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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

Parent/caregiver perspectives of meaningful improvement in functional domains for people with CDKL5 deficiency disorder: a mixed-methods study

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a rare developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. Greater understanding of the smallest meaningful improvements for individuals with CDD in clinical trials and practice is needed for a person-centred approach to treatment efficacy. This study explored how parent/caregivers of people with CDD understood meaningful improvements and described change for priority functional domains including communication, gross motor, fine motor, feeding.

Beyond Seizures as an Outcome Measure: A Global Severity Scoring System for CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a rare developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) associated with multiple impairments and comorbidities. Outcome measures for disease-modifying clinical trials for DEEs should measurably capture a spectrum of caregiver priorities and be externally validated.

Validating the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales–Developmental Profile Infant–Toddler Checklist (CSBS–DP ITC) Beyond Infancy in the CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) results in early-onset epilepsy and lifelong cognitive and motor impairments. With no validated measure for communication in CDD, this study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales-Developmental Profile Infant Toddler Checklist.

Rett Syndrome Behaviour Questionnaire in Children and Adults With Rett Syndrome: Psychometric Characterization and Revised Factor Structure

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder associated with multiple neurobehavioral abnormalities. The Rett Syndrome Behaviour Questionnaire (RSBQ) was developed for pediatric RTT observational studies. Because its application has expanded to adult and interventional studies, we evaluated the RSBQ's psychometric properties in six pediatric (n = 323) and five adult (n = 309) datasets.

Culture, Connection and Care: The Role of Institutional Justice Capital for Enhancing the Wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children in Out-Of-Home Care

Ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children removed from their families by child protection services remain connected to their kin, Country and culture is a priority to begin to redress the intergenerational trauma and harm caused by colonisation. This article describes the views of staff working in three mainstream out-of-home care organisations, where children are cared for by non-Indigenous foster carers.

A core outcome set to assess chronic pain interference and impact on emotional functioning for children and young people with cerebral palsy

Aim: To: (1) develop a core outcome set (COS) to assess chronic pain interference and impact on emotional functioning for children and young people with cerebral palsy (CP) with varying communication, cognitive, and functional abilities; (2) categorize the assessment tools according to reporting method or observer-reported outcome measures; and (3) categorize the content of tools in the COS according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).