Effective communication is an essential of everyday life, and stuttering impairs this function. Stuttering has been shown to cause social maladjustment and to hinder attainment of occupational potential. There is an effective treatment available for preschool children who stutter, and this treatment can prevent the problems of stuttering later in life. The treatment depends on regular, weekly, face-to-face sessions with a speech pathologist. However, thirty percent of Australian children live ru ....Effective communication is an essential of everyday life, and stuttering impairs this function. Stuttering has been shown to cause social maladjustment and to hinder attainment of occupational potential. There is an effective treatment available for preschool children who stutter, and this treatment can prevent the problems of stuttering later in life. The treatment depends on regular, weekly, face-to-face sessions with a speech pathologist. However, thirty percent of Australian children live rurally, and are receiving inadequate access to this important health service. This research is a randomised controlled trial of a telehealth intervention for early stuttering. The telehealth intervention is a new procedure where the speech pathologist uses the telephone and other communication methods to deliver the treatment to isolated families with a stuttering child.Read moreRead less
One-session Treatment For Specific Phobias In Pre-school Children: Improving Access And Long-term Mental Health Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$567,745.00
Summary
This project aims to conduct the first randomised controlled trial of a modified-one session treatment (OST) for preschoolers with specific phobias (SP). SPs are highly prevalent (~10%), onset very early in life (~3 years) and predict a host of mental illness later in life. OST for SPs is well-established for older children (>7 years), yet is currently untested with pre-school aged children.
Scheduling Frequent Opportunities For Outdoor Play – A Simple Approach To Increase Physical Activity In Childcare
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$355,955.00
Summary
Australian preschool aged children are not sufficiently active, increasing their risk of a variety of health conditions. When at childcare, previous research has found that children are particularly activity during the first 10-15 minutes of outdoor play. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of changing the scheduling of periods of outdoor play within preschools.
Preventing Child Internalising Problems: Follow Up Of A Population-based Randomised Trial Through Middle Childhood.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$472,604.00
Summary
Many Australians suffer with internalising problems (anxiety, depression). They affect 1 in 7 school age children, impacting peer relations, school engagement and later mental health. Inhibited temperament (fearfulness, withdrawal) places children at risk. In 2010-14 we conducted a randomised prevention trial, screening preschoolers for inhibition and offering the Cool Little Kids parenting group program to those affected. We are now following families in this trial in mid-childhood (age 7-10).
Early Childhood Caries: A Longitudinal Study Measuring The Risk And Protective Factors In Infants 1-18 Months Of Age
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$123,736.00
Summary
Dental decay affects 70% of Australian children, with children in rural areas being worse off. This study will describe the natural history of dental decay from birth to 18 months and will examine the environment, behaviours and biology that these infants are exposed to over time. Although families will benefit most from this research, the study contributes uniquely to our knowledge of decay in young children and will directly inform population health and targeted programs of care.
Parenting Style As A Mediator Of Psychosocial Risk Factors And Childhood Externalizing Behaviour Problems
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$113,160.00
Summary
It is imperative that effective interventions be developed and evaluated for children with externalising disorders (e.g. oppositional disorder, attention deficit order and conduct disorder). The prevalence of these problems in the community is high, the prognosis of children is poor, and externalising problems are passed on across successive generations in the same family. Childhood externalising problems are also one of the most costly behavioural disorders for society. Many studies have examin ....It is imperative that effective interventions be developed and evaluated for children with externalising disorders (e.g. oppositional disorder, attention deficit order and conduct disorder). The prevalence of these problems in the community is high, the prognosis of children is poor, and externalising problems are passed on across successive generations in the same family. Childhood externalising problems are also one of the most costly behavioural disorders for society. Many studies have examined the nature and course of externalising problems in older children and adolescents. However, little attention has been paid to the early onset of externalising disorders amongst preschool and early school-age children. Whilst the relationships between family risk factors (e.g. marital discord and maternal depression), parental management styles and children's behaviour problems are widely recognised, the exact nature and direction of these relationships remains largely unknown. This proposal will provide new information about the mechanism through which family risk factors such as marital discord or parental distress influence the onset and persistence of externalising problems in young children, via their effects on parents' behaviour management techniques. This information can then be used to instruct early intervention efforts for parents and families of children at risk of developing externalising behaviour problems.Read moreRead less