Issue 15, March 2012

Inside this issue:

Donations Actively Fundraising

2

Director’s Report 3

News from the Margot Prior Wing

4

ESDM Seminar in 2012 News from the Margot Prior Wing News from the EDC

5

Questions Answered 6-7

BioAutism 2012 8

Autism Education Association IMFAR plans

9

World Autism Awareness Day

10

Tell ‘em all about it! 11

ASfAR 12

La Trobe’s Autism Approach goes global.

13

Visitors to our Centre Kristelle is studying High-risk siblings

14

Showing some g-love Publications In the Media

15

Where are they now? 16

Thank you to one of our volunteers The APEX Trust for Autism

17

Participants needed 18-21

Calendar of Events 22-23

For Your information 24

Another piece

We are very proud of our post doctoral fellow, Dr Josephine Barbaro, who has won the International Society for Autism Research Dissertation Award, which she will accept this year at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in Toronto (May 17-19). Dr Barbaro’s Social Attention and Communication Study has received much national and international attention, including media pieces in newspapers and on TV, but this is by far the most significant recognition of this important work by the preeminent research society for ASDs in the world. Two Dissertation Awards are granted each year, one for the best basic science-biological dissertation and one for the best clinical-behavioural dissertation in autism. These two awards involve a prize of $500 each, and reimbursement for travel, hotel, and registration costs for attending IMFAR. Josie was awarded the clinical-behavioural dissertation award.

Congratulations Josie!

Page 2 / Another Piece, March 2012

Donations To fund our research activities the OTARC relies on the support of private and corporate donors. Our thanks are extended to the individuals and organisations who have made donations to the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre. Donations can be made online or through mail and telephone. To access these options go to http://webpay.latrobe.edu.au/onestop/tranform.cgi?TRAN-NO=816 Remember to specify that your donation is for the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC). Please note that all donations to La Trobe University are tax deductible. If you need more information, please call (03) 9479 2497 or email otarc@latrobe.edu.au. We gratefully acknowledge recent donations by:

Beryl E. McKenzie

John & Fay Aitken

Tiffanie Lukey

Vicki & David Potter

Lucinda Balcombe Quick

Donate to

Autism

research

using Richies’

Community

Benefits card

You need to

enter Olga

Tennison

Autism

Research

Centre on the

form, with

the

CB number:

81629.

For your

nearest

Ritchies

Supermarket

or Liquor

store check

Ritchies

website at

www.ritchies.

com.au

Actively fundraising Please support The Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre by fundraising through events offered by EVERYDAY HERO. If you enjoy fun runs, triathlons, walks and other activities, this is a fun and easy way to help a good cause. You can find out more by going to the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre’s Everyday Hero Page to check out what events are currently being organised. You can form a group or participate as an individual. Support our research into Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Current fundraising activities include:

XOSIZE Tri Series 2011/2012

Channel Ten 1 Million Kilo Challenge

The Age Run Melbourne 2012

Suncorp Events

Or to set up your own charity event (it could be a birthday, a morning tea or anything you can imagine). Thank you for your support.

First meeting for 2012: Watch out world, here we come! The staff and students of the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre are bright and

keen to tackle the many projects currently underway at our centre with a host of new studies to commence this year.

Associate Professor Cheryl Dissanayake, PhD MAPS

Page 3 / Another Piece, March 2012

ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Chair— Prof Margot Prior, LTU, Melbourne University, and RCH

Associate Professor Cheryl Dissanayake, Centre Director, LTU

Professor Tim Brown, DVC Research, LTU

Professor Brian McGaw, Dean of Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering, LTU

Prof David Finlay, Chair University Human Ethics Committee, LTU

Mr Clifford Picton, LTU Ombudsman

Professor Robin Williams, Director of Alumni & Advancement, LTU

Professor Christine Bigby, School of Social Work, LTU

Dr Catherine Marraffa, Senior Paediatrician, RCH

Ms Lia Castorina, Team Leader - Autism Advisor Program, Autism Victoria

Ms Cherie Green, PhD candidate, LTU Student representative

Director’s Report

ith the new academic year upon us, our student numbers have grown (27), such that we now

total 45 staff/students/adjuncts within the Centre this year. Dr Elfriede Ihsen has returned permanently from Prato, Italy, and is with us again. And we also have a band of about 10 volunteers, some of them with an ASD, who work with us on various projects. I would like to acknowledge their contribution to the work we do.

Our labs have recently been updated with new state-of-the-art recording equipment so that these are now compatible with the digital systems installed at the Margot Prior Wing, bringing us fully into the digital age! The Clinical Manager of the Margot Prior Wing, Dr Zierhut, returned from her maternity leave in January but, sadly, will leave us in May to return to the MIND Institute. I would like to thank her for her vision and passion in overseeing the implementation of the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) in a group setting at our Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre, for promoting best practice with our team, and for supporting our research endeavours to further our understanding of treatment outcomes for children with an ASD. Dr Zierhut is presenting a workshop on the ESDM, prior to her departure, and I encourage our readers to attend (details P. 5).

