Trials of early intervention in autism: what they can tell us about developmental process and treatment effectiveness
| Dates: | 6 December 2016 |
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| Times: | 11:00 - 12:30 |
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| What is it: | Lecture |
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| Organiser: | School of Psychological Sciences |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Adults, Alumni, Current University students |
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| Speaker: | Prof Jonathan Green |
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The ESRC International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (LuCiD) continues its seminar series this month with a talk by Professor Jonathan Green, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Manchester, and Consultant Child Psychiatrist at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Professor Green will discuss trials of early intervention in autism and specifically, what they can tell us about developmental process and treatment effectiveness. The talk will consider a sequence of studies conducted by his research group into early autism interventions working with parents. These trials test treatment effectiveness, but are also designed to illuminate developmental science in the disorder, with a combination of random allocation and repeated measures follow-up.
The first trial is an intervention in the first year of the autism prodrome with infants at familial risk. This study has been the first to show a sustained impact of infancy intervention on subsequent developmental trajectories of autism pre-symptoms. The results also throw some interesting light on possible mechanisms of early social and language competency in the disorder.
Professor Green will then discuss a preschool intervention with children diagnosed with autism and its six year post intervention follow-up into middle childhood. This larger trial was able to test treatment mechanisms in a way that illuminates the early social dynamics of autism, and he will argue locates autism more within the normative developmental process than has previously been considered. The developmental follow-up into middle childhood has been the first to show sustained impact of early intervention on reducing subsequent autism symptom trajectories. The potential developmental and clinical implications of this will be discussed.
Professor Green will consider a related study in South Asia and the light it throws on cross-cultural aspects of parenting and autism development.
The seminar is part of the LuCiD Seminar Series, which takes places monthly across the North West, alternating between the University of Manchester, University of Liverpool and Lancaster University. The seminars cover a range of topics linked to language acquisition and are open to anyone wishing to attend. Details of upcoming seminars can be found on the LuCiD events page. LuCiD is a five year research collaboration that explores how children learn to communicate with language.
Speaker
Prof Jonathan Green
Role: Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Manchester
Organisation: Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
Lecture Theatre C
Zochonis Building
Manchester
