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Establishing a national platform for the provision of evidence based practice in Prader-Willi syndrome

Helen Jenny Leonard Downs MBChB MPH BApplSci (physio) MSc PhD Principal Research Fellow Head, Child Disability +61 419 956 946 08 6319 1763

Monitoring child abuse and neglect at a population level: patterns of hospital admissions for maltreatment and assault

To investigate the prevalence, trends, and characteristics of maltreatment and assault related hospital admissions and deaths among children;

Low-moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and risk to child behavioural development: a prospective cohort study

To examine the association of fetal alcohol exposure during pregnancy with child and adolescent behavioural development.

Characteristics of non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal children and families with substantiated child maltreatment

To investigate specific child and parental factors associated with increased vulnerability to substantiated child maltreatment.

Linking MECP2 and pain sensitivity: the example of Rett syndrome

This study investigated the nature and prevalence of atypical pain responses in Rett syndrome and their relationships with specific MECP2 mutations.

Stereotypical hand movements in 144 subjects with Rett syndrome from the population-based Australian database

Stereotypic hand movements are a feature of Rett Syndrome but few studies have observed their nature systematically.

Multi-site validation of a suite of clinical outcome measures for clinical trial readiness in the CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder

Helen Jenny Peter Leonard Downs Jacoby MBChB MPH BApplSci (physio) MSc PhD BA (Hons) MSc Principal Research Fellow Head, Child Disability

Functional skills in MECP2 duplication syndrome: developmental dynamics and regression

MECP2 duplication syndrome (MDS) is an ultrarare, X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder that is poorly understood in terms of its natural history and phenotypic variability. There is limited information on how individuals with MDS acquire, retain or lose fundamental functional skills (gross motor, purposeful hand function and communication) - that of which this study aimed to better characterise in the largest case series to date.

Healthcare SAVVI: Exploring health literacy and parents' experiences in supporting the health of children with intellectual disability

Research on the health literacy of parents with children with intellectual disability is limited. Understanding parents' healthcare skills and needs is essential for improving children's health and developing effective support. In this study we aimed to (1) explore the health literacy skills of parents that enabled them to support the health needs of their child with intellectual disability and the factors influencing these skills, and (2) identify opportunities to support parent health literacy.

Measuring the Burden of Epilepsy Hospitalizations in CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder

Information on the hospital service use among individuals with CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder, an ultrarare developmental epileptic encephalopathy, is limited, evidence of which could assist with service planning. Therefore, using baseline and longitudinal data on 379 genetically verified individuals in the International CDKL5 Disorder Database, we aimed to investigate rates of seizure-related and other hospitalizations and associated length of stay in this cohort.