The government is committed to reducing the gap in Aboriginal health. This research is part of the Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health; Australia’s largest prospective, longitudinal study of urban Aboriginal children. It will provide, for the first time, comprehensive information about the causes of health and illness in a large group of urban Aboriginal children. It will identify factors that can be changed in families and early childhood to prevent later disease.
Improving Treatment Outcomes For Children With Autism: Translating Intensive 1:1 Treatment Into A Group-Based Community Model
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,669.00
Summary
Current best-practice treatment guidelines for children with Autism state that each child should receive a minimum of 20 hours of Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention per week. However, this is not possible due to the enormous cost and time pressure involved and the lack of trained specialists in Australia and overseas. To address this problem, I will examine the effectiveness of translating an evidence-based individualised treatment program into a lower-cost, but equally effective, group-ba ....Current best-practice treatment guidelines for children with Autism state that each child should receive a minimum of 20 hours of Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention per week. However, this is not possible due to the enormous cost and time pressure involved and the lack of trained specialists in Australia and overseas. To address this problem, I will examine the effectiveness of translating an evidence-based individualised treatment program into a lower-cost, but equally effective, group-based community model.Read moreRead less
Objectively Monitoring Neurodegenerative Disease Progression: Speech As A Clinical Marker
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$302,123.00
Summary
It is difficult to monitor disease progression in some neurodegenerative disorders like Huntington’s disease or types of dementia without using expensive and invasive assessment techniques. Yet, by repeatedly recording and analysing the speech (how we speak, not what we say) of a patient, we build up a picture of how the brain is functioning and changing over time. This will lead to a more personalized approach with more effective treatments being given to the right patients at the right time.
Improving Treatment And Outcomes Of Congenital Hearing Loss At The Population Level
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$265,138.00
Summary
Around 600 Australian babies are born with congenital hearing loss each year. Despite great advances in early diagnosis and treatment, affected children have language and other skills well below what they can potentially achieve. My research will a) examine trends in congenital hearing loss outcomes, b) enrich existing data with novel genetic and clinical data, to enable early prediction of future outcomes to direct management, and c) discover ways to prevent hearing loss progression.
Opening Windows To The Listening Brain: Developing Objective Measures Of Hearing Acuity In The Human Brain.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$319,329.00
Summary
Up to 160,000 Australians are un-employed due to hearing impairment, costing an estimated $12 billion per year. I will undertake systematic research which will result in EEG-based clinical tools designed to measure the reliability and acuity with which brainstem and brain structures are able to encode fine details in sounds. These tools will improve diagnostic and prognostic tests, especially for clinicians and parents of infants diagnosed with auditory neuropathies.
RNA Interference And Retigabine Therapy Protect Against Hereditary Hearing Loss
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,522.00
Summary
The preservation of hearing function is central to the treatment of individuals who are genetically predisposed to hearing loss. At present only synthetic hearing aids and cochlear implants can provide functional improvement, albeit sub-optimal. The studies described here will seek to prevent hearing loss by reducing the damaging effects of defective genes. Gene therapies that reduce the effect of these defective genes and a drug that enhances the activity of functional genes will be developed.