Benefits of Employing People with Autism: The Dandelion Employment Program

This report identifies benefits of the Dandelion Employment Program, an initiative by DXC Technology in collaboration with the Australian Government Department of Human Services, Department of Defence, and Department of Immigration and Border Protection aimed at increasing employment opportunities for people with autism

The Dandelion Employment Program: Longitudinal Findings

[Excerpt] The DXC Technology Dandelion Employment Program is currently in its 4th year. An important research question addressed as part of this program was: What is the impact of the program on participants\u27 health and well-being? The current report details findings from our ongoing longitudinal research program. We examined change in participants\u27 health and well-being, reporting here on findings following the first year of employment across multiple sites. This is the first longitudinal study to date that has closely examined the impact of supported employment on employees who are on the autism spectrum. Our findings reiterate the importance of appropriate and meaningful workplace supports in ensuring the sustainability of the program. We continue to chart outcomes beyond the first year, to determine whether findings reported here are consistent over the longer term. This information will be the subject of a subsequent report, as data becomes available across sites

Social affiliation motives modulate spontaneous learning in Williams syndrome but not in autism

BACKGROUND: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those with Williams syndrome (WS) have difficulties with learning, though the nature of these remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, we used novel eye-tracking and behavioral paradigms to measure how 36 preschoolers with ASD and 21 age- and IQ-matched peers with WS attend to and learn novel behaviors (1) from the outcomes of their own actions (non-social learning), (2) through imitation of others’ actions (social learning), and across situations in which imitative learning served either an instrumental function or fulfilled social affiliation motives. RESULTS: The two groups demonstrated similar abilities to learn from the consequences of their own actions and to imitate new actions that were instrumental to the achievement of a tangible goal. Children with WS, unlike those with ASD, increased their attention and imitative learning performance when the model acted in a socially engaging manner. CONCLUSIONS: Learning abnormalities in ASD appear to be linked to the social rather than instrumental dimensions of learning

Factors influencing the planning undertaken by women during pregnancy for their return to work after maternity leave

The planning women (N = 199) do during pregnancy for their return to work post birth and the factors that influence employment planning during late pregnancy were investigated in this study. The findings revealed three components of planning: Planning for Childcare, Planning with Partner, and Planning with Employer. Several factors emerged as consistent cross-sectional predictors of these components (work satisfaction, hours worked before commencing maternity leave, anticipated weeks of maternity leave and anticipated hours per week on the return to work). Anticipated support from family and friends, and from the workplace also predicted Planning with Partner and Planning with Employer, respectively. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.<br /

Research summary: Anxiety and Depression from Adolescence to Old Age in Autism Spectrum Disorder

[Excerpt] Our team recently published a journal article reporting on a study that looked at the relationship between anxiety and depression, age, sex (male, female), and autism symptoms in autistic adults. So far there has been little research into mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression across the lifespan of autistic individuals. To inform and provide appropriate supports we need to better understand the challenges experienced by autistic individuals and looking at mental health across the lifespan can help us do that. It is also important to understand what factors can be related to good and poor mental health, so we can investigate that relationship and understand it

Verbal labels increase the salience of novel objects for preschoolers with typical development and Williams syndrome, but not in autism

Background: Early research has documented that young children show an increased interest toward objects that are verbally labeled by an adult, compared to objects that are presented without a label. It is unclear whether the same phenomenon occurs in neurodevelopmental disorders affecting social development, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Williams syndrome (WS). Methods: The present study used a novel eye-tracking paradigm to determine whether hearing a verbal label increases the salience of novel objects in 35 preschoolers with ASD, 18 preschoolers with WS, and 20 typically developing peers. Results: We found that typically developing children and those with WS, but not those with ASD, spent significantly more time looking at objects that are verbally labeled by an adult, compared to objects that are presented without a label. Conclusions: In children without ASD, information accompanied by the speaker's verbal label is accorded a "special status," and it is more likely to be attended to. In contrast, children with ASD do not appear to attribute a special salience to labeled objects compared to non-labeled objects. This result is consistent with the notion that reduced responsivity to pedagogical cues hinders social learning in young children with ASD

"Are you available for the next 18 months?" - methods and aims of a longitudinal birth cohort study investigating a universal developmental surveillance program: the ‘Watch Me Grow’ study

