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Mobile Phones, Radiofrequency Exposure And The Development Of Cognitive Function In Primary School Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$551,477.00
Summary
Increasingly widespread exposure to radiofrequency fields from mobile telephones has raised concern about potential adverse health effects. The WHO has called for further research in children. We will conduct a 3 year study of 600 primary school students focussing on their exposure to mobile phones and cognitive development. If there are no significant effects, the community can be reassured. However if effects are demonstrated, we would need to restrict the use of mobile phones by children.
If Childhood Primary Snoring Resolves, Do Neurocognition And Behaviour Also Improve?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$568,067.00
Summary
Sleep breathing disorders (SBD) are common and affect around 10% of all children. Previous research however has shown that sleep disorders are often not recognised or considered important enough to report to general practitioners. Thus, the true incidence of sleep disorders in Australian children is not known. Nevertheless, even the mildest SBD, primary snoring, has been associated with significant deficits in daytime learning, memory, intelligence, attention and problematic behaviour. In severe ....Sleep breathing disorders (SBD) are common and affect around 10% of all children. Previous research however has shown that sleep disorders are often not recognised or considered important enough to report to general practitioners. Thus, the true incidence of sleep disorders in Australian children is not known. Nevertheless, even the mildest SBD, primary snoring, has been associated with significant deficits in daytime learning, memory, intelligence, attention and problematic behaviour. In severe cases of childhood SBD (i.e. sleep apnoea syndrome), removal of the tonsils and adenoids has been shown to improve the learning and behaviour problems. Thus there is increasing pressure on doctors to treat primary snoring in children with surgery to improve their intellectual functioning. However, recent evidence in children has shown that snoring may resolve naturally in up to 50% of cases over one to two years. In addition to the risks of surgery, the large number of children who may have a natural resolution of snoring suggestst that the pressure to treat primary snoring in may not be justified. This study will be the first to determine the prevalence of childhood snoring and associated problems in the Australian community. We also aim to discover whether snoring and the associated intellectual deficits persist over time during childhood. We will identify frequent snorers and healthy non-snorers in children aged 5-10 years old, using parental questionnaires. We will then study 75 snorers and 75 non-snorers in more detail, monitoring them with overnight sleep studies and questionnaires 2 years apart, to see if snoring, intellectual function and behavioural problems persist over time. This information will improve the health of Australian children by determining the prevalence of childhood SBD and persistence of associated deficits such as in learning, memory and behaviour.Read moreRead less
The Development, Assessment And Treatment Of Early Indicators Of Psychopathy In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$271,130.00
Summary
2.7 Significance - Lay description Conduct problems and antisocial behaviour cost Australian society millions of dollars every year directly through the mental health and criminal justice systems, indirectly through their association with substance abuse and other mental health problems, and associated disruptions to health, relationships, and personal and occupational functioning. Remediation is not effective once a chronic pattern has been established. Recently, research has shown that early s ....2.7 Significance - Lay description Conduct problems and antisocial behaviour cost Australian society millions of dollars every year directly through the mental health and criminal justice systems, indirectly through their association with substance abuse and other mental health problems, and associated disruptions to health, relationships, and personal and occupational functioning. Remediation is not effective once a chronic pattern has been established. Recently, research has shown that early signs of psychopathy in children predict chronic antisocial behaviour and lack of responsiveness to traditional treatments. The current research uses a combination of experimental, longitudinal, and treatment outcome studies to examine: the effectiveness with which early signs of a callous-unemotional temperamental style, hypothesised to be an early indicator of psychopathy, can be measured in children, causal factors and correlates of callous-unemotional traits, whether such traits pose a risk for chronic antisocial behaviour, the effects of callous-unemotional traits on responsiveness to traditional family-school based treatments, and the effectiveness of an innovative method for treating it in the early years. The project leads directly to a range of clinical assessment and treatment strategies for children at risk for chronic antisocial behaviour. The project has the potential to substantially improve the effectiveness of current treatment approaches to conduct problems in children that focus on family and school management.Read moreRead less
Sleep Disordered Breathing And Neurocognitive Function In Children Post-adenotonsillectomy: Three Year Follow-up