W You will have read that Dr Josephine Barbaro has been awarded the International Society for Autism Research Dissertation Award, resulting in us having two winners of this award at the Centre. Dr Giacomo Vivanti, Research Fellow at the Margot Prior Wing and at the OTARC, received his Dissertation Award at the 2009 IMFAR meeting in Chicago. Seven OTARC staff/students will attend the IMFAR meeting this year in Toronto to see Josie accept her award.

I recently took part in an Autism Forum hosted by Channel Nine’s A Current Affair. It was reminiscent of the forum I took part in 2006 hosted by the SBS ‘Insight’ program. Despite the release of the Helping Children with Autism Package in the intervening years, it was disappointing that little seems to have changed for families, who continue to struggle with accessing critical and affordable early intervention services for their children. This is particularly unforgivable given findings, including our own, that early identification and intervention are predictive of developmental gains. Every child with an ASD deserves a diagnosis by age 2 years and access to a minimum of 15-20 hours of evidence-based early intervention each week to enhance their developmental opportunities, followed by appropriate school placements to secure a bright future. It is this that I wish for on World Autism Awareness Day (April 1-2 2012). Light it up Blue!

Page 4 / Another Piece, March 2012

More children

will be

diagnosed

with an ASD

this year than

AIDS,

diabetes and

paediatric

cancer

combined.—

Autism

Speaks, USA

I have been asked to write a short update on the Margot Prior Wing happenings and as I reflect on this academic year to date I can’t help but feel a general sense of optimism! I may feel optimistic because we have been preparing to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd with the Victorian autism community—we have little paper blue light bulbs decorating the halls that were colored by all the playrooms at the LTU Children’s Centre. It may be because we have already reached capacity for our 2nd Open Day scheduled for April 27th which shows continued interest in our program by parents and professionals in the community. It may be because we have talked to many families over the past few weeks as they have asked to be placed on our waitlist (Opened from 12/3 to 30/3) about our program and the possibility of mid-year openings. We have these openings because we are transitioning a few children into mainstream settings through our inclusion program, which is building expertise in supporting children to develop the skills they will need to be on their own and successful in mainstream environments.

News from the AUTISM SPECIFIC EARLY LEARNING AND CARE CENTRE-MARGOT PRIOR WING

It may be because last week, Dr. Giacomo Vivanti shared the preliminary data of the first year of the program and the results were extremely positive and demonstrate the promise of the Early Start Denver Model in a group setting! It may also be because we have already almost finished the first quarter of intervention and even the 11 new children that have just entered the program have shown amazing improvement. It may be because as I am conducting the ESDM parent coaching with returning and new families at the moment and I am humbled at the privilege of being a part of their daily struggles and the victories. Or maybe it is because the last thing I saw as I walked out the door today was a child with a beaming smile on his face as he said ‘good-bye’. One would think this meant he had a good day but that was not entirely the case and in fact he had a really difficult time getting to the car but together we ended the day on a positive note. His smile said to me, I did it! It was a hard day, but I am still smiling! So I am optimistic about the 2012 academic year for the Margot Prior Wing and Children’s Centre community. We’re off to a good start!

By Dr Cynthia Zierhut

An optimistic outlook

Page 5 / Another Piece, March 2012

Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)

One day introductory workshop with Dr Cynthia Zierhut 19 April 2012

at the La Trobe University City Campus $255 + GST per person (This workshop is aimed at professionals)

THE AUTISM SPECIFIC EARLY LEARNING AND CARE CENTRE-MARGOT PRIOR WING

OPEN DAY (Now fully Booked) The next Open Day on Friday, April 27 is now fully booked for parents or professionals interested in learning more about the ASELCC or the Early Start Denver Model, . For more information and to make a booking for a future Open Day please email Lindsay Pamment at l.pamment@latrobe.edu.au

The Early Diagnostic Clinic (EDC) has generated much interest since its opening in July 2011, with all bookings filled until the end of June 2012. We encourage primary care professionals seeking to make a referral to contact us via email (edc@latrobe.edu.au) to enquire about the status of the wait list. We are currently evaluating the EDC operation with an on-line questionnaire completed by families who have accessed our service.

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Continued on next page

The OTARC now has an operating Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) link on its website. It can be accessed through the ‘Ask a Researcher’ page.

Staff and students answer questions regarding research and other aspects of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

What’s the link between Autism and Fragile X syndrome?

