Over the past ten years, the Queen Alexandra Foundation has invested more than $1,000,000 to support the research of Vancouver Island Health Authority staff who work with children and youth at the Queen Alexandra site.

Examples of both applied and programming research projects that have received funding from the Queen Alexandra Foundation include:

• Stepping Over Obstacles: Gait Patterns of Children with Down Syndrome  
  
  This project focused on characterizing the walking patterns of children with Down Syndrome while walking over obstacles of different heights.  The results have been used to help physiotherapist and occupational therapists develop new techniques to help children with Down Syndrome maintain their balance when there are changes in the environment.
  
  
• Evaluation of the Wilbarger Protocol in Decreasing Sensory Defensiveness in Children
  
  The purpose of this project was to assess the effectiveness of a treatment intervention used by occupational therapists call the "Willbarger protocol", used with children that display sensory defensive behaviours (such as avoidance or hypersensitivity to certain types of touch, sounds, smells or movements).  The results of this research will help occupational therapists determine best practice for the treatment of sensory defensiveness.

Recently, a $1.5 million Research Initiatives Fund was established by the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children to help advance the health and well-being of children and youth.  The granting criteria for this fund are currently being developed.