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Research

Early autism symptoms in infants with tuberous sclerosis complex

We examined early signs of ASD in infants wit tuberous sclerosis complex, approximately 50% of whom will meet criteria for ASD by age 3.

Research

Brief social attention bias modification for children with autism spectrum disorder

Social attention can be acutely modified in children with ASD, with an increased tendency to orient attention toward faces after brief social attention training

Research

Duration of general anaesthetic exposure in early childhood and long-term language and cognitive ability

Anaesthetic dose causing toxicity in animals has been evaluated, but the relationship between duration of VA exposure and development in children remains vague.

Research

Hypermasculinised facial morphology in boys and girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder and its association with symptomatology

This is the first study demonstrating facial hypermasculinisation in ASD and its relationship to social-communication difficulties in prepubescent children

Research

A pilot randomised controlled trial of a telehealth-delivered brief ‘Sleeping Sound Autism’ intervention for autistic children

Access to behavioural sleep intervention is beneficial for autistic children, yet many families face barriers to access associated with location and time. Preliminary evidence supports telehealth-delivered sleep intervention. However, no studies have evaluated brief telehealth sleep intervention.

Focus Area

Brain and Behaviour

The Brain and Behaviour research theme consists of five programs: Child Health Analytics, Development and Disability, Healthy Behaviours and Environments, Mental Health and Youth, Population Health.

Research

Interactions between the lipidome and genetic and environmental factors in autism

Autism omics research has historically been reductionist and diagnosis centric, with little attention paid to common co-occurring conditions (for example, sleep and feeding disorders) and the complex interplay between molecular profiles and neurodevelopment, genetics, environmental factors and health. Here we explored the plasma lipidome in 765 children (485 diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)) within the Australian Autism Biobank.

Research

Commentary: A spectrum for all? A response to Green et al. (2023), neurodiversity, autism and health care

The broadening of the clinical definition of autism over time-the so-called, autism spectrum-has run in parallel with the growth of a neurodiversity movement that has reframed the concept of autism entirely. Without a coherent and evidence-based framework through which both of these advances can be situated, the field is at risk of losing definition altogether.

Research

The Utility of Natural Language Samples for Assessing Communication and Language in Infants Referred with Early Signs of Autism

Natural Language Sampling (NLS) offers clear potential for communication and language assessment, where other data might be difficult to interpret. We leveraged existing primary data for 18-month-olds showing early signs of autism, to examine the reliability and concurrent construct validity of NLS-derived measures coded from video-of child language, parent linguistic input, and dyadic balance of communicative interaction-against standardised assessment scores. Using Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) software and coding conventions, masked coders achieved good-to-excellent inter-rater agreement across all measures.

Research

Maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and bone mass in offspring at 20 years of age: A prospective cohort study

This longitudinal, prospective study investigated the association between maternal vitamin D status and peak bone mass of offspring in 341 mother and...