A Parent Education And Skills Training Early Intervention For Children With Autism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$305,674.00
Summary
Autism is a severely handicapping disorder adversely affecting social interaction, communication, and behaviour, interests and activities. Over the past 9 years our team has conducted a follow-up study of a large group of 111 Australian children and adolescents with autism. The young people have continued to have very high levels of emotional and behavioural disturbance and generally do not improve. Parents of children with autism are under significant amounts of stress; reporting high levels of ....Autism is a severely handicapping disorder adversely affecting social interaction, communication, and behaviour, interests and activities. Over the past 9 years our team has conducted a follow-up study of a large group of 111 Australian children and adolescents with autism. The young people have continued to have very high levels of emotional and behavioural disturbance and generally do not improve. Parents of children with autism are under significant amounts of stress; reporting high levels of disturbed family functioning and mental health problems. Although there is no cure, children benefit most when early help is provided (under 5 years). There are several promising interventions based on intensive behaviour and educational management, for example requiring 40 hours per week of therapist contact over 2 years. Such programs are costly and impractical as widely available treatment options. Training parents to understand and manage their child also shows promise. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a parent skills training and education treatment program compared to supportive therapy, and to generally available community services. The therapists will follow a treatment manual that will ensure a consistent and replicable approach. The progress of the children with autism and their families will be reassessed immediately after treatment, and at 1 and 2 years post-treatment in order to ascertain immediate and long-term effects of the treatment. If treatment proves to be of use, we will have established a defined, cost efficient, practical and effective model of early treatment that can be easily taught to professionals and widely disseminated throughout early childhood services.Read moreRead less
Early Intervention For Anxiety And Phobic Disorders In Young Children With Intellectual Disability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$305,674.00
Summary
Children with intellectual disability (ID) are 2-3 times more likely to have behavioural and emotional disturbance, including anxiety and fears, than children of normal intellectual ability. Anxiety problems are a source of distress for the child, impair their ability to learn and are a cause of family burden and community cost. Therefore, effective interventions are urgently required. Research with non-disabled children has demonstrated the effectiveness of teaching parents to manage their chil ....Children with intellectual disability (ID) are 2-3 times more likely to have behavioural and emotional disturbance, including anxiety and fears, than children of normal intellectual ability. Anxiety problems are a source of distress for the child, impair their ability to learn and are a cause of family burden and community cost. Therefore, effective interventions are urgently required. Research with non-disabled children has demonstrated the effectiveness of teaching parents to manage their child's anxiety, however the effectiveness of this approach in children with ID has not yet been established. This project aims to compare the relative effectiveness of two intervention conditions compared to a waiting list group, for highly anxious children aged 4-7 years with ID. One intervention will teach parents to help their child deal with anxiety problems, and develop skills to overcome their own associated emotional upset and family and social problems. The other intervention will provide non-directive counselling and support to help the parents understand the nature and causes of ID, associated anxiety problems in the child, and parent and family stress. The long term outcome of these two interventions will be assessed by following the children and their families for two years. A manual of each treatment is produced. This project aims to provide evidence for a relatively inexpensive, feasible and effective early intervention program for young children with ID at risk for developing anxiety problems that can be easily taught to professionals and is acceptable to parents. Widespread use of this intervention has the potential to reduce the added burden and cost to families and the community of persistent severe anxiety in young people with ID.Read moreRead less
Improving The Mental Health Outcomes Of People With Intellectual Disability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,189,979.00
Summary
Australians with intellectual disability (ID) have very high rates of mental illness but experience very poor access to mental health services. Our research will develop a sound evidence base on the profile of mental ill health, service use, pathways to care and mental health policy for people with intellectual disability. Together with consumers and support persons we will examine ways to improve mental health services for people with intellectual disability.
