Research – Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre

Facing Stress: Coping Strategies, Resilience and Mental Health Outcomes…

August 7, 2023August 8, 2023

Coping Strategies, Resilience and Mental Health Outcomes in Autistic Adults

There is consensus surrounding the poor mental health outcomes experienced by many in the Autistic adult population. While the non-autistic literature suggests that high stress represents a key contributor to poor mental health and well-being, individual resources such as coping and resilience have the potential to mitigate the negative effects of stress, accounting for individual differences across mental health outcomes. Despite emerging research showing high stress in Autistic adults, investigations of coping and resilience in this population remain limited.

Studies Recruiting

What do Australian Autistic adults experience when they see…

August 7, 2023August 8, 2023

What do Australian Autistic adults experience when they see a neurodiversity affirming psychologist?

If you live in Australia, are 18+, have either been diagnosed or identify as Autistic, and have had at least 1 appointment with a neurodiversity affirming psychologist in the past 2 years, we are keen to hear from you!

La Trobe University researchers invite you to complete a 45-minute online survey.

Please visit https://redcap.link/22azu39d for more details.

This is a photograph of Dr Melissa Gilbert

Contact Dr Melissa Gilbert m.gilbert@latrobe.edu.au with any questions.

Ethics approval HEC23182

Neurodiversity

What are ‘masking’ and ‘camouflaging’ in the context of…

August 1, 2023August 2, 2023

Many autistic people and ADHD-ers report using “masking” and “camouflaging” in their lives. This is where people conceal certain traits and replace them with neurotypical ones to avoid being recognised as neurominorities.

News

The story of Autism research in Australia: A conversation…

July 28, 2023August 2, 2023

Cheryl Dissanayake is a professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, and the Olga Tennison Endowed Chair in Autism Research at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Center. She has been researching autism since 1984. Spectrum spoke with her about her path to autism science, the history of the field in Australia, and the importance of Melbourne hosting the 2024 INSAR annual conference, which Dissanayake will chair. In this conversation, Dissanayake mentions Margot Prior, Bruce Tonge, Lawrence Bartak, Ross Day, Stella Crosley, Marian Sigman, Beryl McKenzie and Olga Tennison — all notable names from Australia’s autism research community.

Studies Recruiting

Research Study: How do Autistic people manage their emotions?

May 18, 2023September 21, 2023

Many Autistic people seek help for managing emotions. While there has been some research on what works, we don’t know what autistic people think about the help they receive for their emotions. If you are an Autistic person (or you are a carer of an Autistic person) who has received help for managing emotion (e.g., meltdowns, feeling overwhelmed), we’d love to hear your thoughts on this important area.

News

Suicide Prevention in Autism report and policy brief

May 10, 2022August 2, 2023

On 9 December 2021, over 600 people attended the Australasian Society for Autism Research online conference Mental Wellbeing and Suicide Prevention in Autism. Following the conference, a select group of lived experience experts and researchers met to draw together content from the conference into the documents below.

News

‘Autism research chose me’: OTARC’s Deputy Director Prof. Alison…

April 29, 2021August 8, 2023

Professor Alison Lane (formerly of the University of Newcastle) has recently joined the staff of OTARC as Deputy Director. In this position she will be responsible for research leadership, early career mentoring, as well as progressing her own research program on sensory profiles with a focus on the infant and toddler years.

News

‘Being part of the final product’ – a student’s…

November 27, 2019August 9, 2023

Josh is a La Trobe University student who recently finished (2019) a placement at OTARC. Josh helped us with a peer-reviewed journal submission and will be a co-author on this article. The article investigates predictors of quality of life, including sleep, mental health and well-being, in Australian autistic adolescents and adults from the Study of Australian School Leavers with Autism (SASLA) and the Australian Longitudinal Study of Adults with Autism (ALSAA). Josh is autistic and has offered valuable insights and perspectives to our research team, which we share below.

Health and wellbeing

Mental Health of Autistic Adults

November 21, 2019August 9, 2023

Increasingly researchers are conducting studies looking at mental health among Autistic people. Recent findings have suggested that Autistic adults are more likely to experience several mental health conditions than non-autistic adults. Many Autistic self-advocates are speaking up about their experiences and encouraging researchers to do more work in this field.

Masking

Masking, Camouflaging & Compensating in Autism

November 21, 2019August 9, 2023

Camouflaging, masking, blending in, compensating, impression management; we all do this to an extent. Imagine you’re invited to a work dinner with your colleagues. You get ready, thinking about what’s appropriate to wear, what to bring, and some topics to bring up (and avoid) if there are lulls in conversation. In Autism, the stakes are higher, and the task is more difficult. When social skills do not come intuitively, getting through this event requires cognitive effort, concentration and learning, a bit like doing complex algebra on the fly.