Honours scholarship; New Chair in Autism Research
Launch of OTARC Strategic Plan 2018-2028
When the Olga Tennison Research Austism Research Centre (OTARC) turned 10 last year, this significant milestone was cause for celebration – and also for reflection, as the team began mapping out the direction of the next ten years, building on the recommendations from the Centre’s review in 2017.
Read more “Honours scholarship; New Chair in Autism Research”
Director’s Report Dec 19
I have recently returned from New York where I attended the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Strategic Planning Meeting as vice-President and member of the INSAR Board. Our focus is ensuring this society becomes more global, as only 5% of the worlds autistic people live in first world, high income, high resource nations! Last week, I spent a day in Canberra with our La Trobe Children’s Centre Manager (Kristy Capes) and Margot Prior Autism Intervention Centre Clinical Manager (Carolyne Jones), together with representatives from each of the national Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centres (ASELCCs). The meeting, hosted by the Department of Social Services (DSS) and the NDIA, focused on how the good work undertaken at the six ASELCCs can be supported following transition into the NDIS, particularly capacity building and research post June 2020 (when block funding from DSS ceases). You can see first had evidence of this work in the video provided below where Dr Hudry and Ms Upson discuss how children with autism can be supported to thrive in childcare. Our collective aim at the ASELCCs is to continue to disseminate this good work into the wider community so that increasing numbers of children with autism and their families can benefit from access to evidence-based early intervention and support.
OTARC celebrates tenth anniversary
Prof. Cheryl Dissanayake reflects on a decade’s achievements
OTARC has had many achievements over the last decade, including the:
- development of effective early identification strategies to facilitate earlier diagnoses of children
- establishment of Australia’s first Early Assessment Clinic for Autism so that children can be diagnosed prior to 3 years of age
- joint establishment of the Victorian Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre (The Margot Prior Wing) so that children may receive evidence-based early intervention
- enhanced collaboration between autism researchers nationally through supporting the formation of the Australasian Society for Autism Research (ASfAR)
- development of an autism-specific undergraduate subject to educate students about Autism
- increase in knowledge and capacity of research scholars and professionals regarding Autism
- global knowledge transfer on evidence-based practice in early identification and intervention (particularly into low resource settings)
- research partner in the Dandelion Program for employment of people with Autism
- joint establishment and essential partner of the CRC for Living with Autism (2013-2021)
Although significant, 10 years of achievement pales in comparison to a lifetime of achievement, and we were thrilled that our inaugural Chair, Professor Margot Prior was awarded the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual conference, held in Rotterdam in May. I was privileged to give the Acceptance Keynote on Margot’s behalf, presented by the INSAR President, Professor Simon Baron Cohen. Simon thanked me for introducing Margot to a new cohort of INSAR scholars and, indeed, I had many approach me to comment on her remarkable achievements. Australia is lucky to have her!
2017 Annual Report
OTARC Fast Facts 2017
- There were 2,859 people on our Research Participant Registry. 315 (11%) of these were aged 18 or older.
- Our researchers and students published 40 publications and gave 61 conference presentations.
- The mobile app ASDetect reached a cumulative total of 20,000 downloads.
- Podcasts on autism research topics were downloaded 23,900 times.
Download the PDF of the 2017 OTARC Annual Report
Talk: Marking 10 Years of Autism Research
This talk by Prof. Cheryl Dissanayake will provide an overview of research undertaken at OTARC over the last decade. While our research was initially focused on the early childhood years, it now covers the developmental lifespan. We have numerous research projects underway at any given time, and as a team, strive to work at the nexus of research and practice, with a strong focus on improving the lives of those with autism and their families.
Venue: La Trobe University Bundoora (Melbourne), room LIMS1.101
Time: Thursday 31 May, 4-5pm
No RSVP necessary.
PhD MAPS
Director, Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre
Fundraiser: Thai Kick Boxing for Autism Research
Pradeep Raj, an amazing dad with a strong personal connection to autism research is fundraising to support OTARC Research. He is competing in his first #muaythai bout on February 25th at Dynamite Muay Thai boxing gym.
Read more about Pradeep and donate to the GoFundMe page here:
gofundme.com/pradeeps-fight-for-autism-awareness
Download a flyer to share with family and friends here:
Summer 2017
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Welcome to the Summer edition of Another Piece!
