Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre
Research projects
Researchers at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre focus on both basic and applied research into the causes, nature and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders, as well as how to apply this knowledge to effective strategies for intervention. A current emphasis within the Centre is on the early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorders in infancy, and the use of these in the early identification of Autism Spectrum Disorders within community-based services.
The training of both La Trobe University students and community service providers, in the form of continuing education programs, is an important focus of OTARC. The overall aim is to build research capacity and to disseminate research findings into the community to foster evidence-based practice in understanding and treating Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Current Research Projects
The research undertaken within the Centre fall within three broad areas of Infancy, Biological Markers, and Social-Cognitive Development.
Infancy
1. Identification of early markers of Autism in infancy
This research program focuses on the identification of early markers of Autism Spectrum Disorders in infancy. The overall objective is to promote the early recognition of Autism Spectrum Disorders so that these children may begin participation in appropriate interventions at younger ages. We have charted the early development of children who received a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder retrospectivly, via Maternal and Child Health (M&CH) records and infant home videos. One focus in this program is to investigate the early development of joint attention abilities in Autism Spectrum Disorder. For example, Sally Clifford, a former Ph.D student (now a post doctoral fellow at University College London) studied the extent to which joint attention in infancy predicts social cognitive functioning in preschool children with Autism.
2. Social Attention and Communication Study
Together with another Ph.D student, Josephine Barbaro (a Robert Menzies Scholar), we are currently undertaking a large prospective study to identify infants at risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders via their routine M&CH assessments. The aim in the Social Attention and Communication Study (SACS) is to determine whether a set of behaviours, previously shown to differentiate infants with and without an Autism Spectrum Disorder, can be used by community-based health professionals to prospectively identify infants who will receive a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. This aim is achieved by training M&CH nurses to monitor infants' development in key areas during four routine consultations at M&CH centres over the first two years of life. At-risk infants are referred to OTARC for further assessment and diagnosis. To date we have found that approximately 80% of the infants referred to OTARC are meeting the criteria for an Autism Spectrum Disorder at 2 years. In addition to facilitating early identification and diagnosis, the study will also provide valuable information on the very early development of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The SACS is funded by a Telstra Community Development Grant.
3. Prospective Identification of Autism in Infancy: A Follow-up Study
This follow-up study of the SACS samples aims to validate the early diagnosis of the toddlers who met the criteria for an Autism Spectrum Disorder at 2 years. All referred children will be re-assessed between 3- and 4-years to determine the validity and stability of their diagnosis, and of the early markers of autistic behaviour identified by the M&CH nurses. A further objective in this study is to identify early behavioural and cognitive predictors of developmental gains, as well as the impact of early intervention on very early development. The follow-up study will also enable us to assess the accessibility, suitability and efficacy of early intervention services, as well as identifying possible gaps in service provision. These data will inform the development of policy regarding early identification and diagnosis, early intervention, referral pathways and service provision for families with very young children with Autism. The follow-up study is funded by the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust.
Biological Markers
1. Growth in children with Autism
The most consistent biological marker in Autism is abnormal brain growth in early life, associated with enlarged head circumferences across all age groups. Together with Dr. Danuta Loesch, and a new PhD student from the M.I.N.D. Institute (Cherie Green), we aim to establish whether growth anomaly in autism is specific to the brain, or also involves general body growth. In our preliminary study we found increased growth in stature in children with high functioning Autism in the first three years of life, and our recent pilot data from older children (6+ years) and adults have confirmed this increased stature. We now hope to undertake a study with mixed-longitudinal design to confirm the hypothesis of general growth dysregulation in Autism in boys aged from 4- to 16-years. We will also explore possible endocrine causes of growth dysregulation in autism.
