Maryam Boutrus
Honorary Research Associate
MPsyc, BA PhD
maryam.stead@thekids.org.au
Dr Maryam Boutrus is an Honorary Research Associate within the Healing Kids, Healing Families team and a Research Coordinator through the Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS). She is currently working on the Dissociation project as part of a cross organisational collaboration between The Kids and CAHS. This project aims to identify the prevalence and presentation of dissociation in children and young people who have experienced trauma, and to develop training and supports to help with healthy psychological recovery.
Maryam completed her bachelor’s degree and PhD in Psychology at the University of Western Australia. She is experienced in clinical developmental assessment, eye-tracking, 3D facial imaging techniques, and research methodology. Maryam’s research background is in autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities, social development, facial morphology, and most recently, childhood trauma.
Published research
Treatment for Childhood and Adolescent Dissociation: A Systematic Review
Dissociative symptoms are linked to experiences of trauma, often originating in childhood and adolescence. Dissociative disorders are associated with a high burden of illness and a poor quality of life. Despite evidence suggesting that early intervention can improve outcomes, little research exists on the treatment of dissociative disorders in childhood and adolescence.
Feasibility of a 2-minute eye-tracking protocol to support the early identification of autism
We tested the potential for Gazefinder eye-tracking to support early autism identification, including feasible use with infants, and preliminary concurrent validity of trial-level gaze data against clinical assessment scores. We embedded the ~ 2-min 'Scene 1S4' protocol within a comprehensive clinical assessment for 54 consecutively-referred, clinically-indicated infants (prematurity-corrected age 9-14 months).
Education and Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy - University of Western Australia
- Psychology Double Major, Honours (1st Class) - University of Western Australia