Division of Developmental Disabilities | Psychiatry | School of Medicine

Acting Division Chair: Dr. Cherie Jones-Hiscock
Clinical Director: Meg McQueen, OT Reg. (Ont.)
Administrative Support: Arlene Healey

The Division of Developmental Disabilities is an academic-service program and interprofessional faculty group within the Department of Psychiatry. Faculty representation includes medicine, forensics, genetics, rehabilitation therapy and psychology. Clinical team members include psychiatry, family medicine, clinical psychology, occupational therapy and social work.

The Division is responsible for undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate and pre-licensure teaching in developmental disabilities across the various departments as well as a regional community training program to families and caregivers across Southeastern Ontario.

For undergraduates training, this includes academic lectures, clinical skills and clinical placements involving residential and community care. Graduate and post-graduate training includes advanced seminars, elective rotations, internships and fellowships.

Division members are involved in research on dual diagnosis, autism spectrum disorders, genetics, sensory processing, interprofessional education, collaborative community-based health care, forensics and psychological therapies.

In addition to the hospitals involved in the Academic Health Sciences Centre at Queen's, the division services various community-based agencies to provide specialized teriatry mental health care. The Division is located at 55-2 Rideau Street in Kingston, Ontario.

For more information, please see our Developmental Disabilities Consulting Program (DDCP) page.

Clinical services are provided through inpatient and outpatient clinics across the Southeastern Ontario region serving both developmental and mental health agencies; as well as children's services within the education and social service systems.

Affiliated placement sites and specialty clinics include:

· Youth in Transition Dual Diagnosis Regional Clinic
· Autism Assessment Clinics (regional)
· Sensory Assessment Clinics (regional)
· Autism and Dual Diagnosis Clinic (Kerry's Place Autism Services, Belleville)
· Child/Adult Dual Diagnosis Clinic (Developmental Services Leeds and Grenville, Brockville)
· Children's Therapeutic Treatment Home (Rainbow Valley, Sharbot Lake)
· Forensic Developmental Disabilities Clinic (Christian Horizons, Gananoque)
· Challenging Behaviour Clinic (Community Living, Kingston)
· CAS Children's Developmental Disabilities Clinic (Belleville)
· Dual Diagnosis Clinic (Pathways to Independence, Belleville)
· KGH & PCMHS (Inpatient dual diagnosis consultation)

· One month 'elective' in developmental disabilities (children, adolescents and adults)
· Elective rotations up to 12 months for senior residents
· Interprofessional Concise Course in Dual Diagnosis
· Fellowship opportunities

Core Lecture Series
· Introduction to Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders
· Introduction to Dual Diagnosis (Intellectual Disabilities and Mental Illness)
· Introduction to working in ER and individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities

There are several research opportunities through the DDCP as noted below:

Inter-professional Education and Collaborative Care
· IPE day in ID/DD for medicine, nursing, psychology, occupational therapy and physical therapy
· UME Clinical Skills - Interviewing patients with communication impairments
· IP Concise Course in Dual Diagnosis

Mental Health
· Emergency room utilization
· Youth in Transition clinic referral profiles
· Dual Diagnosis/Asperger's Disorder and Contact with the Law
· Case Studies (complex ASD, forensics, sexuality, transitional aged youth)
· DBT/Anger management groups

Rehabilitation and Vocational Programming
· Supportive employment for Dual Diagnosis
· Sensory Integration Therapy

Family Systems
· Stress and Coping
· Social inclusion
· Service support evaluation

Epidemiology
· Autism surveillance
· Health disparities and ID (e.g. polypharmacy, cancer screening)
· Services for Adults with ID (e.g. person-directed planning, social inclusion)

Genetics
· Genome studies
· Autism Spectrum Disorders
· Schizophrenia