Grant: Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

The purpose of this research is to generate much needed knowledge that will improve the health, development, and quality of life of Indigenous children. Indigenous children represent the fastest growing segment of the population and experience significant health inequities and a high prevalence of developmental challenges and disabilities. Early intervention therapy (EIT) programs provided by occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and speech language pathologists have been shown to be highly beneficial for young children (0-5 years) in the wider Canadian population. However, Indigenous perspectives are largely absent in EIT research and literature, and provincial government, Indigenous leaders and early childhood stakeholders are questioning why EIT programs are consistently severely under-utilized by Indigenous communities and families. There are also concerns about equitable access to EIT, particularly given that some Indigenous families 'voluntarily' place their children in state care in order to access these programs. This exploratory, qualitative study has been developed in collaboration with key stakeholders and will be inclusive of 'CIHR Guidelines for Health Research Involving Aboriginal People'. In-depth interviews will be used to generate knowledge from Indigenous parents and stakeholders' perspectives to inform EIT practices and policies that are responsive to the realities, strengths, and needs of Indigenous communities, families, and children. Knowledge translation and exchange is integral to the design of this study in order to ensure that the knowledge and recommendations arising from this research reach policy-making and EIT service provision stakeholders.