Staff profile
Dr Giacomo Vivanti
Research Fellow
Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering
School of Psychological ScienceDepartment of Psychology
Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre
Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre, Margot Prior Wing - La Trobe University Community Children’s Centre, Melbourne (Bundoora)
Qualifications
PhD. Siena
Membership of professional associations
Member, International Society for Autism Research
Area of study
Psychology
Brief profile
Dr Giacomo Vivanti received his PhD in Cognitive Science from the University of Siena, Italy, in 2008. He joined the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) at La Trobe University, in August 2010.
After completing a visiting fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, and a clinical internship at the University Hospital of Siena, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California, Davis under the mentorship of Professor Sally Rogers, Professor Sally Ozonoff, and Professor Peter Mundy.
Dr Vivanti's current research is focused on the cognitive processes underlying action understanding, imitation, and social learning in Autism, and the impact of early intensive treatment on the outcomes of young children with Autism.
Dr Vivanti is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and a member of the Italian Department of the Health Committee to establish evidence-based guidelines for Autism treatment in Italy. In addition he is a consultant for University programs, scientific institutions, advocacy groups, scientific journals, and service providers across Europe, U.S.A., and Australia. He is the author of two books, several book chapters and numerous research papers published in leading peer-reviewed Psychology journals.
Research interests
Clinical and health psychology
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
Cognitive and developmental psychology
- Social Cognitive Development
Recent publications
Vivanti, G., Hamilton, A. (in press) Imitation in Autism Spectrum Disorders. In Volkmar, F., Paul, R., Rogers, S., Pelphrey, K. (Eds) The Handbook of Autism and Developmental Disorders. New York, Wiley
Vivanti, G., Hudry, K., Trembath, D., Barbaro, J., Richdale, A., Dissanayake, C. (in press) Towards the DSM 5 Criteria for Autism: Clinical, Cultural and Research Implications. Australian Psychologist.
Nuske, H., Vivanti, G., Dissanayake, C. (2013). Are emotion impairments unique to, universal, or specific in autism spectrum disorder? A comprehensive review. Cognition and Emotion, DOI10.1080/02699931.2012.762900
Vivanti, G., Dissanayake, C., Zierhut, C., Roger, S.J, & the Victorian ASELCC Team (2012). Brief Report: Predictors of Outcomes in the Early Start Denver Model delivered in a Group Setting. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. DOI 10.1007/s10803-012-1705-7
Volkmar, F., McClure, I., Van der Gaag, R., Vivanti, G., Minderaa, R. (2012) International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions Declaration on Autism. http://iacapap.org/iacapaps-declaration-on-austism-spectrum-disorders
Vivanti, G. (2012) Imitation of Body Movements. In Volkmar, F. (Ed) The Encyclopedia of Autism and Related Disorders. Springer
Colombi, C., Vivanti, G., Rogers, S. (2011). The Neuropsychology of Imitation Deficit in Autism. In Fein, D. (Ed) The Neuropsychology of Autism. Oxford University Press
Vivanti, G., Rogers, S.J. (2011). Action understanding and social learning in Autism: A developmental perspective. Lifespan and Disability, 14(1):7-29.
Vivanti, G., McCormick, C., Young, G., Abucayan, F., Hatt, N., Nadig, A., Ozonoff, S., Rogers, S. (2011). Intact and Impaired Mechanisms of action understanding in autism and typical development. Developmental Psychology, 47(3):841-56.
Panocchia, N., Bossola, M., Vivanti, G. (2010). Transplantations and mental retardation. American Journal of Transplantation, 10(4): 727-730.
Nadig, A., Vivanti, G., Ozonoff, S. (2009) Object Descriptions Under Different Communicative Demands: How Do Children with and without Autism Adapt? Autism Research 2(6):334-47
Vivanti, G., Nadig, A., Ozonoff, S., Rogers, S. (2008): What do children with autism attend to during imitation tasks? Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 101(3):186-205
Canitano, R., Vivanti. G. (2007): Tics and Tourette syndrome in Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Autism, the International Journal of Research and Practice, 11(1): 19-28.
