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New autism guideline a lifeline for familiesProfessor Andrew Whitehouse tells how Australia’s first national guideline for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is going to transform the way the condition is assessed and managed, vastly improving the experience for families.
News & Events
3D face scanner could improve early diagnosis for kids with autismCan you see signs of autism in a child's facial features? Telethon Kids researchers have acquired new face scanning technology to help answer this question.
Research
Feasibility of a 2-minute eye-tracking protocol to support the early identification of autismWe 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).
Research
A pilot randomised controlled trial of a telehealth-delivered brief ‘Sleeping Sound Autism’ intervention for autistic childrenAccess to behavioural sleep intervention is beneficial for autistic children, yet many families face barriers to access associated with location and time. Preliminary evidence supports telehealth-delivered sleep intervention. However, no studies have evaluated brief telehealth sleep intervention.
Research
Brief social attention bias modification for children with autism spectrum disorderSocial attention can be acutely modified in children with ASD, with an increased tendency to orient attention toward faces after brief social attention training
Research
Early autism symptoms in infants with tuberous sclerosis complexWe examined early signs of ASD in infants wit tuberous sclerosis complex, approximately 50% of whom will meet criteria for ASD by age 3.
Research
Hypermasculinised facial morphology in boys and girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder and its association with symptomatologyThis is the first study demonstrating facial hypermasculinisation in ASD and its relationship to social-communication difficulties in prepubescent children
Australia’s first national guideline for supporting the learning, participation and wellbeing of autistic children and their families.
Research
“The Wrong Supports Are Worse than no Support”: Autistic Perspectives on Early-in-Life Infant Autism SupportsEvidence suggests that the earlier supports are provided to young Autistic children, the better the overall outcomes. Supports have typically only been available after an autism diagnosis but with increased knowledge about early developmental trajectories, clinical supports can now be offered prediagnosis for infants showing early autism features and/or those with a family history of autism.
Research
Get it right, make it easy, see it all: Viewpoints of autistic individuals and parents of autistic individuals about the autism diagnostic process in AustraliaThe clinical process for being evaluated for an autism diagnosis is often time consuming and stressful for individuals and their caregivers. While experience of and satisfaction with the diagnostic process has been reviewed in the literature, few studies have directly investigated the viewpoints of individuals diagnosed with autism and caregivers of autistic individuals about what is important in the autism diagnostic process.