Early Intervention For Anxiety And Phobic Disorders In Young Children With Intellectual Disability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$305,674.00
Summary
Children with intellectual disability (ID) are 2-3 times more likely to have behavioural and emotional disturbance, including anxiety and fears, than children of normal intellectual ability. Anxiety problems are a source of distress for the child, impair their ability to learn and are a cause of family burden and community cost. Therefore, effective interventions are urgently required. Research with non-disabled children has demonstrated the effectiveness of teaching parents to manage their chil ....Children with intellectual disability (ID) are 2-3 times more likely to have behavioural and emotional disturbance, including anxiety and fears, than children of normal intellectual ability. Anxiety problems are a source of distress for the child, impair their ability to learn and are a cause of family burden and community cost. Therefore, effective interventions are urgently required. Research with non-disabled children has demonstrated the effectiveness of teaching parents to manage their child's anxiety, however the effectiveness of this approach in children with ID has not yet been established. This project aims to compare the relative effectiveness of two intervention conditions compared to a waiting list group, for highly anxious children aged 4-7 years with ID. One intervention will teach parents to help their child deal with anxiety problems, and develop skills to overcome their own associated emotional upset and family and social problems. The other intervention will provide non-directive counselling and support to help the parents understand the nature and causes of ID, associated anxiety problems in the child, and parent and family stress. The long term outcome of these two interventions will be assessed by following the children and their families for two years. A manual of each treatment is produced. This project aims to provide evidence for a relatively inexpensive, feasible and effective early intervention program for young children with ID at risk for developing anxiety problems that can be easily taught to professionals and is acceptable to parents. Widespread use of this intervention has the potential to reduce the added burden and cost to families and the community of persistent severe anxiety in young people with ID.Read moreRead less
Pharmacology Of Potential Anti-Tumour Agents: Iron Chelators Of The BpT Class
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$585,455.00
Summary
Pharmacology of Potential Anti-Tumour Agents: Iron Chelators of the BpT Class Cancer cells have a high iron requirement for DNA synthesis and many clinical trials showed Fe chelators are effective anti-cancer drugs. Their potential to act as anti-tumour agents has been confirmed by the entrance of Triapine into widespread NCI clinical trials. In this NHMRC Renewal, we will perform pharmacological and preclinical studies to promote the development of BpT chelators as novel anti-tumour agents.
A Parent Education And Skills Training Early Intervention For Children With Autism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$305,674.00
Summary
Autism is a severely handicapping disorder adversely affecting social interaction, communication, and behaviour, interests and activities. Over the past 9 years our team has conducted a follow-up study of a large group of 111 Australian children and adolescents with autism. The young people have continued to have very high levels of emotional and behavioural disturbance and generally do not improve. Parents of children with autism are under significant amounts of stress; reporting high levels of ....Autism is a severely handicapping disorder adversely affecting social interaction, communication, and behaviour, interests and activities. Over the past 9 years our team has conducted a follow-up study of a large group of 111 Australian children and adolescents with autism. The young people have continued to have very high levels of emotional and behavioural disturbance and generally do not improve. Parents of children with autism are under significant amounts of stress; reporting high levels of disturbed family functioning and mental health problems. Although there is no cure, children benefit most when early help is provided (under 5 years). There are several promising interventions based on intensive behaviour and educational management, for example requiring 40 hours per week of therapist contact over 2 years. Such programs are costly and impractical as widely available treatment options. Training parents to understand and manage their child also shows promise. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a parent skills training and education treatment program compared to supportive therapy, and to generally available community services. The therapists will follow a treatment manual that will ensure a consistent and replicable approach. The progress of the children with autism and their families will be reassessed immediately after treatment, and at 1 and 2 years post-treatment in order to ascertain immediate and long-term effects of the treatment. If treatment proves to be of use, we will have established a defined, cost efficient, practical and effective model of early treatment that can be easily taught to professionals and widely disseminated throughout early childhood services.Read moreRead less
Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Mobile Preschool For Child Health And Development In Remote Aboriginal Communities
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$456,369.00
Summary
This project is a retrospective study of the effectiveness of the NT Mobile Preschool Program using assessment data for children's emergent literacy, social and emotional competencies and health status. Effectiveness will be established by comparison with achievement and health status data for children not attending preschool and those in communities with no preschool service. The study will identify and describe the key factors influencing the health and learning outcomes of the three groups.
Danger Ideation Reduction Therapy For Obsessive-Compulsive Checkers: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$156,447.00
Summary
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder that affects up to 3% of the general population. People with the disorder experience unpleasant intrusive thoughts that they find distressing and have a strong urge to perform particular behaviours. Fears about fire and burglary are common and excessive checking of electrical appliances and locks can take many hours a day. Checkers represent one of the largest OCD sub-groups. Because of the time-consuming nature of the condition, soci ....Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder that affects up to 3% of the general population. People with the disorder experience unpleasant intrusive thoughts that they find distressing and have a strong urge to perform particular behaviours. Fears about fire and burglary are common and excessive checking of electrical appliances and locks can take many hours a day. Checkers represent one of the largest OCD sub-groups. Because of the time-consuming nature of the condition, social and occupational functioning is often severely restricted. Many sufferers will also experience extreme social isolation and depression. The World Health Organisation ranks this disorder as 20th among all causes of burden of disease. The development of effective interventions could substantially reduce the economic and social burden of this disabling anxiety disorder. The aim of this project is: (1) to compare the therapeutic efficacy of a new treatment approach (Danger Ideation Reduction Therapy) with that of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP); It is hypothesised that: (1) subjects who receive 12 sessions of DIRT will show greater post-treatment and follow-up reductions in symptomatology than subjects who receive ERP.Read moreRead less
A Clinical Trial To Determine The Optimal Timing Of Androgen Deprivation In Relapsed Or Non-curable Prostate Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$627,600.00
Summary
The aim of the study is to clarify when is the optimal time to start hormone treatment for men with certain stages of prostate cancer. It has long been known that testosterone removal impedes prostate cancer growth, although not permanently. The removal of testosterone, however, has side effects , including loss of libido, hot flushes, weight gain, and in the longer term osteoporosis, loss of muscle bulk and mental changes such as loss of memory. Any benefit to be gained for a patient must there ....The aim of the study is to clarify when is the optimal time to start hormone treatment for men with certain stages of prostate cancer. It has long been known that testosterone removal impedes prostate cancer growth, although not permanently. The removal of testosterone, however, has side effects , including loss of libido, hot flushes, weight gain, and in the longer term osteoporosis, loss of muscle bulk and mental changes such as loss of memory. Any benefit to be gained for a patient must therefore be weighed against these side effects. This is particularly relevant in situations in which cure is not possible, when the aim of treatment should be to manage symptoms (either by preventing or delaying them or treating them as they arise). There are two situations in which a man may be diagnosed as having active prostate cancer but be without symptoms requiring immediate treatment. The first is after the failure of curative treatment, shown by the presence of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, but without any other evidence of prostate cancer. The second is a man newly diagnosed with asymptomatic prostate cancer, but with other reasons (such as heart disease) which make an attempt at cure inappropriate. We do not know in either case whether or not men live longer if treatment is started immediately, or whether it is reasonable to wait until symptoms develop, thus potentially postponing the side effects of treatment. The trial will therefore include these two groups of men. Half the men will be randomised to receive immediate treatment, and half to treatment starting when symptoms develop, or when there is evidence of progressive disease. The main endpoint is overall survival, balanced against quality of life and side effects from the disease and treatment. The hypothesis is that early treatment will improve survival with acceptable effects on quality of life.Read moreRead less