Left in the waiting room: Evaluating a virtual intervention for siblings of children with special needs

  • Kylie is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the NOvEL (Neurorehab Outcomes via Education & Learning) Lab at the Bloorview Research Institute. She completed her Masters in Occupational Therapy and PhD at the University of Toronto. Kylie is passionate about co-developing, implementing and evaluating meaningful clinical and educational interventions for children, youth and their families.

Siblings of children with special needs can experience a range of mental health, emotional and behavioural problems, however, they often do not receive the support they need. Kylie's research will involve evaluating the delivery of iSibworkS, a virtual, group-based intervention for siblings of children with special needs. This work will also explore the experiences and benefits of this intervention from the perspectives of siblings and parents.

Kylie will evaluate the efficacy of iSibworkS using data collected from the current pilot intervention for siblings 8 to 13 years old. Next steps will involve expanding iSibworkS to support older youth siblings between 14 to 16 years old. This work aims to enhance social networks, improve family relationships and increase resilience for siblings of children with special needs.

This project is co-funded in partnership with Mitacs and the Knowledge Institute for Child & Youth Mental Health and Addictions.