Every Pain, Every Brain
Implementing Neuroinclusive Pain Management for Kids
Children with neurodisabilities experience more pain.
Canada is a world leader in children’s pain research. Effective treatments exist, yet children in Canada continue to experience undertreated and preventable pain. This is particularly true for children with neurodisabilities who are more likely to be impacted by pain yet face more barriers to accessing quality pain care.
Since our inception, SKIP has been at the forefront of accelerating implementation of effective solutions for kids in pain by co-developing and producing new tools, such as the world’s first national health standard for pediatric pain management (CAN/HSO 13200:2023). Our goal is to ensure that every child, including those with a neurodisability, gets the best pain care, every time, at any hospital in Canada. However, hospitals often need support in knowing how to put quality pediatric pain management into practice. This is where we come in!
We know that language matters and our goal is to ensure that children and youth with neurodisabilities and their caregivers feel seen, heard, and valued in our joint effort to ensure that all children receive quality, equitable pain care.
We are using the term ‘neurodisability’ to describe long-lasting conditions that affect how the brain or muscles work. This includes people who may not have a specific diagnosis, and recognizes that symptoms can change over time. Some conditions happen on their own, while others occur together, and they can be mild or more complex. Examples include autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD, FASD, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and/or rare genetic conditions such as Fragile X Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, and Angelman Syndrome.
Helping hospitals put neuroinclusive pain management into practice
Every Pain, Every Brain: Implementing Neuroinclusive Pain Management for Kids brings together expert teams from more than 20 partner organizations, including nine children’s hospitals/healthcare organizations, 11 community partners, health professionals, decision-makers, implementation specialists, youth, and caregivers. The initiative is led by SKIP’s Strategic Initiatives Hub at the University of Calgary, guided by a National Advisory Group, and supported by primary funding from Kids Brain Health Network and the Brain Canada Foundation.
Together, we are creating more than 20 new tools and resources to make it easier for hospitals across Canada to improve pain care for children with neurodisabilities in diverse settings. Our work has the potential to benefit the 700,000 children living with neurodisabilities in Canada.
Neuroinclusive pain management tools and resources
SKIP Resource Navigator: Guiding you to trusted solutions for kids in pain.
We know how overwhelming it can be to search for the right resources. That’s why we’ve created the SKIP Resource Navigator. Here, you can access trusted evidence-based tools for youth, caregivers, health professionals, decisionmakers, and others – all in one place. You will find resources in a wide range of formats like videos, booklets, infographics, toolkits, handouts, and more, that cover pain from birth to emerging adulthood. Use the search filters to find what fits your needs best based on language, audience, age group, type of pain, type of resource, neurodisability-specific information, and more.
Why does neuroinclusive pain management matter for children and youth?
“When your child can’t tell you they’re in pain in the usual ways you’re left trying to read the signs and push for answers, often without feeling fully heard. This project and the tools being created will help kids with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families trust what they’re seeing, feel believed, and finally get their child the pain care they need.”
Family Partner
“I have had pain for a long time. In the beginning no one knew because I couldn’t talk to tell them. I like that people are working to help kids like me so they won’t go through what I did.”
Youth with lived experience
Meet the Every Pain, Every Brain National Team
- Principal Investigator: Dr. Kathryn (Katie) Birnie
- Family Partner Project Co-Lead: Stephanie Paravan
- National Team Site Leads: Dr. Christine Chambers, Dr. Samina Ali, Dr. Fiona Campbell, Dr. Marie-Joëlle Doré-Bergeron, Emily Gruenwoldt, Shiv Kirat Deol, Katie MacDonald, Stephanie McFarland, Dr. Melanie Noel, Dr. Tim Oberlander, Angela Renkema, Mike Sangster, Dr. Jennifer Stinson, Kelly Thorstad-Cullen, Dr. Evelyne Trottier, Dr. Argerie Tsimicalis
- Youth and Family Partnership Consultant: Rachel Martens
Meet the Every Pain, Every Brain National Advisory Group
Click here to learn more about our National Advisory Group members!
Meet the Every Pain, Every Brain Partners
Primary Funders
Partners and Additional Funding
Additional Partners
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions from Kids Brain Health Network funded through the Strategic Science Fund, a program of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and the Canada Brain Research Fund, an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada Foundation. The views expressed in this initiative do not necessarily reflect those of its funders or the Government of Canada. We also acknowledge the essential contributions from additional project partners.