A critical psychological investigation of nurses' experiences, understandings and perceptions of nursing eating disordered patients. This innovative project will investigate the experiences, understandings and perceptions of nurses working with eating disordered patients in hospital contexts. Nurses currently nursing eating disordered patients will be interviewed in depth using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interviews will be audio-recorded and transcribed verbatum. The interview transcr ....A critical psychological investigation of nurses' experiences, understandings and perceptions of nursing eating disordered patients. This innovative project will investigate the experiences, understandings and perceptions of nurses working with eating disordered patients in hospital contexts. Nurses currently nursing eating disordered patients will be interviewed in depth using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interviews will be audio-recorded and transcribed verbatum. The interview transcripts will then be systematically analysed using a qualitative discourse analytic methodology. The aim will be to identify the specific discursive resources that nurses use to frame and make sense of their experiences, understandings and perceptions of nursing eating disordered patients. The project has clinical and social scientific significance, and will contribute to improved treatment outcomes.Read moreRead less
Creating effective employment solutions for youth with psychosis. Young people with severe mental illness face the general difficulty of finding paid work, and the specific difficulty of finding employment which can accommodate their health needs. Without early intervention, and access to supported employment, health and rehabilitation services, these young Australians face long-term welfare dependency. This Project will identify leading international models that provide supported employment for ....Creating effective employment solutions for youth with psychosis. Young people with severe mental illness face the general difficulty of finding paid work, and the specific difficulty of finding employment which can accommodate their health needs. Without early intervention, and access to supported employment, health and rehabilitation services, these young Australians face long-term welfare dependency. This Project will identify leading international models that provide supported employment for young people with psychosis and examine why such effective and integrated support models have not been implemented domestically. The Project will then develop a detailed policy and funding framework to facilitate the adoption or adaptation of international best practice in Australia.Read moreRead less
Emotion Regulation in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can affect 7-12% of Australians in their lifetime. It is a chronic disorder with enormous personal, social and economic costs. In the current climate of increasing mass violence and natural disaster, the health burden of PTSD is expected to rise. This project will help us identify core processes and mechanisms involved in PTSD, and help us to develop more effective and specialized treatments. It will al ....Emotion Regulation in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can affect 7-12% of Australians in their lifetime. It is a chronic disorder with enormous personal, social and economic costs. In the current climate of increasing mass violence and natural disaster, the health burden of PTSD is expected to rise. This project will help us identify core processes and mechanisms involved in PTSD, and help us to develop more effective and specialized treatments. It will also extend our understanding of how the brain inhibits emotion, which has wider relevance for many anxiety disorders in terms of their development and prevention.Read moreRead less
Rumination and Memory Functioning in Depression. By investigating and identifying the cognitive processes underlying symptom maintenance, this research will advance cognitive conceptualisations of depression. The findings will result in the generation and empirical evaluation of psychological treatment procedures for depression by taking a strong science-practitioner approach, ultimately enhancing: (i) the efficacy and cost effectiveness of psychological treatments for depressive disorders, and ....Rumination and Memory Functioning in Depression. By investigating and identifying the cognitive processes underlying symptom maintenance, this research will advance cognitive conceptualisations of depression. The findings will result in the generation and empirical evaluation of psychological treatment procedures for depression by taking a strong science-practitioner approach, ultimately enhancing: (i) the efficacy and cost effectiveness of psychological treatments for depressive disorders, and (ii) the provision of mental health services to the Australian community. In applying rigorous experimental methodologies to answer theoretically driven questions about depression maintenance, these studies represent the interface of empirically sound and clinically-oriented experimental research.Read moreRead less
Building resilience in Aceh. The poor health, academic, and mental health functioning of Acehnese people is one of the major public health problems in the Asian Pacific region. This project will identify the specific factors that lead to these problems and provide an evidence base to shape future empirically-informed interventions to reduce mental health problems in Acehnese communities. This project directly addresses the priority of safeguarding Australia by establishing an empirical platform ....Building resilience in Aceh. The poor health, academic, and mental health functioning of Acehnese people is one of the major public health problems in the Asian Pacific region. This project will identify the specific factors that lead to these problems and provide an evidence base to shape future empirically-informed interventions to reduce mental health problems in Acehnese communities. This project directly addresses the priority of safeguarding Australia by establishing an empirical platform to shape future policies for enhancing the social and emotional well-being of one of Australia's important northern neighbours.Read moreRead less
Controlling Unwanted Thoughts: A Hypnotic Study of Suppression. Controlling unwanted thoughts is central to maintaining good mental health, and failed mental control underpins many mental disorders. This project aims to enhance the capacity to control unwanted thoughts by adopting hypnosis as an investigative tool. By identifying the strategies that assist thought control, the project will directly shape ways to enhance mental health of Australians. Through improved mental health, Australia ....Controlling Unwanted Thoughts: A Hypnotic Study of Suppression. Controlling unwanted thoughts is central to maintaining good mental health, and failed mental control underpins many mental disorders. This project aims to enhance the capacity to control unwanted thoughts by adopting hypnosis as an investigative tool. By identifying the strategies that assist thought control, the project will directly shape ways to enhance mental health of Australians. Through improved mental health, Australia can enjoy fewer demands on health services and increased productivity. Read moreRead less