Tailoring A Brief Sleep Intervention For Autism: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$401,475.00
Summary
Up to 86% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience behavioural sleep problems which have been shown to be associated with increased core ASD symptoms, increased rates of internalizing and externalizing disorders, and increased parental stress. The “Sleeping Sound” study is a novel behavioural sleep intervention that has shown much promise as a treatment to reduce sleep problems and improve mental health outcomes in children with ASD.
Preventing Mental Health Problems In Children: A Population-based Cluster Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,133.00
Summary
14% of Australian children develop mental health problems. As treatment is time and cost intensive, prevention is the ideal model. This can be targeted to ‘at risk’ children, but may stigmatise families and have poor uptake. This project aims to trial whether a population targeted approach embedded in universal prevention performs better than targeted prevention alone, with each approach compared to ‘usual care’. The local and state government partners will ensure sustainability, policy relevanc ....14% of Australian children develop mental health problems. As treatment is time and cost intensive, prevention is the ideal model. This can be targeted to ‘at risk’ children, but may stigmatise families and have poor uptake. This project aims to trial whether a population targeted approach embedded in universal prevention performs better than targeted prevention alone, with each approach compared to ‘usual care’. The local and state government partners will ensure sustainability, policy relevance and uptake if effectiveRead moreRead less
Understanding How Language And Reading Problems Develop: A Population-based Longitudinal Study From Infancy To Age 7
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$667,507.00
Summary
Early language and reading problems are common and therefore significant public health problems. They are disabling and have life-long implications for oral and written communication skills, social and emotional well-being, cognition, behaviour, academic achievement and employment. This study will address the following three problems: 1. To date no study has documented how language and reading problems develop from infancy (8 months) through to school age (7 years). 2. Little is known about risk ....Early language and reading problems are common and therefore significant public health problems. They are disabling and have life-long implications for oral and written communication skills, social and emotional well-being, cognition, behaviour, academic achievement and employment. This study will address the following three problems: 1. To date no study has documented how language and reading problems develop from infancy (8 months) through to school age (7 years). 2. Little is known about risk factors, identified early in infancy and childhood, that can be reliably used to predict language and reading problems later in childhood. 3. The relationships between language difficulties and reading problems are poorly understood. Therefore, we currently have no satisfactory methods for reliably detecting which children at much younger ages are at risk of later language disorders or reading problems. Without this information it is impossible to develop effective prevention and early intervention programs. These programs are critical if we are to: a) Prevent language and reading problems from occurring, thereby reducing the prevalence of the problem b) Intervene early in childhood, thereby reducing in the longer term the burden and cost associated with language and reading problems. The proposed study builds on an existing substantial investment by the NHMRC in the Early Language in Victoria Study (ELVS). It will provide a world-first description of the evolution of language difficulties and reading problems from infancy through to school age within a single population cohort.Read moreRead less
Use Of Analgesics To Reduce Agitation And Agression In Older Persons With Dementia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$552,556.00
Summary
Understanding the causes of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) provides a potentially remedial target for interventions. The current study will undertake the first ever trial of analgesics to reduce the frequency of agitation/aggression and other BPSD. By completion we will have new insights into the relationship between pain and various sub-types of BPSD and robust evidence on the best class of analgesics to treat BPSD
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240101089
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$436,847.00
Summary
Trustworthy Hypothesis Transfer Learning. It is urgent to develop a new hypothesis transfer learning scheme that can overcome potential risks when finetuning unreliable large-scale pre-trained models. This project aims to develop an advanced and reliable scheme of hypothesis transfer learning, called Trustworthy Hypothesis Transfer Learning (TrustHTL). A new theoretically guaranteed heterogeneous hypothesis transfer learning framework will be developed to handle heterogeneous situations; a metho ....Trustworthy Hypothesis Transfer Learning. It is urgent to develop a new hypothesis transfer learning scheme that can overcome potential risks when finetuning unreliable large-scale pre-trained models. This project aims to develop an advanced and reliable scheme of hypothesis transfer learning, called Trustworthy Hypothesis Transfer Learning (TrustHTL). A new theoretically guaranteed heterogeneous hypothesis transfer learning framework will be developed to handle heterogeneous situations; a methodology to disinherit risks of pre-trained models and a new fuzzy relation based distributional discrepancy in heterogeneous transfer learning scenarios. The outcomes should significantly improve the reliability of machine learning with benefits for safety learning in data analytics.Read moreRead less
Characterization Of A Novel Epigenetic Boundary And Long Range Epigenetic Modifications Specific To FMR1 Expansion Carriers With Behavioural And Cognitive Disorders - Implications For Earlier Diagnosis And Treatment.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$670,836.00
Summary
Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability and autism and is caused by a faulty switch in the gene FMR1. We have discovered new DNA regions important in FXS. The project aims to explain how these new regions regulate the FMR1 gene. This is essential for the discovery and validation of new avenues for earlier diagnosis, treatments and therapies for children and adults with FMR1 disorders and also for informing reproductive decisions.