Ask a Researcher

On 18 January the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne published a press release about the discovery of a new and simple blood test that “could revolutionize Fragile-X screening and diagnosis” in newborn babies. This was picked up by some of the mainstream media and some reported it as a new way to diagnose Autism. Unfortunately, this interpretation is not accurate.

Fragile-X Syndrome (FXS), the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability, is the result of a gene abnormality (expansion of a gene sequence, CCG). Dr Danuta Loesch, our colleague from the School of Psychological Science at La Trobe University and one of the study’s researchers, reports that FXS occurs relatively frequently in the general population (1/130 females and 1/180 males). Individuals with this gene abnormality frequently have symptoms of autism and are sometimes diagnosed as having an ASD as well as FXS (Clifford, Dissanayake, et al., 2007). However, the new test to detect FXS cannot be used for the diagnosis of Autism. Autism Spectrum Disorders are likely to be caused by large number of genetic abnormalities, most of which remain unidentified and therefore cannot, as yet, be tested for with a simple blood test.

Identification and diagnosis of ASDs are currently based on the observation of certain key behaviours such as reduced frequency of eye contact, shared emotional expression, orientation to name, joint attention and imitation, as well as difficulty learning social routines (clapping, waving, peek-a-boo), different ways of playing (especially pretend play), and in some children, unusual sensory behaviours (excessive mouthing, aversion to touch, odd body movements). These behaviours cannot be observed in newborn children and usually emerge very gradually, sometimes not until the child is 1 or even 2 years old. However, trained childhood professionals, such as Maternal and Child Health nurses and paediatricians can reliably detect these

Page 7/ Another Piece, March 2012

Continued from previous page

early behavioural signs of ASDs between 12-18 months by observing the child (as shown in our Social Attention and Communication Study (Barbaro & Dissanayake, 2010).

For diagnosis we rely on instruments such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), which involves observation and assessment of the child by a trained professional and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) which relies on parents reporting on their child’s behaviour to a trained diagnostician. These assessments take time to administer, are costly, and clinicians need specific training before they can use them. In addition, waiting lists in diagnostic centres are long, much to the frustration of many parents who need an answer and to the detriment of the children who miss out on early intervention when their disorder is not diagnosed early. Therefore many parents may have gained new hope by headlines such as “Breakthrough in diagnosis of autism” (The Age, January 19, p. 7) when the “breakthrough” was in reality for the diagnosis of Fragile-X Syndrome and not actually for autism. We regret this misinterpretation by some media outlets, realising that it might have caused first hope and then distress in some parents.

Please note that in another press release which was published a few days later, a study is reported in which one of our OTARC colleagues, Dr. Kristelle Hudry, has been a key investigator. The researchers found that 6- to 10-months-old babies who go on to develop autism show different brain responses when someone looks at them or away,

compared to what happens in the brains of babies who don’t develop autism. This study focused on autism, and was scientifically very carefully planned and rigorous. It is important to note, however, that this unusual pattern of brain activity was not found to be 100% accurate in pinpointing autism in the babies. Some babies showing this unusual brain response were not later diagnosed with autism, and some diagnosed babies did not show this early pattern. Dr Hudry and her colleagues are excited about their finding, but want to be clear that the method of using brain markers to predict autism in this way will need more refinement, and will probably be best used in combination with other factors, to form a predictor which is accurate enough for clinical diagnosis. To find out more.

References

Barbaro, J., & Dissanayake, C. (2010). Prospective identification of Autism Spectrum Disorders in infancy and toddlerhood using developmental surveillance: The Social Attention and Communication Study. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Paediatrics, 31, 376 –385.

Clifford, S., Dissanayake, C., Bui, Q.M., Huggins, R., Taylor, A.K., & Loesch, D.Z. (2007) Autism spectrum phenotype in males and females with Fragile X full mutation and premutation. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 738-747.

Elsabbagh, M., Mercure, E., Hudry, K., et al. (2012). Infant neural sensitivity to dynamic eye gaze is associated with later emerging autism. Current Biology.

Page 8 / Another Piece, March 2012

Conference papers

BioAutism 2012 brought together researchers seeking to obtain a better understanding of the biology of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). This was Australia’s second symposium specifically dealing with the neural and biological bases of ASDs, and was held in the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) on January 27. The conference was opened by Professor Perry Bartlett, the Director of QBI. BioAutism 2012 was organised as a satellite conference of the Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS) by Dr Naomi Bishop (La Trobe University; OTARC), Dr Randal Moldrich (Queensland University; QBI), Dr Elisa Hill (Melbourne University), and Dennis Crowley.The key speakers were Drs Honey Heussler (QBI) (Mater Medical Research Institute), Charles Claudianos (QBI), Natasha Brown (Melbourne Uni), Peter Enticott (Monash Uni), Jon Brock (Macquarie Uni), Elisa Hill (Melbourne Uni) and Professor David Reutens (Centre for Advanced Imaging, Queensland). Other speakers included Dr Robyn Cosford (Newcastle), Dr Adam Guastella (Brain Mapping Research Institute, Sydney), Tom Perkins (Deakin Uni) and Steven Kloprogge (Murdoch Children’s Research Institute). A number of excellent posters were submitted relating to clinical aspects of autism, the role of antioxidants, paternal age, mouse models, genetics, and pharmaceutical treatments.

