Behavioral Research Unit (BRU)

The BRU was established in 1979, with the purpose of enhancing research on developmental and behavioural problems. Much of the work since then has been focused on developmental learning and attention disorders, along with the symptoms and syndromes that often co-occur with these disabilities (coordination impairments, emotional and behavioural problems, autism-spectrum disorders). In addition, there is much research on the long-term outcome of children who are at risk for developmental problems.

For instance, there are studies on children who are part of the perinatal follow-up program, including a currently-funded study of motor, visual-motor, and perceptual problems in extremely low birth weight infants at age 5 years. Another study of children at risk is evaluating the developmental outcome of children who had antenatally-detected choroid plexus cysts. Other research evaluates how children with chronic health problems and disabilities are able to cope with them. Recently, Dr. Deborah Dewey, who is supported by a Health Career Award from CIHR for research on neurobehavioural and psychosocial outcomes of children at risk, has joined a CIHR/IHRT nationwide consortium to study autism.

The most recent research theme to be studied at the BRU is the evaluation of a nutritional supplement (E.M. Power+) for the treatment of psychiatric problems associated with unstable mood (bipolar disorder, etc.).

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Areas of Research

• Physiological causes and correlates of developmental disorders
• Markers of atypical brain development in utero
• Comorbid symptoms in children with developmental disorders, especially
• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
• Nutritional treatment of bipolar disorder, and unstable mood
• Family coping strategies with children with chronic disorders
• Neurobehavioural and social abilities in children with autism
• Outcomes of very low birth weight infants
• Long-term cognitive and behavioural outcomes of children with head injuries

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Collaborative Skills

• BRU staff members have worked with various clinics to study asthma, diabetes, prematurity, etc
• BRU staff serve as methodology consultants on many behavioural/psychosocial studies
• Skills areas include experimental design, statistical analysis, database management, psychometric assessment, questionnaire development and validation, interview skills, grantsmanship

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BRU Staff Members

At any moment in time, the BRU staff size can vary from its core group of 6 to a total of 25. When it is at its larger size, many of the staff members are people trained to assess children in the schools and in their homes.
The following are the core members of the staff, who work on many studies:

• Bonnie J. Kaplan, Ph.D., Director, and Professor, Department of Pediatrics (cross appointment in Community Health Sciences)
• Deborah M. Dewey, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics (cross appointments in Kinesiology and Psychology)
• Susan G. Crawford, M.Sc., Study Coordinator, database manager, biostatistician
• Brenda N. Wilson, M.Sc., OT(C), Co-investigator on many studies focusing on developmental coordination disorder
• Libbe Kooistra, PhD, Assoc Prof, Department of Pediatrics (cross appointment in Kinesiology)
• Marja Cantell, PhD, Assistant Prof., Dept of Pediatrics (cross appointment in Kinesiology)
• Bruce Dick, PhD, AHFMR postdoctoral fellow, Dept of Pediatrics
• Peggy Holmes, Secretary
• Debra Busic, Research Assistant

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Current Research Grants
 

• Dewey (PI), Health Career Award, Neurobehavioural and psychosocial outcomes of children at risk, 2001-2005
• Dewey (Co-I), Unraveling the mystery of autism, CIHR/IHRT, $50,000/year, 2001-2006
• Dewey (PI), Detecting motor, visual-motor and perceptual problems in extremely low birth weight infants at age 5, ACH Foundation, $40,119, 2001-2004
• Dewey (PI), Development of neurobehavioural and social abilities in children with autism, Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation of Canada, $97,333/year, 1999-2002
• Dewey (Co-I), Developmental outcome of children with choroid plexus cysts detected antenatally, AHFMR, $66,258/year, 1999-2002
• Kaplan and Dewey (Co-Investigators), Perceptions of childhood, attributional styles, and psychologic function in men identified with ADHD in adulthood, SSHRC, $50,000, 1999-2002
• Dewey (Co-I), Effect of insulin-dependent diabetes psychosocial maturation in young adults, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International,$32,906, 1999-2002
• Dewey (Co-I), Psychosocial maturation in young adults with diabetes, ACH Foundation, $14,000
• Kaplan (Co-I), Randomized clinical trial of a nutritional treatment for fibromyalgia, AHFMR, $18,000/year, 1999-2001
• Kaplan (PI), Randomized clinical trial of a nutritional treatment of bipolar disorder, ASRA, $588,757, 1999-2002
• Kaplan (Co-I), Genetics of dyslexia, MRC, $109,000/yr, 1999-2003
• Crawford (Co-I), Factors related to resiliency in children with asthma, ACH Foundation, $10,000, 1998-2001

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Potential Research Grants

• Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation

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