Research Projects

Research Orientation 1

To assess the effectiveness of Relational Intervention, a parent-child intervention based on a state-of-the-art approach that uses video feedback from parent-child exchanges and positive reinforcement.

Research Orientation 2

To improve parent-child interventions, Axis 2 aims to better understand the role of parent-child relationships in the transmission of risk and the inadequacy of young children.

Projects

Girafe Project

In partnership with the CIUSSS, the Grandir en IntERaction avec sa FamillE (GIRAFE) project was developed to evaluate the quality of services offered to families with a child between the ages of 1 and 6 who have been reported for maltreatment or are in a vulnerable situation. More specifically, its objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Attachemnt Videofeeback Intervention (AVI) on a set of parent and child variables, compared to families receiving the usual services offered. The project also aims to examine whether certain characteristics of the parents, the family environment, the children, and the caregivers involved in Relational Intervention decrease or increase the effectiveness of AVI.

Within the framework of the GIRAFE project, we are collaborating with different organizations such as the CIUSSS of South-East and North-West Montreal, the Portage Mother-Child program, the pediatric social center Coeur des Laurentides, the Dans la rue organism and the CLSCs of the Jeanne-Mance and Verdun districts. This project aims to improve the services offered to the most vulnerable families.

Phare Project

The Perceptions and Relational History of Practitioners to Improve Clinical Resources for Parents and their Young Children (PHARE) project aims to improve professional interventions and practices with parents and their children. More and more interventions are being designed to help parents and their young children and the PHARE project has the goal of improving these interventions by identifying the qualities of practitioners who are working to optimize parenting and parent-child relationships and by improving the education and training of students and clinicians for better professional practice.

Pirate Project

In collaboration with the CHU Sainte-Justine Developmental Clinic, the PIRATE project was developed to better understand the mechanisms involved in the development of the parent-child relationship in preschool children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Because these children are at greater risk for relationship challenges and limited communication skills, it may become difficult for the parent to sensitively decode these children’s needs accurately and they are more likely to experience distress. If non-optimal parental responses have been associated with socio-emotional difficulties in children, supporting parents in decoding and better interpreting the often subtle and specific behaviors of these children would contribute to the development of better emotional security in these children. Currently, various evaluation-interventions focused on the parent-child relationship and communication are offered to these families; however, the effectiveness of these services has been little studied.

The objective of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of Relational Intervention, based on video feedback, in contrast to the psychoeducational intervention usually offered at the developmental clinic. This project will improve the diagnostic assessment and intervention services offered to children who consult for developmental or communication difficulties.

 

4. Hébergement Project

The Hébergement project documents and evaluates the socio-emotional functioning of children between the ages of 6 and 12 years who are housed in a rehabilitation setting. The recruitment of the project took place between spring 2012 and spring 2018 in collaboration with the Youth Center of Montreal University Institute (CJM-IU) and the Youth Center of Laurentides

1. Brazil Project