Developmental Coordination Disorder in Alberta: A Journey into Knowledge Translation.

Aim: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a motor disorder affecting coordination and performance in daily tasks. Studies regarding design and implementation of knowledge translation strategies effecting DCD practice changes in pediatric rehabilitation settings is limited and DCD remains under-recognized and under-diagnosed with an under-utilization of evidence-based practice. This knowledge-to-practice gap was identified in central Alberta, Canada when a lower caseload of clients with DCD and a lower rate of DCD referrals to a neurodevelopmental assessment clinic was observed, given its 5-6% prevalence in children. This paper describes and discusses the development and implementation of a replicable process of knowledge translation for integrating DCD evidence into frontline practice.Methods: Structures such as the Knowledge to Action framework were retrofitted and used to describe activities that occurred during the knowledge translation process. Main activities consisted of: information dissemination; education; addition of DCD to a neurodevelopmental assessment clinic; and development of a Community of Practice. Outcome evaluation methods included surveys, interviews, referral tracking, and database creation.Results: Knowledge translation strategy implementation resulted in increased knowledge among clinicians and community stakeholders, process standardization, increased referrals querying DCD, established knowledge brokers, and practice change.Conclusion: Pre-determined and systematic implementation strategy design is essential for embedding evidence into frontline practice.

Messages that matter: Age differences in affective responses to framed health messages.

Age differences in responses to framed health messages-which can influence judgments and decisions-are critical to understand yet relatively unexplored. Age-related emotional shifts toward positivity would be expected to differentially impact the affective responses of older and younger adults to framed messages. In this study, we measured the subjective and physiological affective responses of older and younger adults to gain- and loss-framed exercise promotion messages. Relative to older adults, younger adults exhibited greater negative reactivity to loss-framed health messages. These results suggest that health message framing does matter, but it depends on the age of the message recipient. (PsycINFO Database Record