Research, Education and Training
Research
Research at the Ozad Institute aims to provide new information that will help children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. There are three primary research and education/training streams focusing on brain-behaviour relationships in children in relation to: (1) neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders, (2) learning, behaviour regulation, and social learning problems, and, (3) children’s mental health. To date, the Ozad Institute has produced 30 publications in professional books and scientific journals. There have also been 33 presentations of Ozad Institute research and related information at meetings of provincial, Canadian, American and international professional associations.
Education and Training
The Ozad
Institute has provided in-service, professional, and community-oriented
education/training in neurodevelopmental disabilities since 1990. There have
been over 160 Ozad
Institute community-based presentations and workshops to date.
These presentations and workshops have been provided on behalf of RCC staff,
teachers, other school board and community professionals, professional
associations, community-based groups, children’s treatment centres, school
boards, parents, as well as University and College students. Twenty WRH Doctoral
Psychology Interns completed the Ozad Institute Research Rotation between 1995
and 2005. Two
Ozad Institute Postdoctoral Residents were trained under the primary
supervision of Dr. Strang. The Institute’s current student training includes graduate students in clinical neuropsychology and child-clinical psychology, primarily from the Department of Psychology, University of Windsor.
The 1st Annual Ozad Institute Conference was successfully held on April 18, 2009 in collaboration with the Greater Essex County District School Board. This conference focused on educational, treatment, and parenting implications flowing from Ozad research on children with various neurodevelopmental disorders. The next four Ozad Institute conferences were sponsored through the Student Support Leadership Initiative
(SSLI). These conferences focused on increasing children’s mental health awareness, understanding, and training, primarily for educators and clinicians. Ozad presenter contributions included clinical and treatment-oriented relationships between neurodevelopmental disabilities and children’s mental health problems. The 8th Annual Ozad Institute Conference was held on April 28, 2016 and with support from the Regional Children's Centre, HDGH, the Electozad Supply Co. and McTague Law Firm. This conference focused on utilizing children's strengths to reduce the impact of anxiety and learning disabilities. The 8th Annual Ozad Institute Conference evaluation results showed that over 99% of audience participants (educators, service providers, administrators, parents, and students) rated this conference as meeting its educational goals.
To meet the needs of a broader range of audience members, there was a planned 2017-2018 shift in Ozad Institute knowledge transfer methodology and education. In March 2018 OAC membership and scientist-practitioner appointments were completed that ensured a representative from each of the major Windsor-Essex County child and adolescent centres and school boards. Two strategies have been undertaken with the continued goal of providing information and skill development to improve the outcomes of children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disabilities and neurocognitive disorders: (1) Focused education/training in partnership with sponsoring centres/school boards that meet their specific needs, as recommended by their Ozad Institute representative, and (2) The use of accessible social media to share knowledge and contribute to teacher, parent, and clinician capacity enhancement, in conjunction with our HDGH and other partners.