Two speakers were from OTARC: Dr Giacomo Vivanti and Dr Naomi Bishop (La Trobe). Giacomo spoke on the “Neurocognitive underpinnings of learning difficulties in autism”, while Naomi’s topic was “An expanding gene family implicated in autism spectrum disorder”.

BioAutism 2012 Conference

Two posters were also presented on research from students in Naomi’s laboratory: “A candidate autism risk gene on chromosome 18 position 18q22.3” and “Investigating the role of two novel DIA1-family genes”.

The symposium covered a wide range of endeavour, including aetiology, cognition, molecular mechanisms, and experimental therapies. Sessions were chaired by Prof Ingrid Scheffer (Melbourne), Dr Randal Moldrich (QBI), Dr Charles Claudianos (QBI), and Dr Elisa Hill (Melbourne).

Approximately 100 people attended, about half were academics, and the remainder students or interested members of the public. The organisers were very grateful for the sponsorship provided by QBI, BioTools, Millennium Science, and Autism Victoria, trading as AMAZE.

Further reading:

http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au/BioAutism-2012

http://

crackingtheenigma.blogspot.com.au/

BioAutism 2012: Organizers, Chairs and Speakers (missing from photo: Drs Giacomo Vivanti and Robyn Cosgrove).

Page 9 / Another Piece, March 2012

International Meeting for Autism Research, May 2012, Toronto

Assoc Prof Amanda Richdale is part of a Scientific Panel whose submission "Lullaby and Good Night or Tomorrow's Gonna Be A Tough Day: Research Predictions for the Influence of Disturbed Sleep and What We Can Do" has been accepted for presentation. Speakers are Dr. Kimberly Schreck and one of her graduate students (Pennsylvania State University), Prof. Beth Malow (Vanderbilt University) and Assoc. Prof Amanda Richdale (OTARC, La Trobe University).

Seven OTARC staff and students will be presenting their work at IMFAR.

An initiative to establish an Autism Education

Dr. Elfriede Ihsen is representing OTARC in an initiative to establish an Autism Education Association. This initiative is ‘the brainchild’ of Heather Kirkhope, Subschool Leader, Northern School for Autism. An initial meeting was held on January 24 chaired by Professor Margot Prior and attended by professionals from a range of affiliations, including Autism Victoria (AMAZE), DEECD, Catholic Education, Autism Teaching Institute, OTARC and various education facilities, both autism-specific and mainstream. At this meeting Heather Kirkhope presented her original vision for an Autism Education Association. This was followed by a discussion of the need for, format and target group(s) of such an organisation, as well as a potential management and administration structure. There was general agreement of the group that there is a need for a professional association to support teachers in their efforts to teach an increasing number of students with an ASD, especially teachers in mainstream schools. It was also agreed that there is a lot of expertise and experience amongst educators and the other organisations, which other teachers could benefit from.

The decision of the group was to form a Steering Committee to work further on the vision, purpose, guiding principles and management structure for the Association and to report back to the whole group at a future date. The steering committee has met regularly since and has decided on an initial Mission and Vision Statement:

“The Autism Education Association is to be a

professional association promoting evidence-based

practice in educating students with ASD with an emphasis on

theory to practice. Its purpose is to be a forum to share ‘best

practice’ and enhance communication between

educators, consultants and all networks, organisations and

services supporting the education of students with ASD

across Australia.”

We will keep you informed about any future developments of this initiative.

Association

Page 10 / Another Piece, March 2012

Page 11 / Another Piece, March 2012

Tell them all

about it!

Monday December 19, 2011

Dr. Elfriede Ihsen gave a talk to academics and practitioners at the Scientific Institute Stella Maris, University of Pisa, in Calambrone, (Pisa, Italy). They were particularly interested in hearing about services for children and adults with an ASD in Australia and the OTARC’s work on early identification of ASDs in infants and toddlers (the SACS). Many of the attendees are involved in an early detection project funded by the Tuscan Government, in which paediatricians are paid to assess children using parts of the MCHAT. Unfortunately, there are no data yet on the effectiveness of this project. Elfriede also talked about the Early Diagnostic Clinic and the Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre associated with the OTARC.

Tuesday January 31, 2012

Assoc Prof Amanda Richdale conducted a Professional Development session on ‘Sleep in autism spectrum disorders’ for staff at Irabina Childhood Autism Services.

