Research and Innovation Hub
Advancing Autism Research, Innovation, and Practice
Developed in collaboration with the Transforming Autism Care Consortium (TACC), the Hub is a pioneering Community Living Lab where researchers, educators, autistic people, families, and community partners co-create practical solutions that advance neuroinclusion across sectors.
A Hub for the Future of Autism Research
By fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, and community engagement, the Giant Steps Research and Innovation Hub is at the forefront of transforming autism education, supports, and inclusion. Through neuroaffirming research initiatives, social innovation projects, and direct partnerships with stakeholders, the Hub continues to shape a more inclusive and supportive future for autistic individuals and their families.
Governance
Community Voices at the Heart of Every Decision
The Hub’s work is guided by operational coordination and strategic advice from people across research, education, practice, and lived experience.
Operational Committee
Oversees the day-to-day coordination of the Research and Innovation Hub, including its research projects, programs, and activities. This committee ensures alignment across partners and supports the smooth implementation of the Hub’s work. External researchers join the committee once a month to participate in the review of new research project proposals.
Emily Curtis
Assistant Director,
Pedagogical Services; staff representative on board
Martine Habra
TACC Liaison and Partners for Change Program Lead
Mayada Elsabbagh
TACC Director
Marla Cable
Resource and Training Centre Assistant Director
Alain Beaudoin
Director General, Giant Steps Centre
Thomas Henderson
Director of Innovation and Special Projects
Isabelle Soulières
TACC Researcher
Anne-Marie Nader
TACC Researcher
Advisory Committee
Provides strategic guidance for long-term vision, governance, research priorities, partnership development, and responsiveness to community needs and emerging opportunities.
Thomas Henderson
Committee Chair, Director of Research and Innovation
Jean-François Grondin
Giant Steps Board of Directors Liaison
Alain Beaudoin
Director General, Giant Steps Centre
Emily Curtis
Strategic Pillar Representative, Pedagogical Services
Mayada Elsabbagh
TACC Director
Martine Habra
TACC Team Member
Tara Flanagan
TACC Researcher
Isabelle Préfontaine
TACC Researcher
Sophie Bouhour
TACC Trainee Member, Leadership Award Recipient
Mathieu Giroux
Lived experience member, autistic individual
Claire Gaudreau
Lived experience member, autistic individual
Reetta Hasanen
Lived experience member, caregiver from the GS community
Research and Social Innovation Projects
Grounded in Community, Guided by Evidence
The Hub is home to a growing portfolio of community-based research projects spanning education, clinical intervention, neuroscience, employment, and inclusion. Projects are developed collaboratively with community input and range from foundational research to applied trials with direct implications for practice.
Research Projects
Co-constructing Neuroinclusion – Creating and piloting a tool to assess accessibility and inclusivity.
Tara Flanagan, Mélanie Couture, Valérie Martin + Kelly Bron Johnson & Thomas Henderson
Adapting Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Autistic Youth: A School-Based Approach to Mental Health
Valérie Courschesne, Anne-Marie Nader, Stéphanie El Asmar, Thomas Henderson, Kenneth Fung, Johanna Lake, Clara Marty, Ami Tint, Carly Magnacca, Richard Marcotte, Nathalie Miyake
No Caregiver Left Behind: Addressing Sustainability and Accessibility of an ACT Intervention for Family Caregivers
Johanna Lake, Avra Selick, Kenneth Fung, Yona Lunksy, Lee Steel, Jodie Siu, Kendra Thomson, Jonathan Weiss, Claire de Oliveira, Kayla Lauzon
Validation of a Novel Checklist to Evaluate Community Mobility Skills for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Isabelle Gélinas, Barbara Mazer
Caring for the Caregiver and Neurodivergent People – ACT
Yona Lunsky, Kenneth Fung, Johanna Lake, Nicole Bobbette, Kendra Thomson, Jonathan Weiss, Melanie Penner, Becky Lerner, Lee Steel, Alex Porthukaran, Carly Magnacca
Identifying barriers to healthcare for people on the autism spectrum through stakeholder engagement
Julie Scorah, Myriam Beauchamp
Mapping accessible employment pathways for youth with disabilities: National and international best practices
