You might have heard that for every female diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Autism) there are roughly three to four males (Fombonne, 2009; Loomes et al., 2017).
But this ratio changes when you consider the person’s language, cognitive abilities, and even their age.
Read more “Autism in Girls and Women”
The idea of neurodiversity is not new but has been gaining more attention recently. The essence of the term ‘neurodiversity’ is that “there is no single way for a brain to be normal,” as explained in a recently-published editorial by Simon Baron-Cohen, head of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge (see here & here). Looking at autism from a neurodiversity perspective can help promote inclusion and reduce stigma. It means broadening our understanding to see how social systems can change to be more autism friendly, rather than focusing narrowly on the individual. Supermarket ‘quiet hours’ are a nice example of an environmental change that can have a positive impact for people on the Autism spectrum.
Read more “Neurodiversity and Participatory Research in Autism”
Interview with Dr Josephine Barbaro on ABC Radio National’s Life Matters program.
Taking the time to understand individual needs, providing professional development opportunities and training managers and co-workers were all factors that contributed to the success of the recently-completed ‘Rise@DHHS’ Autism employment program.
Read more “Positive Outcomes for Autistic Employees at DHHS”
OTARC 2014 Phd graduate Rebecca McStay discusses family stress and Autism
Read more “Parental stress and Autism”
Specialisterne Denmark’s founder Thorkil Sonne gives a personal account of his journey
Emma Baker, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, OTARC Alumni, on the types and causes of sleep problems in Autistic adults
Read more “The nature of sleep difficulties in Autistic adults”
A new research study at the Victorian Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre (ASELCC) based at La Trobe University’s Children’s Centre, in collaboration with the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC), has been published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Read more “New Autism research demonstrates positive impact of early suports”
Copying others is important for development. It provides a way to learn about the physical world, and a context for children to practice and develop their skills for interacting with others. There is evidence to suggest that children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (Autism) imitate less often and less accurately than non-autistic children. While several explanatory theories have been put forward for these findings, the specific reasons for imitation difficulties remain unclear.
Read more “Imitation Difficulties Among Children with a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Social Motivation or Motor-Execution Problem?”
Many mothers with children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (Autism) diagnosis report higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression than mothers with non-autistic children and those rearing children with other disabilities. But we don’t know which factors contribute to or protect against these negative outcomes. Being from a migrant family, I wondered whether mothers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds would experience more or less stress, anxiety and depression in reaction to having an autists child than Australian mothers. Based on other research, we also thought that different coping skills may influence how mothers react. These are the questions I explored for my Honours project with Dr Kristelle Hudry and Dr Josephine Barbaro at OTARC. We were particularly interested in the reactions and coping skills of mothers whose child had recently been diagnosed with Autism.