Children's difficulties in learning to read: Causes and consequences of poor letter-sound knowledge. This research will identify the causes and treatments of reading impairment in children. This will help the Government counter the effects of poor reading instruction in Australian schools (see the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy). The outcomes will reveal how struggling readers should be taught in classrooms, and which treatments should be covered by the Reading Assistance Voucher ....Children's difficulties in learning to read: Causes and consequences of poor letter-sound knowledge. This research will identify the causes and treatments of reading impairment in children. This will help the Government counter the effects of poor reading instruction in Australian schools (see the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy). The outcomes will reveal how struggling readers should be taught in classrooms, and which treatments should be covered by the Reading Assistance Voucher programme. Treating reading impairment in children will reduce the number of teenagers who attempt suicide, drop out of school, or abuse drugs to try and escape the failure that accompanies poor reading ability.Read moreRead less
The development of feedforward mechanisms of motor control: The role of efference copy in motor skill development. Our work provides preliminary evidence that deficits in efference copy (or feedforward planning) underlie impaired motor skill development in children (or Developmental Coordination Disorder - DCD). The aim of this project is to advance our understanding of normal and abnormal motor development by examining this hypothesis in a large sample, longitudinally. We will examine variati ....The development of feedforward mechanisms of motor control: The role of efference copy in motor skill development. Our work provides preliminary evidence that deficits in efference copy (or feedforward planning) underlie impaired motor skill development in children (or Developmental Coordination Disorder - DCD). The aim of this project is to advance our understanding of normal and abnormal motor development by examining this hypothesis in a large sample, longitudinally. We will examine variations in the presentation of clumsiness, cognitive deficit(s) in different subtypes, and changes in presentation with age. We predict that deficits in efference copy will explain departures from normal motor skill development in most children. We also predict that imagery training will ameliorate the deficit.Read moreRead less
Development of rapid, online motor control in children. Movement is the primary means by which young children develop understanding of the world. The studies described in this project will provide important insights into the development of movement skill in children and the underlying causes of motor impairment. In particular we aim to understand how thought and action are coordinated in children, supporting the ability to perform more efficient movements. Hence, our work will inform the traini ....Development of rapid, online motor control in children. Movement is the primary means by which young children develop understanding of the world. The studies described in this project will provide important insights into the development of movement skill in children and the underlying causes of motor impairment. In particular we aim to understand how thought and action are coordinated in children, supporting the ability to perform more efficient movements. Hence, our work will inform the training and practice of movement educators and physical therapists, transcending some of the myths of clinical theory. This work will have important implications for identifying and training children at risk for motor impairment. Read moreRead less
Captions for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired: Availability versus Accessibility. The availability of educational, informational and recreational services for deaf and hearing-impaired people has been dramatically facilitated by (i) increased television captioning due to the 2001 introduction of the Television Broadcasting Services Act; and (ii) trial introduction of real-time captioning in educational settings. These innovations must be matched by equally innovative ways of increasing the accessib ....Captions for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired: Availability versus Accessibility. The availability of educational, informational and recreational services for deaf and hearing-impaired people has been dramatically facilitated by (i) increased television captioning due to the 2001 introduction of the Television Broadcasting Services Act; and (ii) trial introduction of real-time captioning in educational settings. These innovations must be matched by equally innovative ways of increasing the accessibility of captions, which is currently limited by English literacy, caption speed, and caption reduction techniques. Here, systematic manipulation of these factors in experiments on television captioning with adults and educational captioning with children will determine how resources might best be directed to improving caption accessibility.Read moreRead less
Emotion in voice matters: Advancing a neural model of auditory emotion perception. Accurate perception of emotion in others is fundamental for positive social relationships, and speaking is the most common source of information from which a person will infer emotional intent. This project capitalises on recent advances in brain imaging technologies to develop a neural theory of vocal emotion perception that integrates research across neuro-cognitive, affective, and language disciplines. This wi ....Emotion in voice matters: Advancing a neural model of auditory emotion perception. Accurate perception of emotion in others is fundamental for positive social relationships, and speaking is the most common source of information from which a person will infer emotional intent. This project capitalises on recent advances in brain imaging technologies to develop a neural theory of vocal emotion perception that integrates research across neuro-cognitive, affective, and language disciplines. This will put Australia at the forefront of an important emerging research field 'social neuroscience', raising our international profile in this area. Findings will provide the theoretical knowledge that is currently lacking in the development of targeted remediation programs for individuals suffering from social communication problems.Read moreRead less