November 24, 2011

The Robert Menzies Scholar, Dr Josephine Barbaro attended the 21st Menzies Memorial Scholars Association Annual Meeting and Presentations

Dr Barbaro, (AHS 2006) spoke about her work on the Social Attention and Communication Study (SACS) with the aim of prospectively identifying ASDs in infancy. She explained the symptoms and impact autism has, and the high prevalence of autism in the community, highlighting the importance of early detection of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) .

Maternal and Child Health nurses were trained to monitor the risk of ASD during routine health checks. The nurses monitored over 20,000 children for behaviours such as eye contact and sharing experiences, which differentiated infants with and without an ASD before the age of 2 years. Eighty-one percent of children identified as at risk and referred for further assessment had an ASD. The developmental surveillance used in the SACS is now being adapted for use in other countries.

ESDM anywhere http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=362781400420327&set=vb.110901298924697&type=2&theater

Informing

community

based

professionals

about autism is

an important

part of our role

in helping

promote

awareness of

Autism Spectrum

Disorders,

particularly the

benefits of early

detection and

diagnosis.

Page 12 / Another Piece, March 2012

The Australasian Society for Autism Research (ASfAR) is a member based organization devoted to advancing knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorders through research and scholarship.

ASfAR membership is open to individuals engaged in academic and research activities (full members), graduate students and post doctoral researchers (student members) and others (affiliate members) who are involved in the study and service of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Organizations involved in providing services for people with ASDs may become organizational members.

In order to qualify for membership of ASfAR, fees must be paid annually and an initial membership application must be submitted to the ASfAR Interim Committee (until the Executive Committee is formed). All applications will be reviewed by the Committee.

Full member ($100 annually)

Affiliate member ($70)

Student member ($40)

Organizational member ($200)

International member ($100)

Membership fees will support a biennial national research meeting (to be held in the alternate years to APAC), an ASfAR website, and production and distribution of a half yearly Newsletter, administration of subscriptions, membership etc

For more information email: ASfAR@latrobe.edu.au

The Interim Committee of the ASfAR have begun to plan the inaugural biennial conference in Sydney later

this year (date to be decided on). Macquarie University has kindly agreed to fund a keynote speaker for this

meeting, which will be free for all ASfAR members. An election for an Executive Committee will also be held

prior to the conference.

Page 13 / Another Piece, March 2012

Visitors to

our Centre

Dr Joanna Kwasiborska, a Polish academic speech pathologist from the Warsaw Academy of Special Education and a clinician from Therapy Centre Adesse in Poland, has been trained in the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) at La Trobe University’s Margot Prior Wing—The Victorian Autism Specific Early Learning & Care Centre (ASELCC).

The ESDM is a comprehensive behavioural early intervention approach for children with autism aged 12 to 48 months. The ASELCC provides early learning programmes and specific support to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Located at La Trobe University, it works closely with the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC), which was established to advance knowledge of the nature and causes of ASD.

‘I first heard about ESDM three years ago during my initial meeting with La Trobe autism researcher and OTARC Director, Dr Cheryl Dissanayake. The method was described as very effective and data based.

‘Thanks to the training course on social attention and communication that Dr Dissanayake ran in May 2011 in Warsaw for me and my team, therapists of Adesse are now able to detect early symptoms of ASD in children as young as 8 months. This creates a need for a therapy method dedicated to such a small children,’ says Dr Kwasiborska.

‘I strongly believe that thanks to this early intervention we will be able to help children with ASD in Warsaw to achieve better outcomes in terms of IQ, language, behavioural skills, and general quality of their lives’, Dr Kwasiborska says.

La Trobe’s Autism approach goes global La Trobe University News release 23 Feb 2012

Apart from implementing ESDM in Poland Dr Kwasiborska is also working on standardizing Autism diagnostic tools in her home country.

‘One of the biggest differences between the way ASD is treated in Poland and here in Australia is the way that diagnoses are made. There are numerous therapy centres in Poland where diagnosis of ASD can be made, but there are no standardized diagnostic tools available, so each of those centres uses their own, internal tools based on criteria of International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.

‘I also collaborate with my colleague Izabela Chojnicka of the Warsaw Medical University within a grant dedicated to Polish adaptations of ADOS and ADI-R which are the current instruments for assessing and diagnosing autism and pervasive developmental disorder.

‘The implementation of ASD screening tools, standardized diagnostic tools, and early intervention method that I am trying to achieve in Poland is immensely important for Polish children with ASD. This is all possible thanks to people like Dr Cheryl Dissanayake, Dr Cynthia Zierhut, and other specialists working at OTARC and ASELCC. I can only hope for an autism research centre of that significance to be created in Poland in the future,’ Dr Kwasiborska says.

