Research Talk Summary:

Mental health trajectories and targeted treatments in neurodevelopmental conditions

This presentation will summarize existing evidence as well as evidence gaps regarding mental health outcomes in children with neurodevelopmental conditions including rare genetic disorders.

Biological and psychosocial predictors of mental health trajectories will be presented. Current trends and research gaps regarding mental health care for neurodivergent youth will be reviewed, including complexities related biological heterogeneity as well as mental health system access.

Biography:

Dr. Danielle Baribeau is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and clinician-scientist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto. She is an assistant professor with the Department of Psychiatry and the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Baribeau’s clinical foci are on autism, rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorders, and psychopharmacology. Her Canadian Institute of Health Research-funded research program is focused on clinically translating genetic advances into improved mental health care in autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions. Her current studies use health administrative data to examine health system outcomes in autism and rare genetic disorders from across Ontario. She is the site or principal investigator for several clinical trials in children. She also works with the Ontario government towards the implementation of advanced genetic testing in neurodevelopmental conditions across the province.