Child development

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

TWF is interested in the psychological and behavioural development of our children, and particularly in certain neuro developmental conditions and the factors that influence them.  To that end we fund:

• research, as a main priority

but also

• dissemination of research

and to a lesser extent

• intervention projects.

FUNDING TOPICS

We are most interested in the following neurodevelopmental topics:

• Rolandic epilepsy (also called BECCTS or BECTS)
• ADHD
• Dyslexia
• Autistic Spectrum Disorders
• Development Co-ordination Disorder.

As these conditions often occur together, we are particularly interested in research and other projects which cross diagnostic, descriptive categories, as they have greater potential to reveal causal factors.  These include deficits in executive functioning, in speech and in language. 

We are also interested in factors which may alleviate these conditions, and particularly those which are under the families’ control;

• Diet
• Sleep

RESEARCH PROJECTS

We are a partner-based research funder, and see research funding as a collaborative process.  We ask you as a research partner to keep us up to date with your progress and aware of findings as they emerge.  Sometimes we are able to assist researchers in matters beyond the financial.  On occasion, we may expect you to come to meetings and/or conferences with us, and expect you to make an effort to do so.

For pure research, we typically fund pilot projects into causal factors, core deficits and co-morbidities in particular disorders.  These allow you to collect data to strengthen proposals for substantial, later, research grants from larger research funders.  Levels of funding are typically between £30-£50k and for one-year’s worth of work.

For research into intervention methods as well as pilot projects, we may for exceptionally strong projects, be able to fund the occasional study into the effectiveness of an intervention method.  Priority is given to those interventions relating to our funding topics, and which are;

• easy to rollout
• cost-effective
• parent/child controlled eg involving diet/sleep etc

For these and all research projects click here to go to our Research Applications pages. 

We encourage our research partners to affiliate with peer organizations.  For example, we advise Wales-based research projects to be adopted by CRC Cymru and one of the CRC Cymru research networks, and to consider SEWTU.

DISSEMINATION SUPPORT

We are occasionally able to give some support for dissemination of knowledge and best practice to children and their carers, and to related professionals.  This dissemination can be either by researchers themselves or by support groups, and could take the form of:

• website development
• helplines
• newsletters
• conferences, either sponsorship of or attendance at.

However, we are unlikely to wish to be the sole funder of any such support, so it will be important that you demonstrate what your own fundraising efforts have been and how we can augment your success.

For projects relating to dissemination of knowledge, click here to go to our Main Applications page.

INTERVENTION SUPPORT

We generally do not fund actual support for children with these conditions (e.g. homes, equipment, therapists etc) – sorry.  However, we have limited capacity to fund a small number of intervention projects subject to the following criteria:

• in Wales
• high local need
• low cost per intervention.

For projects relating to Intervention Support, click here to go to our Main Applications page.