Page 14/ Another Piece, March 2012

For up-to-the-

minute postings of

the latest news

from our centre

and general news

about advances in

research into ASD.

Find, follow and friend us!

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Dr Hudry specialises in ASD in infants and toddlers. She is particularly interested in their language and communication development, and in patterns of interaction between parents and their young children.

Dr Hudry returned to Australia recently after five years in London, working in this area of research. She maintains close research links with Britain’s Preschool Autism Communication Trial team, who published the results of a landmark early intervention trial in 2010, and with the British Autism Study of Infant Siblings team.

Dr Hudry is now undertaking a similar study in Australia with Dr Jordy Kaufman and Assoc Prof Cheryl Dissanayake, looking at the early development of infants at high-risk for autism, based on having an older sibling with a diagnosis. The project is a collaboration between La Trobe’s Olga Tennison Centre and the Swinburne University Babylab.

Dr Hudry at the Autism Specific Early Learning Centre at La Trobe University. Picture by Tess Flynn.

Kristelle is studying high-risk siblings Dr Sander Begeer is visiting the

OTARC on an Endeavour award and presenting a talk at the OTARC entitled ‘Assessment and treatment of empathy in autism’.

Dr. Sander Begeer, is an Assistant Professor in Developmental Psychology at University Amsterdam. He has worked as a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam and a research assistant at Sussex University, Brighton, UK. Theoretical questions regarding the philosophy of mind paved the way for his subsequent empirical work on children. His interest in the development of Theory of Mind, or empathic skills, resulted in a PhD on the social skills of children with autism, entitled ‘Social and emotional skills and understanding of children with autism spectrum disorders’ in 2005. He recently obtained grants for large scale investigations of social emotional development and treatment in autism. He also coordinates various courses on the development and assessment of normal and pathological social emotional functioning.

Visitors to

our Centre

Dr Sander Begeer and Assoc Prof Cheryl Dissanayake

Page 15/ Another Piece, March 2012

In the Media

January 14, 2012— The Weekend Australian—Assoc Prof Cheryl Dissanayake was interviewed for an article entitled ‘Kids with autism need cash injection’,

January 27, 2012 —The British Autism Study of Infant Siblings (BASIS) received wide media coverage in January, as did Dr Hudry who is part of this team. (See Pages 6-7)

Saturday Feb, 18, 2012—SBS Radio – Dr Giacomo Vivanti spoke about Asperger’s syndrome for Asperger’s International Day (in Italian).

Monday 19 March—Channel 9, A Current Affair—Assoc Prof Cheryl Dissanayake took part in an Autism Forum

Publications

Schreck, K. A. & Richdale, A. L. (2011), Knowledge of childhood sleep: a possible variable in under or misdiagnosis of childhood sleep problems. Journal of Sleep Research, 20: 589–597.

Auert, E., Trembath, D., Arciuli, J., & Thomas, D. (in press, 2012) Parents' expectations, awareness, and experiences of accessing evidence-based speech-language pathology services for their children with Autism. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.

Elsabbagh, M., Mercure, E., Hudry, K., Chandler, S., Pasco, G., Charman, T., Pickles, A., Baron-Cohen, S., Bolton, P., Johnson, M. H., & the BASIS Team (2012). Infant neural sensitivity to dynamic eye gaze is associated with later emerging autism. Current Biology.

Barbaro, J. & Dissanayake, C., (in press, 2012) Developmental profiles of infants and toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorders identified prospectively in a community-based setting. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Vivanti, G., Manzi, B., Curatolo, P. (2011) An Italian prospective study of children with Autism spectrum disorders: can early treatment change the outcome? Autism Open Access - 1:102.

Showing some (g)love for a child on the spectrum!

Dr Naomi Bishop (OTARC and the Microbiology Department, La Trobe University) teamed up with staff from the UHB hair salon on campus to supplement the glove collection for a boy with Asperger syndrome. He used these latex and vinyl gloves as part of a Show and Tell presentation for his Prep class, due to his special interest in gloves. Feedback from the teacher highlighted the great success of the child’s presentation on this much (g)loved topic. The children were very interested in the presentation, and enjoyed adding comments about their own experiences with gloves. Fantastic effort! Naomi was very proud to have played a small part in this successful Show and Tell event.

Page 16/ Another Piece, March 2012

March 2012 is a very exciting time for me. I will officially graduate from La Trobe and have begun an exciting new job as a Speech Pathologist in an Early Intervention Centre. To get to this point, I completed my honours project late last year, investigating the effects of the Structured Use of Music and Movement on language skills for three preschool children with ASD. Although measurement of expressive language behaviours did not suggest significant change, anecdotal parent reports were that the children’s communication abilities improved and music and movement was useful in overcoming attention difficulties to engage children in therapy. Of course I had lots of fun working with the children and their parents; singing, dancing and talking!