Staff Changes
I would like to welcome a few new staff to our fantastic team:
- Research Officer, Alex Haschek
- ASDetect Project Officer, Radhika Nair
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr Simon Bury (starting 2 Jan)
- Administrative Officer, Margaret Laughton (starting 8 Jan.)
We have also welcomed back from maternity leave our Autism CRC Biobank Research Officer, Melanie Muniandy.
Sadly, we also said farewell to our wonderful Administrative Officer Claire Hayden. Although she was only with us for a short time, she fit in to our team so well that we felt she had been here forever! I wish her well with her sea-change.
Events
Planning is currently underway for a series of events to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We started this series off early by hosting two events on campus in early November. (See below for details.) These featured two outstanding scholars:
- Professor Sally Rogers from the MIND Institute at UC Davis, Sacramento
- Professor Liz Pellicano, formerly from the Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE) at the Institute of Education at University College London.
I am delighted that Liz has moved back to Australia to undertake a Professorship in Education as Macquarie University and hope to involve her in future events.
Look out for more events in the first half of next year leading up to our 10th anniversary in June 2018.
Neurodiversity in the workplace
ANZ Bank and DXC Technology have started a new employment program for autistic adults – the first implementation in Melbourne. The successful applicants will work for DXC in cybersecurity and software testing roles in the ANZ Docklands offices.
DXC Technology have already recruited nearly 60 adults on the autism spectrum in implementations in Adelaide, Canberra and Brisbane. We are excited to continue to contribute to each of these initiatives via our research.
Our partners at Specialisterne have worked on a similar program at Westpac.
Read more here>
Bringing parity to low and middle-income countries
.I recently travelled to Mumbai, India to attend the International Developmental Paediatrics Congress.
One of the objectives of this conference is to bridge the gaps in policy, practice and research that exist between low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs), like Australia. We have much to learn from one another, and I look forward to fostering new collaborations.
Season’s Greetings
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our staff, students, collaborators, stakeholders and readers the best for the festive season ahead. Wishing you all a Happy New Year, and hoping 2018 will be another excellent one for research in Autism.
**Please note: Our Centre will be closed from Friday 22nd December, re-opening Monday 8th January 2018.**
PhD MAPS
Director, Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre
RECENT OTARC EVENTS
AUSTRALASIAN SOCIETY FOR AUTISM RESEARCH (AsFAR)
Inaugural State Conference
We hosted the first ASfAR state-based conference at La Trobe on 10 November, which was well received. Professor Sally Rogers, from the MIND Institute at UC Davis, gave the keynote address, and we had both Victorian and interstate delegates attend the meeting. We received sponsorship from the Autism CRC, Amaze and the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), which is kindly acknowledged. We ran two parallel streams for much of the day, which speaks to the interest and the number of submissions received for presentation. I would like to acknowledge the Scientific and local Organising Committees, which each worked hard to ensure a successful day. The latter committee also contributed to a very successful community event hosted the day before.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN AUTISM RESEARCH
OTARC hosted a free public event on 9 November. Professor Liz Pellicano gave the keynote speech, complemented by six speakers who were either parents or autistic individuals. The event was well attended and received, with many guests commenting particularly on the contributions of the community voices on OTARC’s research areas:
- Early Identification and Intervention
- Promoting Success in Adulthood
- Comorbid Conditions.
STUDENT COMPLETIONS
Congratulations to the following students who submitted their final requirements this year. A special mention goes to Megan Clark, whose thesis was in the top 5%; one examiner wrote:
“All told the thesis is comprehensive, novel, and will have a substantial contribution to the understanding of the developmental profile of school-age children with ASD”
| PhD Cathy Bent Emma Baker Megan Clark |
Doctor of Clinical Psychology Maria Lambrou Zoe Vinen |
Masters Andrew Halim Deniz Ozbilgin Felicity Peel |
Honours Daniel Berends Emily Canton Paula Grogan Siobhan Korbut Stephanie Roussis |
MEDIA COVERAGE
Professor Dissanayake was interviewed for this story on the ABC TV program Lateline, about the DXC/ANZ employment program.
