Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Grant ID: DI0989059
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$90,000.00
Summary
Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder: A critical analysis elucidating constructs that influence parental acceptance/rejection of diagnosis and response. Part of the controversy surrounding ADHD is the increasing use of stimulant medication to deal with children who have been given a diagnosis of ADHD. Given the absence of scientific evidence that demonstrates an underlying causal physical pathology for ADHD, many claim that medication is inappropriate, with some suggesting that it is harmfu ....Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder: A critical analysis elucidating constructs that influence parental acceptance/rejection of diagnosis and response. Part of the controversy surrounding ADHD is the increasing use of stimulant medication to deal with children who have been given a diagnosis of ADHD. Given the absence of scientific evidence that demonstrates an underlying causal physical pathology for ADHD, many claim that medication is inappropriate, with some suggesting that it is harmful. This research seeks to explicate parents' perceptions of ADHD & the impact of psycho-social constructs on parents' decisions to accept/reject a diagnosis & respond. This research offers important educational & social benefits. The outcomes of this research have the potential to 'break the cycle' of increasing medication; build parents' capacity to respond; & contribute to a healthy start to life.Read moreRead less
Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: Determining Critical Pathways to Self-Management. Poor management of Type 1 diabetes during childhood and adolescence can have devastating consequences for the individual's health and quality of life making it a national research priority. By identifying the paths to self-management more effective interventions, tailored to the individual's personal and family circumstances and geographical location can be recommended. This will not only give childr ....Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: Determining Critical Pathways to Self-Management. Poor management of Type 1 diabetes during childhood and adolescence can have devastating consequences for the individual's health and quality of life making it a national research priority. By identifying the paths to self-management more effective interventions, tailored to the individual's personal and family circumstances and geographical location can be recommended. This will not only give children with diabetes a healthy start to life but promote their health and well-being as adults. Such benefits are not just to individuals and their families but to Australian society through their increased independence and productivity and the reduced burden on the health system.Read moreRead less
Executive functioning, gender, age and medication as predictors of developmental well-being among students with ADHD. This study constructs social-cognitive phenotypes of ADHD, evaluates mental health and investigates ADHD student perceptions of classroom environment and achievement in science as functions of executive functioning, gender, age and medication. The effect of standard psychostimulant intervention and a novel nonpsychostimulant option on executive function, developmental and educati ....Executive functioning, gender, age and medication as predictors of developmental well-being among students with ADHD. This study constructs social-cognitive phenotypes of ADHD, evaluates mental health and investigates ADHD student perceptions of classroom environment and achievement in science as functions of executive functioning, gender, age and medication. The effect of standard psychostimulant intervention and a novel nonpsychostimulant option on executive function, developmental and educational outcomes will be investigated. The expected outcomes will inform more effective teacher professional development, and reduce school problems associated with psychostimulant medication and its illicit distribution by students. The linkage of health and education partners meets a nationally identified need for more effective collaboration to improve education outcomes for ADHD students.Read moreRead less
Health and resilience in the preschool years: An innovative approach to early intervention. Given the prevalence of psychopathology in childhood, it is essential that we maximise the effectiveness of early intervention (EI). Drawing on theory and research highlighting the marked influence, on cognitive and socio-emotional development, of particular kinds of parent-child discussions about past experiences, this project aims to foster preschooler's achievement of key developmental tasks (emergent ....Health and resilience in the preschool years: An innovative approach to early intervention. Given the prevalence of psychopathology in childhood, it is essential that we maximise the effectiveness of early intervention (EI). Drawing on theory and research highlighting the marked influence, on cognitive and socio-emotional development, of particular kinds of parent-child discussions about past experiences, this project aims to foster preschooler's achievement of key developmental tasks (emergent literacy, emotion knowledge, attachment) by training parents and children in effective conversational styles. The research will (i) develop an innovative, theoretically-driven approach to EI, (ii) test this approach in clinical and nonclinical populations, and (iii) provide a strong test of social interaction theories of development.Read moreRead less
Validation of a New Conceptual Model of ADHD based on Underlying Central Nervous System Dysfunction. ADHD is a debilitating problem that affects 5% of children and approximately half as many adults. ADHD causes substantial problems at school and if untreated, predisposes the individual to increased drug and alcohol use, marital breakdown, criminal prosecution and psychiatric problems in later life. One problem is that we do not fully understand what are the causes of the disorder. This project w ....Validation of a New Conceptual Model of ADHD based on Underlying Central Nervous System Dysfunction. ADHD is a debilitating problem that affects 5% of children and approximately half as many adults. ADHD causes substantial problems at school and if untreated, predisposes the individual to increased drug and alcohol use, marital breakdown, criminal prosecution and psychiatric problems in later life. One problem is that we do not fully understand what are the causes of the disorder. This project will test the validity of several models of brain dysfunction in ADHD which have been influential in the literature, but poorly tested. Through better understanding of the basic underlying problems, more effective intervention can be developed.Read moreRead less
