Posted inAcademic Autism perspectives
Dr Melissa Gilbert, researcher
Dr Melissa Gilbert is a researcher at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre whose work is helping to shift long-standing assumptions about autism and gender.
Posted inIdentification and diagnosis News
What is AuDHD? 5 important things to know when someone has both autism and ADHD
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Making waves in autism awareness: A review of The Stimming Pool
The Stimming Pool is a revolutionary film merging documentary and fiction, co-directed by UK-based Autistic artists. This article is a review of the film from a sensory-friendly screening session at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2024.
Posted inIdentification and diagnosis
How to talk to your child about their autism diagnosis – the earlier the better
Associate Proffessor Josephine Barabro has some tips on how to talk about diagnosis
Suicide Prevention in Autism report and policy brief
Following a 2021 conference, a select group of lived experience experts and researchers met to draw together content from the conference into a final report and policy brief.
Posted inAutism and gender News
Autism in Girls and Women
Autism in girls and women often presents differently than in males, with many girls masking their symptoms, leading to underdiagnosis and a need for more nuanced assessment approaches to uncover their unique experiences and support needs.
Posted inNews
Early Signs of Autism
Interview with Dr Josephine Barbaro on ABC Radio National’s Life Matters program.
Wellbeing in mothers after their child’s recent autism diagnosis
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.
Autism in Girls
Studies at OTARC and elsewhere have shown that infants and toddlers show early signs of Autism, which can be observed from the first year of life. These are first characterized by a lack of attention to social stimuli, and usually progress into clearer Autism symptoms throughout toddlerhood and the preschool years (Clifford & Dissanayake, 2008). Similarly, studies investigating the early development of restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRBs) in Autistic children have highlighted that certain RRBs are present in toddlerhood, with others becoming more evident over time (Leekam et al., 2011). These early signs are now used for the early identification of Autism in infants and toddlers.
Posted inFamily wellbeing SACS
Early identification of Autism: Why it’s important and why we need to have this conversation with parents
The Social Attention and Communication Study (SACS) has been pivotal in early autism identification since 2005. By recognising developmental differences in children as young as two, the program helps families access crucial services earlier, improving outcomes for both children and parents.