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
Communication During Hospitalisation: The Path To Better Healthcare
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$327,991.00
Summary
The aims of this research are to remove barriers to successful communication in hospital for people with no speech. Better communication in hospital will facilitate patient participation in health care decisions and reduce adverse experiences arising through poor communication. Project outcomes will lead to changes in policy and practice to improve the health care of patients in hospital, improve the health of Australians, and bring economic improvements through better care.
Novel Pathways Toward Improving Relapse Prediction In Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Relapse is a devastating problem in schizophrenia and our ability to predict when it occurs is still relatively poor. This project seeks to investigate a new method of tracking relapse by measuring speech and symptom changes across time. This novel design is supported by advanced data modelling methods to provide sensitive predictive ability. This project has the potential to significantly improve relapse prediction in schizophrenia and so support and increase beneficial outcomes for patients
Cortical Networks That Integrate Auditory Input And Speech Motor Output In Human Stutterers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$292,639.00
Summary
Stuttering is a chronic communication disorder that arises from problems in the brain processes that control speech. This research aims to use magnetoencephalography, a new and extremely fast method of brain imaging, to study the parts of the human brain that underlie speech production. By studying the brains of both child and adult stutterers the causes of stuttering will become more apparent. Ultimately, this research will lead to more effective treatments for stuttering.
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 Early Rehabilitation For Patients With Acute Stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$149,782.00
Summary
The Australian stroke guidelines recommend that intensive rehabilitation (60 mins practice/day) should commence as soon as possible after stroke onset, however this rarely occurs in clinical practice. The proposed research will explore this evidence-practice gap, and develop a protocol to improve early rehabilitation for patients hospitalised with acute stroke. The early rehabilitation protocol will then be tested in four acute stroke units for safety and feasibility.
Localising Epileptic Discharges In The Brain Using Non-invasive Electro-magnetic Signal Analysis In Patients With Difficult-to-control Epilepsy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$179,782.00
Summary
Epilepsy is a leading cause of chronic morbidity in Australia. A fundamental problem in clinical practice is the accurate identification of the 'hotspot' zone in the brain that is generating epileptic discharges. These discharges can be detected non-invasively (over the scalp) and analysed with electro-encephalographic and magneto-encephalographic source localisation (EMSL) techniques. EMSL is not used in routine clinical practice because we await a large scale prospective study (the aim of this ....Epilepsy is a leading cause of chronic morbidity in Australia. A fundamental problem in clinical practice is the accurate identification of the 'hotspot' zone in the brain that is generating epileptic discharges. These discharges can be detected non-invasively (over the scalp) and analysed with electro-encephalographic and magneto-encephalographic source localisation (EMSL) techniques. EMSL is not used in routine clinical practice because we await a large scale prospective study (the aim of this proposal).Read moreRead less
Spatial Coding In The Primate Cortex During Eye Movements.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,720.00
Summary
Every time we move our eyes, objects in the world change their positions on the retina, yet to us, their positions remain perceptually unchanged. This project seeks to understand how neurons in the primate brain combine visual input with signals about eye position to construct this stable representation of external space. The findings will help us understand and-or rehabilitate a host of nervous system dysfunctions, including schizophrenia, stroke, and paraplegia.