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Our team’s vision is to reduce the burden of infectious diseases in children and their families through comprehensive approaches to understanding the burden of disease, developing and optimising diagnosis and treatment strategies and evaluating and informing current and future prevention programs.

Does gastrostomy improve the lives of children with severe disability and their families?

Approximately 13,000 children in Australia live with moderate to severe intellectual disability.

Down syndrome studies; the transition from secondary school to adulthood: Experiences and life outcomes for youth with an intellectual disability and their families

Helen Jenny Keely Leonard Downs Bebbington MBChB MPH BApplSci (physio) MSc PhD MClinPsych/PhD Principal Research Fellow Head, Child Disability

Exploring quality of life of children with cerebral palsy and intellectual disability: What are the important domains of life?

An estimated half of all children with cerebral palsy also have comorbid intellectual disability, the domains of QOL for these children are not well understood

Longitudinal bone mineral content and density in Rett syndrome and their contributing factors

Bone mass and density are low in females with Rett syndrome.

Towards evidence based care for Rett syndrome: a research model to inform management of rare disorders

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

Development and initial validation of the Communication Inventory Disability – Observer Reported (CID-OR): a measure of communication in CDKL5 deficiency disorder

CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by early onset seizures combined with complex healthcare needs and developmental impairment that influence functional domains including communication. Communication is a high priority domain for families but currently used measures demonstrate floor effects.

Quality of life beyond diagnosis in intellectual disability – Latent profiling

To compare quality of life (QOL) across diagnoses associated with intellectual disability, construct QOL profiles and evaluate membership by diagnostic group, function and comorbidities.

Modelling quality of life in children with intellectual disability using regression trees

To identify factors associated with quality of life (QoL) in children with intellectual disability. We aimed to identify patterns of association not observable in previous hypothesis-driven regression modelling using the same data set from a cross-sectional observational study.

Modifiable child and caregiver factors that influence community participation among children with Down syndrome

To investigate modifiable child and caregiver factors influencing community participation among children with Down syndrome.