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$266,536.00
Summary
Snoring is very common and affects at least 10% of children, or an estimated 0.25 million children in Australia. It is associated with deficits in a wide range of neurocognitive areas including intelligence, memory, reasoning, learning and behaviour. We have recently studied a group of 53 snoring children both before and six months after removal of their tonsils and adenoids, to treat suspected upper airway obstruction associated with their snoring. We found that prior to surgery, intelligence, ....Snoring is very common and affects at least 10% of children, or an estimated 0.25 million children in Australia. It is associated with deficits in a wide range of neurocognitive areas including intelligence, memory, reasoning, learning and behaviour. We have recently studied a group of 53 snoring children both before and six months after removal of their tonsils and adenoids, to treat suspected upper airway obstruction associated with their snoring. We found that prior to surgery, intelligence, memory, reasoning, language and behaviour were significantly reduced, by up to 10% compared to 53 non-snoring control children matched by age, gender, social class and area of residence. To our great surprise, at six months after surgery we found that although sleep and behaviour improves, intelligence, memory, reasoning and language development do not. We now wish to study these same children at 3 years after tonsils and adenoids removal, as we believe that if the deficits that we described at 6 months are still present, they are likely now to be permanent. Given the degree of deficit that we have found in snoring compared to non-snoring children, even 6 months after the snoring group of children have been treated, if still present at 3 years post-surgery then it is likely that these deficits will affect the children's future learning potential and academic success. In turn, this would suggest that early identification and treatment of sleep-related upper airway obstruction is critical in preventing long-term deficits in children's daytime functioning and behaviour.Read moreRead less
Gudaga Project: Understanding The Health, Development, And Service Use Of Aboriginal Children In An Urban Environment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,424,845.00
Summary
The Gudaga project is a birth cohort of Aboriginal children that will be followed from 18 months to 5 years and describe their health, development and service (health and children's) use. This is the first study of its kind in Eastern Australia. The research team are working closely with stakeholders in Aboriginal health care including the Aboriginal community to implement the research. The research will contribute to services for Aboriginal children in the local and wider community.
Comparison Of Cognitive-behavioural Treatments For Children With PTSD Following An Accidental Injury: A Multi-site RCT.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$359,111.00
Summary
Children who experience a traumatic event are at increased risk of developing Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite the significant consequences, and the poor prognosis of this disorder, few evaluations of interventions for PTSD in children exist. This project will compare two active treatments (child vs. family-focused cognitive behaviour therapy) for children experiencing PTSD following an accidental injury (the most common category of traumatic events experienced by children).
The Prevention Of Anxiety And Related Disorders: Long Term Follow-up Of Temperamentally At-risk Preschoolers.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$391,476.00
Summary
Anxiety and related disorders such as depression provide a tremendous cost to the individual sufferer and to Australian society. While previous research has focussed on treatment of these conditions, little work has addressed the possibility of preventing these disorders before they interfere with an individual's life. There is growing evidence that children who are shy, withdrawn and inhibited at a very young age are more likely than other children to develop anxiety disorders in later childhoo ....Anxiety and related disorders such as depression provide a tremendous cost to the individual sufferer and to Australian society. While previous research has focussed on treatment of these conditions, little work has addressed the possibility of preventing these disorders before they interfere with an individual's life. There is growing evidence that children who are shy, withdrawn and inhibited at a very young age are more likely than other children to develop anxiety disorders in later childhood and a variety of related disorders in adulthood. In a previous NHMRC-funded grant, we have developed a brief parent education program to modify this personality style in young children. Early results are very promising and it appears that we have been able to help these withdrawn children to become more outgoing. This next proposal aims to follow these children over the coming years to see whether they are also less likely to develop mental health problems than children whose parents have not received the educational program are. We will be observing the children in a laboratory setting and at school at three, yearly intervals. At each point, we will compare withdrawn children whose parents have gone through the education program with those who haven't.Read moreRead less