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/the-autism-advantage:-why-anz-is-the-latest-big/9225604
RESEARCH STUDIES RECRUITING
ASDETECT EVALUATION STUDY
Do you have a child between 11 and 30 months? Learn why pointing and other communication milestones are important for children’s development by joining this study to evaluate our award-winning early detection mobile app.
Participate in this study – learn more
STUDY OF AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL LEAVERS WITH AUTISM
Are you aged between 15 and 25, or the parent/carer of someone who is? We are seeking participants for our longitudinal study of post-school outcomes.
Participate in this study – learn more
THE AUSTRALIAN AUTISM BIOBANK
An Autism CRC signature project. OTARC is the Victorian collection site.
We are seeking children with ASD aged 2-17 years, as well as children *without* a diagnosis of ASD and their parents to participate as part of our community comparison group.
Participate in this study – learn more
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
We’re pleased to report a positive response to the concerted campaign run by Amaze, OTARC and many other organisations to encourage the Victorian State government to adopt the recommendations of the report
The priority actions recommended include
- funding of $22 million
- support for transition from secondary school
- the creation of an Autism State Plan.
Thanks for helping make this happen!
Read the summary response here (pdf)>
Parents & Teachers: Emotion-based learning for children with ASD
Westmead Feelings Program 1
Teach children with ASD and mild ID to understand their own and others’ emotions
Westmead Feelings Program 1 (WFP 1) is a 15-month intervention program teaching children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mild intellectual disability (ID) about emotional understanding and social awareness, in close collaboration with parents, teachers and facilitators. Not just clinic-based, the Program helps parents and teachers become emotion coaches, supporting children to manage their feelings in everyday settings.
Delivered in fun and engaging group sessions, WFP 1 provides the opportunity for children with similar abilities to form long-lasting friendships. Parent sessions connect families with each other in a safe environment to share experiences and support, while sessions for teachers ensure cohesive implementation of WFP 1 strategies across the school.
Parents & Teachers:
Emotion-based learning for children with ASD
Westmead Feelings Program 1
Teach children with ASD and mild ID to understand their own and others’ emotions
Westmead Feelings Program 1 (WFP 1) is a 15-month intervention program teaching children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mild intellectual disability (ID) about emotional understanding and social awareness, in close collaboration with parents, teachers and facilitators. Not just clinic-based, the Program helps parents and teachers become emotion coaches, supporting children to manage their feelings in everyday settings.
Delivered in fun and engaging group sessions, WFP 1 provides the opportunity for children with similar abilities to form long-lasting friendships. Parent sessions connect families with each other in a safe environment to share experiences and support, while sessions for teachers ensure cohesive implementation of WFP 1 strategies across the school.
NORTHLAND SHOPPING CENTRE SENSORY DAY A SUCCESS
We were delighted to support the first Sensory Shopping Day at Northland Shopping Centre, in partnership with Amaze. Many people not on the spectrum commented how much better the experience of shopping with low sensory stimulation, was for them as well! This anecdotal evidence confirms something we’ve known for some time: reasonable adjustments made for people with autism (particularly for school students) end up benefiting everyone.
Northland has been a leader with their Quiet Room at the mall. Many other companies are now following their lead, with supermarket giant, Coles, rolling out a quiet hour across 68 of their stores!’
After tips for managing the festive season with your kids? This article on Amaze’s website might help.
Apply for a PhD Scholarship with us
OTARC’s Study of Australian School Leavers with Autism is *still* seeking applications for a PhD Scholarship worth $26,682 per annum over 3 years. International applicants welcome (conditions apply).
Applications will remain open until February 2018.
Public Talk: Perspectives on Community Involvement in Autism Research
This FREE event at La Trobe University Bundoora presents many perspectives on involving the autism community in research.
Speakers:
- Keynote: ‘Knowing Autism: Can non-autistic scientists ever really understand what autistic people and their families need from their research?’ Professor Liz Pellicano, University College London
- OTARC researchers
- Individuals with autism and their parents/carers.
There will be time throughout the evening for questions to be directed at the panelists.
Date: Thursday 9 November
Time: 4pm until 7pm
Venue: La Trobe University, Bundoora
Room to be advised once registrations close.
Tickets are FREE but registration is essential. Registration closes 5pm Thursday 2 November.
REGISTER VIA EVENTBRITE
Read more “Public Talk: Perspectives on Community Involvement in Autism Research”