Keiko Shikako, Mehrnoosh Movahed, Roberta Cardoso, Linda Nguyen, Amelia Hagelstam Renshaw, Paul Yoo
Évaluation préliminaire des effets de fascicules d’éducation à la sexualité destinés aux parents d’adolescents.es ou d’adultes autistes ou présentant une déficience intellectuelle
Stella Gurreri, Nadia Abouzeid, Audrey Anne Doucet
Flourishing Among Visible Minority Families of Autistic Youth and Young Adults
Jonathan Weiss, Nisha Vashi
Exploring Autism’s Social Landscape: Unwrapping the Lived Experience of Friendship for Autistic Youth
Harriet Petrakos, Sophia Barnard
Evaluation of the Impact of Probiotic Supplementation in Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The PROBI-O-TISM Study
Valérie Marcil, Sarah Lippé, Kelly Grzywacz, Baudoin Forgeot d’Arc, Dominique Cousineau, Éric Déziel, Roger Godbout, Emmett Rabot, Guy Rousseau, Cristoforo Silvestri, Charlène Roussel
Autism, Bilingualism, and Communicative and Cognitive Development (ABCCD)
Mayada Elsabbagh, Myriam Beauchamp
Portrait des stratégies d’enseignement utilisées par les enseignant.e.s québécois.e.s en formation générale des jeunes
Émilie Tremblay-Wragg et Geneviève Messier
Prendre soin d’un proche quand on est un homme immigrant ou descendant de migrants. Quelle réalité, quels défis et quels besoins?
Josiane Le Gall, Sylvie Fortin, Janique Johnson-Lafleur, Saïd Bergheul, Jill Hanley, Daniel Lapalme, William Thierry Tonye Bayiha, Stephane Hernandez, Mohamed Ali Ag Ahmed, Sophie Hamilsultane, Christine Gervais, Kettly Pinchinat, Marie-Ève Samson
“Nothing About Us, Without Us”: Co-Designing Family-Centred and Culturally Responsive Autism Interventions?
Tara Flanagan, Kelly D’souza
L’accès aux stratégies métacognitives et aux processus de compréhension des lecteurs autistes de 10 à 12 ans
Émilie Cloutier, Raphaëlle Girard
Attitudes of parents and educators towards bilingualism and multilingualism for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in Montreal
Émilie Cloutier, Raphaëlle Girard
Le développement cognitif chez les enfants ayant reçu un diagnostic de trouble du spectre de l’autisme (âgés de 7 à 17 ans)
Xiaoqian Chai, Delaram Shirzad
Étude des représentations professionnelles des pratiques d’enseignement mathématique et des interactions de connaissances en classe spéciale pour élèves autistes au primaire
Jacinthe Giroux, Virginie Houle, Isabelle Atkins
Social Innovation Projects
Xenia – Opening Doors in Hospitality
A pan-Canadian neuroinclusive employment initiative supporting autistic youth and young adults while training hotel teams in neuroinclusive practices.
Angus Destination Neuroinclusive
Positioning the Technopôle Angus neighbourhood as one of Québec’s leading neuroinclusive employment destinations through collaboration with the business community.
Neurodiversity and Bullying
An online tool and resource kit for school staff, students, and parents addressing bullying and autism in primary and secondary schools.
Knowledge
Mobilization
Connecting Research and Community
Research creates meaningful change when it is accessible, relevant, and informed by the people it is intended to serve. Through public events and collaborative activities, the Hub brings research, practice, and lived experience together.
Learning Series
Offered in person, online, and in hybrid formats, the Learning Series invites researchers to share emerging findings and engage directly with the community.
Annual Symposium
The flagship annual Symposium brings together researchers, clinicians, educators, autistic people, families, and community partners for deeper conversations at the intersection of research, practice, and lived experience. It creates opportunities to exchange knowledge, build connections, and inspire collaboration.
Roundtables, Consultations, and Co-Design
Our roundtables, consultations, and co-construction sessions create space for autistic people, families, professionals, and community partners to share their perspectives and identify priorities. These conversations help shape research questions, guide projects, and ensure that innovation responds to the community’s needs.
Get in Touch / Inquire About Research
Whether you are a researcher looking for a unique community-based setting, a clinician or educator wanting to connect with ongoing projects, or an autistic person or family with a question that deserves an answer, there is a place for you here. At Giant Steps, every new voice strengthens the research, and every question has the potential to shape the next discovery.