randomise 264 youth with BBD between 15 and 17 years of age, to receive existing services/usual care (control group) or to receive usual care along with the App (intervention group). Our recruitment strategy includes remote and virtual options in response to the current requirements for physical distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will use an embedded experimental model design which involves embedding a qualitative study within a RCT. The Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire will be administered as the primary outcome measure. Analysis of covariance will be used to compare change in the two groups on the primary outcome measure; analysis will be intention-to-treat. Interviews will be conducted with subsets of youth in the intervention group, as well as parents/caregivers and healthcare providers.Ethics and dissemination The study has been approved by the research ethics board of each participating site in four different regions in Canada. We will leverage our patient and family partnerships to find novel dissemination strategies. Study findings will be shared with the academic and stakeholder community, including dissemination of teaching and training tools through patient associations, and patient and family advocacy groups.Trial registration number NCT03852550