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Teen Talk Study

In 2024–2025, we listened to 40 siblings from across Australia share their experiences of family life and social connection. Most had a brother or sister with developmental disability, and others did not. Together, they offered open and thoughtful reflections on roles and responsibilities at home, friendships, fam

THINK BIG - Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Amy Andrew Helen Jenny Martyn Melissa Videos Finlay-Jones Whitehouse Watch and listen to Andrew Leonard Downs Symons Licari BPsych(Hons), MPsych(

Towards evidence based care for Rett syndrome: a research model to inform management of rare disorders

Helen Jenny Leonard Downs MBChB MPH BApplSci (physio) MSc PhD Principal Research Fellow Head, Child Disability +61 419 956 946 08 6319 1763

Using ambulatory monitoring to investigate awake breathing irregularities in Rett syndrome in Australian population-based and Italian clinic samples

Helen Jenny Leonard Downs MBChB MPH BApplSci (physio) MSc PhD Principal Research Fellow Head, Child Disability +61 419 956 946 08 6319 1763

Are assisted reproductive technology pregnancies more likely to be exposed to teratogenic medication? A whole-population study

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) pregnancies are at greater risk of birth defects than non-ART pregnancies. Teratogenic medication exposure is a potential cause of birth defects that has not been compared between ART and non-ART pregnancies.

Investigating the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Facebook Delivered, Parent Mediated, Physical Activity Intervention for Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) experience difficulties performing fundamental movement skills, resulting in reduced physical activity (PA). Given low PA can impact mental and physical health, improving PA in DCD appears imperative. This study investigates the feasibility of a Facebook delivered, parent mediated, PA intervention for children with DCD.

Psychometric evaluation of clinician- and caregiver-reported clinical severity assessments for individuals with CDKL5 deficiency disorder

The CDKL5 Clinical Severity Assessment is a comprehensive, content-validated measurement tool capturing the diverse challenges of cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 deficiency disorder, a genetically caused developmental epileptic encephalopathy. The CCSA is divided into clinician-reported and caregiver-reported assessments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factor structure of these measures through confirmatory factor analysis and evaluate their validity and reliability.

Burden of illness in Rett syndrome: initial evaluation of a disorder-specific caregiver survey

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder associated with multiple neurologic impairments. Previous studies have shown challenges to the quality of life of individuals with RTT and their caregivers. However, instruments applied to quantify disease burden have not adequately captured the impact of these impairments on affected individuals and their families. Consequently, an international collaboration of stakeholders aimed at evaluating Burden of Illness in RTT was organized.

International workshop: what is needed to ensure outcome measures for Rett syndrome are fit-for-purpose for clinical trials? June 7, 2023, Nashville, USA

The clinical, research and advocacy communities for Rett syndrome are striving to achieve clinical trial readiness, including having fit-for-purpose clinical outcome assessments. This study aimed to (1) describe psychometric properties of clinical outcome assessment for Rett syndrome and (2) identify what is needed to ensure that fit-for-purpose clinical outcome assessments are available for clinical trials.