My honours project would not have been possible without the support of Dr David Trembath and the team at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre. Through attending meetings and seminars with the OTARC team, I learned about a range of research projects investigating many aspects of ASD, from communication and social aspects, to growth and brain development.

I have always wanted to work with children, but the final year of my degree inspired me to work with young children with ASD and other complex needs, and to work within a multidisciplinary team to share the knowledge and skills of various professional disciplines to best meet the needs of our clients. To this end, I recently began working with the many lovely children and their families who attend Kalparrin Early Intervention Centre. I’ve enjoyed the first 2 weeks of my new job, and I’m looking forward to working closely with the families to support them to achieve their long term goals, and help the children to continue learning and achieve their full potential.

Michelle Smith

Where are they now?

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The Apex Trust for Autism is the only ASD-specific research fund available to Australian researchers. This fund was set up many years ago and there have also been recent downturns in investment returns so the amount available to researchers each year is now very small (about $5,000) in relation to modern research costs. The fund is managed by the Apex Foundation which has restructured recently to enable donations to be made to all of its trust funds. If you would like to donate to the Apex Trust for Autism you can do so by using the form below.

What would we do without them? OTARC would like to acknowledge Kenzo Low’s volunteering contribution to the study titled ‘Parents as Partners in Evidence Based Speech Pathology Practice’ a joint project funded by Speech Pathology Australia and conducted in collaboration with Dr Joanne Arciuli, Discipline of Speech Pathology, University of Sydney and Teena Caithness, Speech Pathologist and Lecturer, Human Communication Sciences, La Trobe University. Kenzo volunteered 15 hours of his time to complete detailed transcriptions of audio recordings.

ASDs affect

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male. - Autism

Speaks, USA

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Phone: 61 3 9479 2497

Fax: 61 3 9479 1956

Email: otarc@latrobe.edu.au

Web: www.latrobe.edu.au/otarc

WHERE TO FIND US

The Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre is situated in a purpose-built child-friendly research facility in the School of Psychological Science (George Singer Building). Bundoora Campus La Trobe University

Participants are needed for our research projects. If you, or a family member, wishes to participate in research please email the Centre at otarc@latrobe.edu.au or phone 9479 2497. Many research projects need typically developing children as well as children with an Autism Spectrum

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Does your child have

Autism Spectrum Disorder

and/or Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder? Is your child aged 7 to 12 years?

Are you and your child interested in participating in a research study?

Telephone: (03) 9479 2151.

Email: cl2forsyth@students.latrobe.edu.au

As a thank you for participating, you and your family will go into a draw to win a family movie pass valued at $60.

As part of my postgraduate psychology degree, I am investigating social attention abilities in children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and / or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. If you are interested in participating, please contact Claire Forsyth at the La Trobe University Child Development

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March

29 & 30 Understanding and Supporting Children and Adults on the Autism Spectrum Julie Beadle-Brown, MA, PhD, CPsychology. Institute of Advanced Study, La Trobe University, Bundoora Enquiries to Christine

Bigby c.bigby@latrobe.edu.au

April

2 World Autism Awareness Day – Autism Victoria Event

Meeting at the Arts Centre, St Kilda Road: leave at 2pm, walking along South Bank, via the first foot bridge, the north river bank, Flinders Street Station and Fed Square, arriving in Birrarung Marr for the release of balloons after a short presentation, followed by entertainment in Fed Square, who are “lighting it up blue” for Autism Awareness on Saturday and Sunday nights.

More information: www.amaze.org.au/waad or 1300 308 699

2012 Calendar of Events

April

16 Maximising Rebates for Allied Health Therapies – enquiries Kirsty Kerr info@outsidethesquarepsychology.com.au

19 Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)

ACER One day introductory workshop with Dr Cynthia Zierhut at La Trobe University City Campus

19 KWIZ for the KIDZ – Learning for Life Fundraiser (contact for

April

2-4

Irabina Siblings Support Camp 2012 Please contact Sarah or Aggie if you have any enquiries about the structure of the camp, or if you would like any information regarding the sibling’s program. More info: Sarah (sarahi@irabina.com) or Aggie (aggiec@irabina.com) or contact reception on 9720 1118.

15 April School Holiday sensory friendly movie screening

9.45am for a 10am start

Village Cinemas Century City Walk 285 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley $12 per ticket (child or adult) Seats are limited so book your tickets to avoid disappointment. To book call 9720 1118 or email reception@irabina.com

23&27 ADOS Training Course with Dr K Hudry in Brisbane—enquiries k.hudry@latrobe.edu.au

27 Open Day at Margot Prior Wing - For more information and bookings email Lindsay Pamment at l.pamment@latrobe.edu.au

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April

28 ABIA TODAY – Inaugural Forum

Effective, Evidenced and Evolved

9:00am—4:30pm Melbourne University (Hawthorn Campus), 442 Auburn Road, Hawthorn (Melways 59E2)

Focussing on contemporary models of ABA in the education and treatment of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, this forum offers a range of exceptional learning opportunities for parents and professionals.

