Dr. Andrea Downie
Children's Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre
B6-300 Victoria Hospital
800 Commissioners Road East
London, ON N6A 5W9
Telephone: (519) 685-8144
Email: andrea.downie@lhsc.on.ca
Clinical interests: Paediatric neurpsychological assessment, diagnosis, and consultation. I work predominantly with children who are currently undergoing treatment for childhood cancer or who have survived childhood cancer. This includes children who are diagnosed and treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or a brain tumour, as well as children whose cancer is associated with a syndrome that has an accompanying neurodevelopmental disorder (e.g., Neurofibromatosis Type 1). I also work with children and families whose primary diagnosis might be neurological, genetic, or metabolic. Children range in age from 4 to 18 years of age, with many children being assessed across multiple time points throughout their development. Some children have motor, visual, or hearing impairments or are English language learners. My approach to assessment involves a transactional model in which the evaluation of a child's neuropsychological functioning occurs in consideration of environmental (e.g., home, school) and psychosocial factors. Through this model, students have the opportunity to learn how abnormalities in brain development interact with environmental factors, and how the neuropsychological sequelae of brain abnormalities develop over time.
Topics for workshops, seminars: Pediatric Neuropsychology in a medical setting
Type of clinical practica: Initial Assessment
Types of clients: Child; Adolescent
Modality: Individual; Family
Theoretical orientation: Cognitive behavioural; Behavioural; Neuropsychological
Types of client problems: Intellectual disability; Communication disorders; ADHD; Learning disorder; Anxiety disorders; Depressive disorders; Neurocognitive disorders
Type of supervision you can provide: Co-therapy/Co-interview; Observe student live; Student describes case
Recent students:
Current students:
Clinical mentor: Available
Research interests: Neurocognitive and social difficulties associated with childhood cancer and the development of interventions designed to improve these difficulties. The majority of this research has been carried out as a co-investigator on a number of multi-site research studies. The results of this research, and that carried out by others involved in similar projects, document that children who are diagnosed with a brain tumour and treated with cranial radiation are at a high risk to experience changes in attention, executive functioning, processing speed, and working memory, which in turn adversely affects academic achievement. These late effects have a significant impact upon the lives of children who survive a brain tumour including changes to their social functioning, validated remediation methods available to survivors of childhood cancer. Publications available in CV.
Available to supervise: Yes
Constraints: Available September-March. Initial assessment practicum preferred, but could also supervise an advanced assessment practicum. Placement days either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. In-person placement.
Last updated: May 30, 2023
