Research and Development Team

Dr. Elik is a registered school, clinical, and health psychologist, who recently founded a private practice clinic in Ancaster, Ontario. She is an adjunct faculty at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. She worked in the departments of Neuropsychiatry (ADHD), Developmental Pediatrics, and Pediatric Chronic Pain at the Hospital for Sick Children and McMaster Children's Hospital before fully moving to private practice in February 2021. She works with children, adolescents, and adults (individual therapy, parenting), with a specialization in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with developmental, learning, and social-emotional difficulties and chronic health conditions. She is also focused on improving inter-professional collaboration between home, school, and healthcare practitioners in order to maximize the use of resources and obtain the best outcomes for children and adolescents. In addition to the ASSIST program, she has been active in research through supervision of Masters and Honours' theses over the past 15 years on various topics, including ADHD, executive functions, and chronic pain. 

Dr. Smith is a Professor and the Joan and Jack Craig Chair in Autism Research in the Department of Pediatrics at Dalhousie University. As a clinical-developmental psychologist, she relishes the opportunity to supervise many undergraduate and graduate trainees through her cross-appointment in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. Dr. Smith consults widely in regard to her clinical expertise in the diagnosis of ASD. She directs the IWK Autism Research Centre, based at the IWK Health Centre, which focuses on studies of early identification and intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the developmental trajectories of individuals with ASD, and development and evaluation of interventions designed to improve the capacities of parents, healthcare providers and educators to meet the needs of children and youth with ASD.

Dr. Paul Ralph is an award-winning scientist, author, consultant, and Professor of Software Engineering in the Faculty of Computer science at Dalhousie University. His research intersects software engineering, project management and human-computer interaction. He has received funding from Google and The National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Dr. Ralph holds a PhD in Management from the University of British Columbia.

Ms. Brown is an experienced implementation consultant in the field of non-profit children, youth and family services with particular knowledge and expertise in systems, management, inter and intra-organisational integration and implementation science and practice

Ms. Aucoin leads Aucoin Leadership Consulting supporting education and business leadership.   She retired from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union as Executive Staff Officer of Professional Learning. Betty Jean has 31 years of experience in the school system. She has worked in many roles including classroom teacher, principal, middle level coordinator of programs and student services for the South Shore Regional Centre for Education, and adjunct professor at St. Francis Xavier University.  She has led the implementation of many programs and is sought out as a consultant on education system change.