Improving academic outcomes by moderating anxiety in children with autism. The project aims to investigate links between anxiety and academic enablers for children with autism. As a group, these children are currently achieving at lower rates than their peers, with implications for their future social and economic wellbeing. Effective interventions to improve educational outcomes are lacking. This project will investigate how anxiety, a commonly occurring condition in autism, impacts attitudes a ....Improving academic outcomes by moderating anxiety in children with autism. The project aims to investigate links between anxiety and academic enablers for children with autism. As a group, these children are currently achieving at lower rates than their peers, with implications for their future social and economic wellbeing. Effective interventions to improve educational outcomes are lacking. This project will investigate how anxiety, a commonly occurring condition in autism, impacts attitudes and behaviours that facilitate students’ participation in and ability to benefit from academic instruction in the classroom. Findings are intended to provide an evidence base for the development of an intervention suitable for use by service providers to increase academic achievement in children with autism.Read moreRead less
Women's International Study Of Long Duration Oestrogen After Menopause (WISDOM)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$208,920.00
Summary
Life expectancy of Australian women has greatly increased but so have the number of 'disability years' that a woman experiences. On average a woman's last 9 years are disability years (ie in the care of others), with a reduction in quality of life and at great cost to the community. The main causes of disability are cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, dementia and incontinence, which may all be influenced by a lack of oestrogen in the post-menopausal years when the ovaries produce n ....Life expectancy of Australian women has greatly increased but so have the number of 'disability years' that a woman experiences. On average a woman's last 9 years are disability years (ie in the care of others), with a reduction in quality of life and at great cost to the community. The main causes of disability are cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, dementia and incontinence, which may all be influenced by a lack of oestrogen in the post-menopausal years when the ovaries produce no more oestrogen. Does long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) reduce these problems and increase the quality of life? Does HRT promote adverse effects eg. breast cancer, blood clots? Do some women benefit more than others? Are some women more at risk? What is the overall cost of HRT to the individual and the community? Do women without a uterus require just oestrogen alone or an added hormone, progestogen? These questions can never be answered without a large long-term prospective randomised placebo controlled trial, as all current non-randomised studies are open to major biases due to inequalities in the study groups through selection, healthy user effects etc. As HRT is a potential option for all women and its potential influence on many major diseases may be great both through benefit and harm, it is essential to conduct such a trial. Its size and cost requires international collaboration and Australia seeks up to 2000 volunteers to join a trial of up to 36,000 women around the world. They will take HRT or placebo for 10 years with close monitoring and medical checks, and their health records will be checked for a further 10 years. The trial is called WISDOM-Women's International Study of long Duration Oestrogen after Menopause.Read moreRead less
Depression And Anxiety In Working Adults: The Costs And Outcomes Of Working While Ill
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$137,292.00
Summary
Depressive and anxiety disorders are common in the working population and costly. Individuals can continue working while ill or take an absence from work. This study will evaluate the economic cost and health outcomes of these two scenarios, using existing and published data to develop descriptive models. We consider who pays and who benefits from the perspective of the individual, their employer and society, to inform policy making, management practices, and clinical care.
Repeated Prenatal Corticosteroids: Effects On Childhood Development, Behaviour, Growth And Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$718,055.00
Summary
Infants born preterm are at high risk of needing help with their breathing to survive. Corticosteroids given to the mother prior to preterm birth can substantially reduce these risks, although the beneficial effects of these drugs only seem to last seven days. Because of this there has been a tendancy to repeat the dose of prenatal steroids after seven days in women who remain at continued risk of very preterm birth. There has been no formal assessment of whether or not repeating the dose of pre ....Infants born preterm are at high risk of needing help with their breathing to survive. Corticosteroids given to the mother prior to preterm birth can substantially reduce these risks, although the beneficial effects of these drugs only seem to last seven days. Because of this there has been a tendancy to repeat the dose of prenatal steroids after seven days in women who remain at continued risk of very preterm birth. There has been no formal assessment of whether or not repeating the dose of prenatal corticosteroids is beneficial or harmful. In this clinical trial we will test what effect, if any, repeat doses of corticosteroids given to women who remain at risk of pretermbirth, have on children at the age of two years Women are eligible for the trial if at of less than 32 weeks of pregnancy, they have received corticosteroids seven or more days ago, and they are considered to be at continued risk of preterm birth. Women are randomised to one of the two treatment groups. Half the women will receive a weekly intramuscular injection of corticosteroids up to the time of birth or 32 weeks gestation, whichever is earlier, whilst the risk of very preterm birth remains. The other half of the women will receive a saline placebo injection. Chance will decide which treatment the women receives. In this study all children who survive to 2 years corrected age will be assessed to see if they have any problems with their health, growth and development. In particular we will assess how well they can walk, talk, understand, see and hear. The trial will be able to assess whether repeat doses of prenatal corticosteroids are helpful or not for infants at risk of being born very preterm by comparing the short term effects on infant health after birth and whilst in hospital with the effects on the child's later health, growth and development. An economic assessment of repeat doses of prenatal corticosteroids will be made in these children.Read moreRead less