The role of preferred brain states in perceptual and cognitive processing: New insights into brain dynamics. New insights into brain dynamics will improve our understanding of both normal and atypical functioning. Extending previous work on normals will confirm how innovative Australian approaches can lead the research agenda in basic neuroscience, at the psychology-physiology interface. Testing in AD/HD and elderly populations will clarify dysfunctional brain mechanisms underlying AD/HD, and th ....The role of preferred brain states in perceptual and cognitive processing: New insights into brain dynamics. New insights into brain dynamics will improve our understanding of both normal and atypical functioning. Extending previous work on normals will confirm how innovative Australian approaches can lead the research agenda in basic neuroscience, at the psychology-physiology interface. Testing in AD/HD and elderly populations will clarify dysfunctional brain mechanisms underlying AD/HD, and the cognitive losses in elderly populations (exacerbated by dementia). These results may lead to better diagnosis, treatment, and community understanding of these groups. Also, publications on these target groups will demonstrate internationally the widespread utility of this approach, encouraging further novel applications of basic neuroscience in health.Read moreRead less
Environmental and genetic risk factors for anxiety disorders in children. Anxiety disorders provide one of the largest sources of disability affecting Australian society. The results of this study will lead to critical advances in our understanding of the causes of anxiety disorders. Having greater understanding of factors that place a child at risk for disorder will allow intervention programs to more accurately target those children and families at greatest risk. Given the prevalence of anxiet ....Environmental and genetic risk factors for anxiety disorders in children. Anxiety disorders provide one of the largest sources of disability affecting Australian society. The results of this study will lead to critical advances in our understanding of the causes of anxiety disorders. Having greater understanding of factors that place a child at risk for disorder will allow intervention programs to more accurately target those children and families at greatest risk. Given the prevalence of anxiety disorders and the significant life interference associated with these disorders, improving intervention efforts will give rise to significant enhancement in the mental health of thousands of Australian children. Read moreRead less
Development of Central Nervous System Functioning in AD/HD: a Longitudinal Study. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a debilitating problem affecting 5% of children. AD/HD causes substantial school problems and predisposes the child to drug and alcohol abuse, marital breakdown, criminal prosecution and psychiatric problems in later life. At present we know very little about the underlying causes of the behavioural changes seen in this disorder. This project will clarify the matu ....Development of Central Nervous System Functioning in AD/HD: a Longitudinal Study. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a debilitating problem affecting 5% of children. AD/HD causes substantial school problems and predisposes the child to drug and alcohol abuse, marital breakdown, criminal prosecution and psychiatric problems in later life. At present we know very little about the underlying causes of the behavioural changes seen in this disorder. This project will clarify the maturational abnormalities in brain function that occur from childhood through to adulthood in this disorder. Better understanding of the normal developmental paths of this disorder will have major clinical benefits as it will allow the development of more optimal treatment plans for these children.Read moreRead less
Disinhibition in Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A behavioural and psychophysiological investigation. This project will provide much-needed information about optimal workload rates and effort levels, and the influence of external expectations, for those with ADHD, with immediate implications in remediation and educational settings. It will inform subsequent applied research, leading to better diagnosis and treatment, resulting in better societal outcomes for those with ADHD. Long-term ....Disinhibition in Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A behavioural and psychophysiological investigation. This project will provide much-needed information about optimal workload rates and effort levels, and the influence of external expectations, for those with ADHD, with immediate implications in remediation and educational settings. It will inform subsequent applied research, leading to better diagnosis and treatment, resulting in better societal outcomes for those with ADHD. Long-term outcomes may reduce the significant financial burden placed on families and the Australian government and taxpayer by the increased use of hospital services and higher medical costs for children with ADHD, significantly increasing the likelihood of a healthy start to life for those directly, and indirectly, effected.Read moreRead less
Knowing in advance: Effective strategies for preparing young children for novel experiences. To optimise cognitive and emotional development, it is critical to identify the influences on children's lives. How parent-child conversations about the past shape development is well understood, but scant research has examined how adult-child preparatory discussions influence children's experience and memory of future events. Our research addresses this gap. It has important implications in medical, edu ....Knowing in advance: Effective strategies for preparing young children for novel experiences. To optimise cognitive and emotional development, it is critical to identify the influences on children's lives. How parent-child conversations about the past shape development is well understood, but scant research has examined how adult-child preparatory discussions influence children's experience and memory of future events. Our research addresses this gap. It has important implications in medical, educational, and other contexts in which it is vital to ensure that information given in advance increases children's understanding of an experience. More generally, in specifying optimal parent-child interactions, the findings are also relevant to interventions aiming to enhance psychological and emotional resilience in the early years. Read moreRead less