Self-supervised feature learning for rapid processing of marine imagery. Fast and reliable quantitative estimates of marine environmental health are needed for scientific studies, design and management of protected areas, and regulatory compliance of industrial activity in the ocean. Australia is collecting seafloor images at increasing rates but expert annotations are not keeping up, meaning that typical machine learning approaches struggle. This project will develop self-supervised techniques ....Self-supervised feature learning for rapid processing of marine imagery. Fast and reliable quantitative estimates of marine environmental health are needed for scientific studies, design and management of protected areas, and regulatory compliance of industrial activity in the ocean. Australia is collecting seafloor images at increasing rates but expert annotations are not keeping up, meaning that typical machine learning approaches struggle. This project will develop self-supervised techniques that use large amounts of unlabeled data to enhance performance. Our design takes advantage of additional information available for marine imagery such as geolocation and remote sensing context. We will explore how these representations can guide additional sampling and improve performance in classification tasks.Read moreRead less
Predictors And Correlates Of Health-related Quality Of Life And Morbidity In Overweight/obese Adolescents: Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,525.00
Summary
There is now no doubting the size and long-term risks to health of the childhood obesity epidemic. However, very little research has examined at population level its immediate consequences for mental health and physical functioning, what pathways confer risk and protection for these consequences, and their likely healthcare consequences. This study will utilise an existing cohort of approximately 1500 Victorian adolescents followed since childhood to examine neglected aspects of the genesis and ....There is now no doubting the size and long-term risks to health of the childhood obesity epidemic. However, very little research has examined at population level its immediate consequences for mental health and physical functioning, what pathways confer risk and protection for these consequences, and their likely healthcare consequences. This study will utilise an existing cohort of approximately 1500 Victorian adolescents followed since childhood to examine neglected aspects of the genesis and impacts of overweight and obesity. The Health of Young Victorians Study was originally assembled in 1997 when the children were in Grades Prep-3. In addition to information on putative risk and protective factors for overweight-obesity and direct measures of height and weight, it is unique in having collected data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) since children were first recruited during the early primary school years. Eight years after the first wave, the children will be adolescents in Grades 8-11. This third wave will retain a focus on HRQoL. Innovations include study of potential emotional, behavioural and physical consequences of childhood obesity that may in turn affect the natural history of obesity. This large, population-based longitudinal study will redress neglected aspects of child and adolescent overweight-obesity specifically identified in 2003 by the NH and MRC. As well as establishing whether a range of common problems are related to overweight-obesity, it will be able to shed light on mechanisms of adverse outcomes associated with adolescent overweight-obesity, and study protective factors predicting remitting overweight from childhood to adolescence that may inform preventive activities. The study will make an international contribution to knowledge about pathways, prevalence and preventive opportunities for child and adolescent overweight-obesity.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100751
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$379,506.00
Summary
How health shapes young children’s academic outcomes, and opportunities to intervene. Every year, about 280,000 Australian children make the crucial transition from preschool to formal education. Within this population, there is a wide range of learning capabilities and levels of preparedness. Children who have difficulties during the early years have greater risk of poorer academic and social outcomes. This project aims to determine how children's academic outcomes are shaped by common physical ....How health shapes young children’s academic outcomes, and opportunities to intervene. Every year, about 280,000 Australian children make the crucial transition from preschool to formal education. Within this population, there is a wide range of learning capabilities and levels of preparedness. Children who have difficulties during the early years have greater risk of poorer academic and social outcomes. This project aims to determine how children's academic outcomes are shaped by common physical health problems during the early years of school and how best to address these problems within the traditional school setting. This will inform future research as to the opportunities to help all children have the best opportunity to learn so they can reach their academic potential.Read moreRead less