A first for Australia and a first for Victorian families, our forum will showcase the evidenced-based practices and guiding principles of ABA. Guest speakers include Dr John McEachin (renowned author and Founding Director of Autism Partnership), Dr Cynthia Zierhut (The Margot prior Wing, La Trobe University), and Professor Margot Prior (academic, clinician, and researcher with over three decades’ early childhood development experience).

Bookings are limited so register early to avoid disappointment. For more information or to download a registration form visit

www.abia.net.au/forum.

Forum purpose •An opportunity to understand the evidence-based practices of ABA in the education and treatment of children with an ASD •An opportunity for parents and professionals to receive accurate information about the application of behavioural techniques to children with autism •An avenue for professionals working in the ABA field to discuss their specific evidence-based programs, strategies, or research relating to children with Autism •A forum for professional dialogue, enhancing opportunities for peer review and promoting 'best practice' in Austism Spectrum Disorder interventions •A learning and networking opportunity for parents and professionals

May

4 Toilet Training for Children with Additional Needs – enquiries Kirsty Kerr info@outsidethesquarepsychology.com.au

17-19

International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in Toronto Canda. (See Page 9)

June

4 Autism Spectrum Disorder & Eating Difficulties – enquiries Kirsty Kerr info@outsidethesquarepsychology.com.au

4 & 5

Prof Rita Jordan – 2-day workshop – Autism & Learning: Translating Theory into Practice. The Centre Ivanhoe, Victoria. More info: office@compassaustralia.com.au

July

9 & 16 Autism Evaluations: Best Practice Methods and the DSM V Presented by special overseas guest: Marilyn J. Monteiro, Ph.D. La Trobe University, Room 104, Franklin St Campus, Melbourne Click here for bookings

25 Teaching Social Skills to Primary School Children with Additional Needs – enquiries Kirsty Kerr info@outsidethesquarepsychology.com.au

August

9 – 11

Early Childhood Intervention Australia 10th Biennial National Conference & 1st Asia-Pacific Early Intervention Conference ‘Pathways to Participation’ – Burswood Entertainment Complex, Perth WA

22 Talking to the Child about their Autism Spectrum Diagnosis – enquiries Kirsty Kerr info@outsidethesquarepsychology.com.au

September

19 Puberty and Autism Spectrum Disorder – enquiries Kirsty Kerr info@outsidethesquarepsychology.com.au

October

18 Keeping Safe In the Playground: Bullying & Children with Additional Needs – enquiries Kirsty Kerr info@outsidethesquarepsychology.com.au

25&26 1st Biennial Australian Implementation Conference "Making Change Happen" Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre focusing on the effective implementation of initiatives in the health, education and human services sectors. Visit the conference website www.ausimplementationconference.net.au for more details

November

14 Toilet Training for Children with Additional Needs – enquiries Kirsty Kerr info@outsidethesquarepsychology.com.au

2012 Calendar of Events continued

Page 23 contains events, requests and opportunities from organisations other than The Olga Tennison Research Centre.

We publish these items as a service to our readers.

To find out more about any item on these pages please go directly to the organisation that posted the notice.

For your information

To Primary Carers of males with Autism and an intellectual disability (defined as Low

Functioning Autism or LFA) Curtin University is pleased and excited to collaborate with the world renowned concert pianist Mr David Helfgott on an approved study that investigates the potential of Receptive Music Therapy (music listening) to reduce challenging behaviours for males with LFA!

If you are the primary carer for a male with LFA you are invited to participate in Study 1! David Helfgott has used his exceptional talents to select and provide the first 2 minutes of 6 solo piano performances for you to listen, assess then rate ... requiring no more than 15 minutes of your time!

Your musical ratings (along with those from other primary carers) will be statistically analysed to identify one piece of music that will be applied in 2 further studies. As you may imagine, this research has the potential to benefit children with Autism, families, schools and therapists.

Participation is as easy as clicking the links at Steps 1,2,3:

Step 1: check that your computer is running the latest version of Adobe Flash Player! For the latest free version click the link http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

Step 2: click the link http://davidhelfgott.com/news/ opening the story

"David provides piano performances for LFA study" | February 06 2012

Step 3: click the link https://curtin.asia.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_295lfBwPfPxiJo0 and complete the survey!

Please forward this email to anyone who may be interested in participating in this survey. If you have any questions please contact Jeremy Marriott on (M) 0412 320 762 or Email: jeremy.k.marriott@postgrad.curtin.edu.au

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