Improving Outcomes For Children With Common Developmental Conditions: Identifying Risk And Protective Factors And Developing Targeted Interventions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$307,946.00
Summary
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and language impairment (LI) are both highly prevalent and associated with mental health difficulties. This research will investigate 1) risk factors for poor versus better mental health, academic and social outcomes in children with ADHD and LI and 2) the development and piloting of interventions targeting these factors. This research will indicate avenues for new methods of intervention and prevention for children with ADHD and LI.
Identifying New Targets For Primary School Mental Health Interventions Using Population Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$798,882.00
Summary
This project assesses the mental health and well-being of ~87,000 children aged 10 years in New South Wales, and links this information (anonymously) with data on school-based mental health interventions, and data on health, education, and welfare collected from birth. We will identify factors that promote mental health and reduce ill-health. We hope to improve child health by developing new ways to detect early vulnerability for ill-health, and by identifying new health promotion opportunities.
Enhancing The Capacity Of Mental Health Services To Review, Personalise And Intervene Early Through Implementation Of Real-time Outcome Monitoring
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$181,065.00
Summary
By monitoring functioning and symptom changes experienced by severe mental illness patients in their living environments, mental health services can identify those experiencing decline earlier and hence deliver appropriate and timely interventions. However, monitoring is currently poorly implemented in Australian mental health services and inadequately supported by national policy. The applicant proposes to address this evidence-practice gap through a mobile phone-based monitoring system.
Standalone Internet Anxiety Treatment For Stuttering: A Randomised Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$516,339.00
Summary
Anxiety-related mental health disorders, particularly social phobia, are common comorbid conditions among adults who stutter. This project establishes randomised controlled trial evidence for the psychological benefits of our Internet CBT treatment. This project also establishes whether our Internet CBT treatment reduces stuttering severity when combined with speech treatment. The design is an open plan, parallel, pragmatic randomised controlled trial.
Lifecourse And Global Epidemiology Of Adolescent Health And Wellbeing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$863,910.00
Summary
In the past 20 years, my group has become the world-leader in adolescent health research. We have published papers that have transformed thinking on adolescent health. In the next five years, we will undertake research into the effects of puberty on mental health, explore the effects of health prior to pregnancy on a healthy start to life for the next generation and undertake global research that will enable the roll-out of new multi-billion dollar investments in adolescent health.
Long-term Outcome Of Individuals Who Had A First-episode Psychosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,344,905.00
Summary
The long-term illness course and outcomes of patients treated for first episode psychosis are poorly understood especially in terms of important domains such as social and vocational functioning, physical health, and quality of life. This treated cohort study of a sample of 786 patients, 15 years after their first episode of psychosis will be one of the longest and largest conducted to date. Results of the study will inform clinical practice and policy development.
Developing Better Models Of Outcome For Psychotic Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$458,695.00
Summary
Research on psychosis has been focused on developing treatments for hallucinations and delusions. However, ‘outcome’ is multifaceted and must embrace functioning, and quality of life. A/Prof Cotton will develop models will comprehensively capture ‘whole person’ outcomes for people who have experienced psychosis. Understanding how the disease impacts on the individual will enable better service planning, and refinement and development of treatments for patients with psychosis.
Autism and its milder forms affect approximately 6 per 1,000 children. The biological basis of the disorder is unknown, so considerable research is being invested in identifying cognitive processes that are atypical in children with autism because this may help identify key areas of the brain affected by the disorder. This research has established that children with autism often outperform their typically developing peers on tasks that require detailed analysis of visual information. In contrast ....Autism and its milder forms affect approximately 6 per 1,000 children. The biological basis of the disorder is unknown, so considerable research is being invested in identifying cognitive processes that are atypical in children with autism because this may help identify key areas of the brain affected by the disorder. This research has established that children with autism often outperform their typically developing peers on tasks that require detailed analysis of visual information. In contrast, visual tasks that require integrating information often reveal impaired performance in children with autism. Human vision is achieved through two pathways in the brain - a dorsal pathway most responsive to changing (e.g. moving or flickering) stimuli and a ventral pathway most responsive to enduring stimulus features (e.g. colour, pattern). Increasingly complex visual processing is achieved at higher levels in each pathway through integrating information from lower levels. One objective of our work is to identify which levels of processing in each of the dorsal and ventral pathways show atypical functioning (either enhanced or impaired) in autism. We will do this using tasks designed to establish thresholds for different perceptual judgements, such as identifying patterns in a field of dots. Children with autism will be compared to typically developing children and also to children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). This will enable us to establish whether the same profile of strengths and weaknesses in perception and cognition are observed in autism and SLI, or whether they can be distinguished on this basis. The significance of the work is that it will advance considerably the understanding of atypical visual processing in autism and SLI. Also, by identifying perceptual and cognitive differences in children with autism, we may be able to develop tests to identify infants affected by the disorder and commence remediation at an early age.Read moreRead less
The Mental Health Of School-Age Children Who Stutter
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$154,781.00
Summary
Children who stutter face considerable social disadvantages and negative consequences. Adults who stutter have been found to report a significant rate of mental health disorders, yet virtually nothing is known about the presence of such problems in children who stutter. This study will evaluate the prevalence and impact of mental disorders among school-age children who stutter. This research is essential for the provision of adequate speech and psychological treatments for children who stutter.