2. Comorbidity of Autism and Fragile X syndrome
Autism may occur without any discernible cause (idiopathic Autism), or may be associated with a known genetic disorder. One such disorder is Fragile X Syndrome, a common form of intellectual disability, caused by large expansions of a trinucleotide repeat in the X-linked FMR1 (fragile X mental retardation 1) gene. Together with Dr Loesch we aim to establish phenotypic links between Fragile X Syndrome and Autism by comparing behavioural and cognitive profiles between individuals with idiopathic Autism and Autism associated with Fragile X Syndrome. Such comparisons cast light on the biological mechanisms involved in the origin of Autism, since the molecular underpinnings of behavioural and cognitive deficits in Fragile X Syndrome are well understood.
We also explore the possibility that the behavioural and/or cognitive dysfunctions associated with Autism are shared by parents of individuals with Autism in each of the two groups. An NIH grant (Genotype-phenotype relationships in Fragile X) with Dr Loesch and researchers at the M.I.N.D institute) is currently funding part of this research program. We are also conducting molecular studies of rare copy number variants in autism together with colleagues at Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne.
Social-Cognitive Development
1. Comparative studies of social and emotional development of children with high- functioning Autism and Asperger's Disorder
Despite social impairments being central to both Autistic Disorder and Asperger's Disorder, there has been surprisingly little comparative work on their social skills. We have focused on the social responsiveness and social understanding of these children, their peer interactions, pretend play and early moral/cognitive development. To date, we have collected data on two cohorts of children. The first cohort is aged between 6 and 10 years and the second cohort is aged between 4 and 7 years. The overarching aim in this program is to inform the debate about the diagnostic distinctions, or lack thereof, between Autism and Asperger's Disorder.
2. Self-other relations in Autism
Understanding 'self' and 'other' is integral to social-cognitive and social-emotional development. Autism is frequently viewed as a 'disorder of self-other relations', yet some aspects of self and other relations seem to be unaffected. Studies underway with current doctoral students Amanda Newbign and Felicity Chandler address the development of self-other relations in high-functioning children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. We are investigating different aspects of self and other awareness as well as the development of the children's understanding of their relationship with their caregiver. A related investigation of the narrative autobiographical abilities of these children is also underway in collaboration with Dr Lesley Stirling at the University of Melbourne.
The impairments in the development of self are also hypothesized to impact on the organization and structure of memory in Autism. A PhD student, Sarah Chan, has recently begun to investigate the organization and structure of memory in children with autism. This work will throw light on how children with Autism learn. Sarah is supported by an Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre scholarship.
3. Understanding pretend play in Autism
Pretend play deficits are regarded as a hallmark of Autism, and are included as one of the diagnostic criteria. However, some research indicates that children with Autism engage in pretend play in special environments. In a series of studies focusing on high-functioning children with Autism we have consistently failed to find generalized deficits in either elicited or spontaneous pretend play with the exception of the ability to substitute one object for another with the exception of the ability to engage in object substitution. Together with a doctoral student (Jessica Mifsud), we are currently collaborating with two research teams in the UK headed up by Professor Sue Leekam (University of Durham) and Professor Peter Hobson (University College London) to investigate this further. A Nuffield Foundation grant has funded this collaboration.
4. Perception and attribution of agency and intentionality in children with Autism
The overall objective in this research is to systematically investigate the role of the complexity of (social) information in the social deficits of children with Autism. The first study was undertaken with Dr Amanda Richdale, Associate Professor from RMIT University, to investigate the abilities of children with high-functioning Autism to perceive and attribute intentionality to 2-dimensional displays of moving shapes.
10. Studies of early social-cognitive development in typically developing children
A related program of research is underway at the Child Development Unit that focuses on the early social cognitive development in typically developing infants and young children. This complements the work within the area of Autism undertaken at OTARC. Together with honours and postgraduate students, we are studying the development of pretend play and its social and cognitive underpinnings. We also investigate the contribution of early social cognitive skills in infancy, such as joint attention and imitation, to the development of social competence in preschool children. We have recently explored how caregivers' focus on the mental intentions of infants contributes to the development of pretend play at age 2 years. Some of this work has been conducted in collaboration with Dr Mark Nielsen at Early Cognitive Development Unit at the University of Queensland.