from ACT’s 12th Annual Focus on Research
Filmed April 15th, 2016
Abstract
The empowerment of caregivers is increasingly recognized as a critical component of intervention for children with autism. The World Health Organization recommends parent skills training (PST) for management of developmental disorders. However, to date, no such programs have been widely available, especially for use in low-resource communities. Our team is currently undertaking a local adaptation and evaluation of this new evidence-based, affordable, PST program that can be delivered by non-specialist providers in a wide range of community settings. We also interlink our local evaluation with field trials in low- and middle-income countries, in support of global research in intervention design and delivery.
Presented by: Mayada Elsabbagh, PhD, McGill University
Mayada Elsabbagh, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at McGill University. Her research focuses on understanding the root causes of autism and tracing its developmental pathways. The approach integrates innovative research with the mission of accelerating translation of scientific discoveries into community impact. Mayada’s recent contributions include the identification of very early brain function markers for autism prior to the onset of behavioral symptoms. She also supported the successful launch of collaborative research and translational networks, aimed at accelerating the pace of discovery in early autism. She has contributed to mapping knowledge translation priorities in under-resourced communities. In 2010, she was awarded the Neville Butler Memorial Prize, in recognition of the public value and social relevance of her research. In 2013, she was the recipient of the British Psychological Society Neil O’Conner Prize, awarded for her work in early autism biomarkers.
Part 1: Introduction: A Global Vision for Autism
- The weirdest people in the world?, Joseph Henrich (2010)
- Autism screening and diagnosis in low resource settings: Challenges and opportunities to enhance research and services worldwide. Durkin, Maureen S. et al. (2015)
- Autism and the Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health. Editorial. Autism Research (2012)
- “Communities” in Community Engagement: Lessons Learned from Autism Research in South Africa and South Korea. Grinker, Roy Richard et al. (2012)
- Perspectives from the Common Ground Editorial. Autism Research (2012)
- Autism Spectrum Disorders and other Developmental Disorders Report (World Health Organization)
Part 2: Spectrum of Care and Genetic Diversity
- Spectrum Autism Research News
- A Fresh take on autism’s diversity (Spectrum News)
Part 3: Hot Topic: Building ‘Glocal’ Capacity
- Parent-mediated intervention versus no intervention for infants at high risk of autism: a parallel, single-blind, randomised trial Green, Jonathan et al., (2015)
- Effectiveness of the parent-mediated intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder in south Asia in India and Pakistan (PASS): a randomised controlled trial Rahman, Atif et al, (2016)
Part 4: Family Navigator Pilot
- Service utilization in a sample of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder: A Canadian snapshot. Volden, J et al. (2015)
- Presentation: Disparities in Utilization of Services Around the Time of Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis. Savion-Lemieux, T., et al. (2014)
- Autism Family Navigator website