BACKGROUND Universal developmental surveillance programs aimed at early identification and targeted early intervention significantly improve short- and long-term outcomes in children at risk of developmental disorders. However, a significant challenge remains in providing sufficiently rigorous research and robust evidence to inform policy and service delivery. This paper describes the methods of the 'Watch Me Grow' study that aims to maximise accurate early detection of children with developmental disorders through a partnership formed between policy makers, service providers and researchers. METHODS/DESIGN A mixed methods study design was developed consisting of: (1) a qualitative study of parents and health service providers to investigate barriers and enablers of developmental surveillance; (2) recruitment of a birth cohort and their longitudinal follow-up to 18 months of age to: a) assess risk factors for not accessing existing developmental surveillance programs and b) estimate the prevalence of children identified with developmental risk; (3) comparison of surveillance outcomes with a reference standard at 18 months of age to assess the diagnostic test accuracy of existing and alternative developmental surveillance tools; and (4) comparison of developmental surveillance models to inform policy recommendations. Data linkage will be used to determine the uptake and representativeness of the study participant group versus non-participants. DISCUSSION The Watch Me Grow study is expected to provide a collaborative opportunity to enhance universal developmental surveillance for early accurate identification of developmental risk. This will also provide quality evidence about identification of developmental risk and access to services to be embedded in existing practice with linkages to policy development.This study (APP 1013690) was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, through a partnership grant with the NSW Kids and Families (NSW Health) and in-kind support from University of New South Wales, La Trobe University, South Western Sydney Local Health District and Sydney Children’s Hospital Network

Who is our cohort: Recruitment, representativeness, baseline risk and retention in the "Watch Me Grow" study?

Background: The "Watch Me Grow" (WMG) study examines the current developmental surveillance system in South West Sydney. This paper describes the establishment of the study birth cohort, including the recruitment processes, representativeness, follow-up and participants' baseline risk for future developmental risk. Methods: Newborn infants and their parents were recruited from two public hospital postnatal wards and through child health nurses during the years 2011-2013. Data was obtained through a detailed participant questionnaire and linked with the participant's electronic medical record (EMR). Representativeness was determined by Chi-square analyses of the available clinical, psychosocial and sociodemographic EMR data, comparing the WMG participants to eligible non-participants. Reasons for non-participation were also elicited. Participant characteristics were examined in six, 12, and 18-month follow-ups. Results: The number of infants recruited totalled 2,025, with 50 % of those approached agreeing to participate. Reasons for parents not participating included: lack of interest, being too busy, having plans to relocate, language barriers, participation in other research projects, and privacy concerns. The WMG cohort was broadly representative of the culturally diverse and socially disadvantaged local population from which it was sampled. Of the original 2025 participants enrolled at birth, participants with PEDS outcome data available at follow-up were: 792 (39 %) at six months, 649 (32 %) at 12 months, and 565 (28 %) at 18 months. Participants with greater psychosocial risk were less likely to have follow-up outcome data. Almost 40 % of infants in the baseline cohort were exposed to at least two risk factors known to be associated with developmental risk. Conclusions: The WMG study birth cohort is a valuable resource for health services due to the inclusion of participants from vulnerable populations, despite there being challenges in being able to actively follow-up this populatio

Study protocol for the Australian autism biobank: an international resource to advance autism discovery research

BACKGROUND: The phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents considerable challenges in understanding etiological pathways, selecting effective therapies, providing genetic counselling, and predicting clinical outcomes. With advances in genetic and biological research alongside rapid-pace technological innovations, there is an increasing imperative to access large, representative, and diverse cohorts to advance knowledge of ASD. To date, there has not been any single collective effort towards a similar resource in Australia, which has its own unique ethnic and cultural diversity. The Australian Autism Biobank was initiated by the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC) to establish a large-scale repository of biological samples and detailed clinical information about children diagnosed with ASD to facilitate future discovery research. METHODS: The primary group of participants were children with a confirmed diagnosis of ASD, aged between 2 and 17 years, recruited through four sites in Australia. No exclusion criteria regarding language level, cognitive ability, or comorbid conditions were applied to ensure a representative cohort was recruited. Both biological parents and siblings were invited to participate, along with children without a diagnosis of ASD, and children who had been queried for an ASD diagnosis but did not meet diagnostic criteria. All children completed cognitive assessments, with probands and parents completing additional assessments measuring ASD symptomatology. Parents completed questionnaires about their child's medical history and early development. Physical measurements and biological samples (blood, stool, urine, and hair) were collected from children, and physical measurements and blood samples were collected from parents. Samples were sent to a central processing site and placed into long-term storage. DISCUSSION: The establishment of this biobank is a valuable international resource incorporating detailed clinical and biological information that will help accelerate the pace of ASD discovery research. Recruitment into this study has also supported the feasibility of large-scale biological sample collection in children diagnosed with ASD with comprehensive phenotyping across a wide range of ages, intellectual abilities, and levels of adaptive functioning. This biological and clinical resource will be open to data access requests from national and international researchers to support future discovery research that will benefit the autistic community