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Research

Playgroups

The importance of play for a child’s development is irrefutable. Playgroups provide a safe environment for children of similar ages to play and develop prior to starting school.

News & Events

Cyberbullying work finds international audience

Schools from around the globe have turned to The Kids Research Institute Australia, seeking access to invaluable lessons learned from Australian students on how to effectively reduce harm from cyberbullying.

News & Events

Family dogs help kids move and sleep more: new study

Researchers exploring the potential health benefits of pets have found children who regularly walk and play with a family dog are more active, have less screen time, and sleep more.

Research

Working towards a shared framework in the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders in Australia: A Gap Analysis

Amy Andrew Carol Jacinta Videos Finlay-Jones Whitehouse Watch and listen to Andrew Bower Freeman BPsych(Hons), MPsych(Clinical), MHealthEcon, PhD (

Research

Caregiver broader autism phenotype does not moderate the effect of early caregiver-mediated support on infant language outcomes

Caregiver-mediated supports in general have shown mixed evidence for enhancing language outcomes in infants at higher likelihood of autism. While caregivers play a substantial role in caregiver-mediated supports, little is known about whether caregivers' own subclinical autistic features - known as broader autism phenotype - may moderate infant language outcomes.

Research

Co-occurring Neurodevelopmental Conditions in Children: Advocating for Transdiagnostic Approach to Assessments

Approximately 8% of all children experience developmental and mental health conditions. Similarities in characteristics across neurodevelopmental conditions-such as difficulties in communication and language, social interaction, motor coordination, attention, activity regulation, behavior, mood, and sleep-make it challenging to attribute these characteristics exclusively to specific diagnoses and assessments. The purpose of this study was to identify symptomatic domains across neurodevelopmental conditions in children and to explore dimension reduction for transdiagnostic assessment.

Research

Characterizing the Nature of Alexithymia in Autistic Adults: Validation of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire

Alexithymia—a trait characterized by difficulties in emotion processing—is of high interest in the autism field. However, the lack of validated alexithymia measures for autistic individuals limits progress. This study aimed to address this gap by examining the psychometric properties of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) across autistic and non-autistic samples. Using the PAQ, we investigated how alexithymia manifests in autistic individuals and its links with poor mental health outcomes (anxiety).

News & Events

Discovery Centre makes science fun

Budding young scientists can now gain an insight into the world of research thanks to The Kids Research Institute Australia’s newly opened Discovery Centre.

FAQs

Get some key information about some of the most popular questions that people are asking about the Discovery Centre.

News & Events

School excursions at The Kids Research Institute Australia

The The Kids Discovery Centre schools pilot program is returning in 2021!