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Research

The most common cause of morbidity and mortality in children with severe cerebral palsy (CP) is respiratory disease. BREATHE-CP (Better REspiratory and Airway Treatment and HEalth in Cerebral Palsy) is a multidisciplinary research team who have conducted research on the risk factors associated with CP respiratory disease, a systematic review on management and a Delphi study on the development of a consensus for the prevention and management of respiratory disease in CP.

Research

The transport of sick newborn infants with respiratory distress leads to unwanted stress at time of physiological instability. There is dearth of studies to evaluate these stress levels. This pilot prospective observational before-after study aimed to evaluate the plasma cortisol levels (as surrogate marker of stress) in infants with respiratory distress during different phases of neonatal transport.

Research

Communication impairments are a leading concern for parent caregivers of individuals with rare neurodevelopmental disorders. Clinical trials of disease modifying therapies require valid and responsive outcome measures that are relevant to individuals with RNDDs. Identifying and evaluating current psychometric properties for communication measures is a critical step towards the selection and use of appropriate instruments. 

Research

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a genetically caused developmental epileptic encephalopathy that causes severe communication impairments. Communication of individuals with CDD is not well understood in the literature and currently available measures are not well validated in this population. Accurate and sensitive measurement of the communication of individuals with CDD is important for understanding this condition, clinical practice, and upcoming interventional trials. 

Research

Siblings of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) are exposed to unique family environments and experience a range of psychosocial risk and resilience factors.

Research

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a lifelong disability of varying severity that occurs among individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol. Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians, the effects of colonisation and ongoing racism could increase the risk of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Research

To report the prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) in children with severe congenital heart defects (sCHD) and the outcome/severity of the CP.

Research

MECP2 duplication syndrome (MDS) is a rare, X-linked, neurodevelopmental disorder resulting from the duplication of the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene. The clinical features of MDS include severe intellectual disability, global developmental delay, seizures, recurrent respiratory infections, and gastrointestinal problems. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how the parents of children with MDS manage their child's seizures, recurrent respiratory infections, and gastrointestinal symptoms, and the impact on them as parents.

Research

Wearable motion sensors, specifically, Inertial Measurement Units, are useful tools for the assessment of orientation and movement during sleep. The DOTs platform (Xsens, Enschede, The Netherlands) has shown promise for this purpose. This pilot study aimed to assess its feasibility and validity for recording sleep biomechanics.

Research

To describe trends, age-specific patterns, and factors influencing hospitalizations for 5 rare craniofacial anomalies.