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Co-head, Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group (BRIDG)

Research

Maternal immune activation and prenatal maternal stress are well-studied risk factors for psychiatric conditions such as autism and schizophrenia. Animal studies have proposed the gut microbiome as a mechanism underlying this association and have found that risk factor-related gut microbiome alterations persist in the adult offspring.

Research

Parenting is a rewarding experience but is not without its challenges. Parents of Autistic children face additional challenges, and as a result can experience lower levels of wellbeing and more mental health problems (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress). Previous studies have identified concurrent correlates of wellbeing and mental health.

Research

This article describes the development of a Model of Care resource to support youth involved with the justice system where a neurodevelopmental disability such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is suspected. Service staff within the Youth Justice sector were engaged in an iterative process of resource development over a 9-month period.

Research

The PEDI-CAT (ASD) is used to assess functioning of children and youth on the autism spectrum; however, current psychometric evidence is limited. This study aimed to explore the reliability, validity and acceptability of the PEDI-CAT (ASD) using a large Australian sample. 

News & Events

Three researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia were recognised as being among Western Australia’s brightest and most innovative scientific minds at last night’s 24th Premier's Science Awards.

Research

Professional supports play an important role in aiding autistic children's learning, participation, and overall wellbeing. Yet, limited research exists on stakeholders' perspectives and preferences regarding targeted outcomes for children undergoing support facilitated by professionals.

Research

Past research has highlighted the importance of early identification of developmental differences to improve targeted access to early interventions or supports. As such, it is of particular importance in the context of children at elevated likelihood of autism (such as where an older sibling has a diagnosis of autism), to better understand when and which early concerns are important as predictors of which children will benefit from pre-diagnostic supports.

Research

Pre-reading language skills develop rapidly in early childhood and are related to brain structure and functional architecture in young children prior to formal education. However, the early neurobiological development that supports these skills is not well understood.

Research

This systematic review aimed to identify the most important social, environmental, biological, and/or genetic risk factors for intellectual disability.

News & Events

A group of 19 Aboriginal women from South Australia, along with researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia, have developed a culturally responsive, evidence-based model of care to support Aboriginal women with cardiometabolic complications in pregnancy in SA.

Research

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder may be at higher likelihood of experiencing poorer oral health and difficulties accessing dental health care. However, identifying which children on the autism spectrum may be more vulnerable to experiencing dental care difficulties is still unknown.

Research

Autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often co-occur. This survey of 288 New Zealand parents of children diagnosed with autism, ADHD, or both conditions, examined the relations between age of diagnosis and early atypical development, the age specialist consultation was needed and types of specialists seen.

News & Events

Led by The Kids Research Institute Australia and Aboriginal health organisations in close partnership with nine Aboriginal communities in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, the five-year SToP Trial set out to identify the best possible methods to See, Treat and Prevent painful skin sores and scabies.

News & Events

The generous support of Western Australians through Channel 7’s Telethon is helping to fund life-changing child health research, with two The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers awarded significant grants.

News & Events

A children’s book – written by community, for community – has been launched in Western Australia’s south-west to help children and families understand more about one of the most common inflammatory skin conditions in children. 

News & Events

Four outstanding members of The Kids Research Institute Australia family – three researchers and an Aboriginal Elder co-researcher – have been named in the Australia Day Honours List for their outstanding service to research and the community.

News & Events

This opinion article was originally published in the West Australian on July 20, 2023.

News & Events

A multi-disciplinary team of researchers will use more than 40 years of data to pinpoint crucial areas that could be “turning points” in development where intervention could contribute to closing the gap in Aboriginal health in Australia.

News & Events

A large-scale study of the epigenetic landscape of Indigenous Australians could help tackle chronic diseases faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.