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Research
Priority setting for children and young people with chronic conditions and disabilitiesThe aim of this project was to identify the top 10 priorities for childhood chronic conditions and disability (CCD) research from the perspectives of children and young people with lived experience, their parents and caregivers and the professionals who work with them.
Research
Genotype and sleep independently predict mental health in Rett syndrome: An observational studyRett syndrome is a genetically caused neurodevelopmental disorder associated with severe impairments and complex comorbidities. This study examined predictors of anxiety and depression in Rett syndrome, including genotype.
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The development, content and response process validation of a caregiver-reported severity measure for CDKL5 deficiency disorderCDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD) is a severe X-linked developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. Existing developmental outcome measures have floor effects and cannot capture incremental changes in symptoms. We modified the caregiver portion of a CDD clinical severity assessment (CCSA) and assessed content and response-process validity.
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The Lived Experience of Parents’ Receiving the Diagnosis of CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder for Their ChildCDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD), a severe developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, is being diagnosed earlier with improved access to genetic testing, but this may also have unanticipated impacts on parents’ experience receiving the diagnosis. This study explores the lived experience of parents receiving a diagnosis of CDD for their child using mixed methods.
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Influences on the trajectory and subsequent outcomes in CDKL5 deficiency disorderThe study investigated the effect of seizure and medication burden at initial contact with the International CDKL5 Disorder Database on subsequent development and clinical severity and compared quality of life among those whose development progressed, remained stable, or regressed between baseline and follow-up.
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Application of Inertial Measurement Units and Machine Learning Classification in Cerebral Palsy: Randomized Controlled TrialCerebral palsy (CP) is a physical disability that affects movement and posture. Approximately 17 million people worldwide and 34,000 people in Australia are living with CP. In clinical and kinematic research, goniometers and inclinometers are the most commonly used clinical tools to measure joint angles and positions in children with CP.
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Development of an International Database for a Rare Genetic Disorder: The MECP2 Duplication Database (MDBase)The natural history of MECP2 duplication syndrome (MDS), a rare X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder with an estimated birth prevalence of 1/150,000 live births, is poorly understood due to a lack of clinical data collected for research. Such information is critical to the understanding of disease progression, therapeutic endpoints and outcome measures for clinical trials, as well as the development of therapies and orphan products.
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Epidemiology of Rare Craniofacial Anomalies: Retrospective Western Australian Population Data Linkage StudyWe aimed to describe birth prevalence of rare craniofacial anomalies and associations with antenatal and perinatal factors. All live and stillbirths in Western Australia between 1980 and 2010 were identified from the Western Australian Birth Registrations and the Midwives Notification System (also provides information on antenatal and perinatal factors).
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Perspectives on the essential skills of healthcare decision making in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilityInvolvement in healthcare decisions is associated with better health outcomes for patients. For children and adolescents with intellectual disability, parents and healthcare professionals need to balance listening to a child's wishes with the responsibility of keeping them safe.
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qPCR assay optimisation for a clinical study comparing oral health risk in Rett syndromeThis study aimed to validate qPCR assays for specific microbiota, for use on dental plaque samples stored on Whatman FTA cards to compare relative oral health risk in Rett syndrome.