Head, Early Neurodevelopment & Mental Health; Healthway WA Senior Research Fellow
BPsych(Hons), MPsych(Clinical), MHealthEcon, PhD (Clin Psych)
@amyfinlayjones
she/her/hers
Amy is the Head of the Early Neurodevelopment & Mental Health team at the Telethon Kids Institute. Her work focuses on improving positive mental health and developmental outcomes across the early life course.
Amy is particularly passionate about supporting the wellbeing and quality of life of young people with chronic illness and disability.
She has an interest in contemplative science and positive psychology, and has trained internationally to deliver numerous mindfulness- and compassion-based interventions, including the Compassion Cultivation Training program (Stanford University School of Medicine – Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education), the Mindful Self-Compassion Program (UCSD Center for Mindfulness), the Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living Program (European Institute of Mindfulness-Based Approaches) and the Breathworks Mindfulness Program for Stress and Chronic Pain. She also developed the world’s first online self-compassion training program.
Amy also co-leads the Think Big Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the Telethon Kids Institute with Associate Professor Jenny Downs. This program focuses on understanding neurodevelopmental risk and resilience in the first years of life and optimising developmental and mental health outcomes across the lifespan. To develop this innovative and ambitious research program, Amy and Jenny are working with researchers from Telethon Kids’ Disability, FASD and Autism teams and collaborators to establish “ASCEND”: AuStralian Collaboration to Enhance Neuro-Development.
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Projects
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Publications
March 2024
Psychometric Properties of the EQ-5D-Y-5L for Children With Intellectual Disability
The EQ-5D-Y-5L is a generic preference-based measure of health-related quality of life for children. This study aimed to describe the distributional properties, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity of the EQ-5D-Y-5L in children with intellectual disability (ID).
Published research Child Disability Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Child disabilityMarch 2024Getting creative: Using art-based techniques to identify how arts organizations enhance young people’s well-being
Mental health concerns present significant challenges for Australian youth. Arts organizations play a key role in promoting preventative mental health strate-gies through enhancing the social and emotional well-being (SEWB) of youth. However, little is known about how the arts promote SEWB and the processes and contexts through which this occurs.
Published research Human Development and Community Wellbeing School Attendance Youth Mental Health Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Mental health Physical activityOctober 2023Perinatal Women’s Perspectives of, and Engagement in, Digital Emotional Well-Being Training: Mixed Methods Study
Psychological distress in the early postpartum period can have long-lasting deleterious effects on a mother's well-being and negatively affect her infant's development. Intervention approaches based in contemplative practices such as mindfulness and loving-kindness and compassion are intended to alleviate distress and cultivate well-being and can be delivered effectively as digital mental health interventions.
Published research ORIGINS Subsite: ORIGINS Project Mental health Maternal healthApril 2024Mental health profiles and academic achievement in Australian school students
This study explored mental health profiles in Australian school students using indicators of well-being (i.e., optimism, life satisfaction, and happiness) and psychological distress (i.e., sadness and worries). The sample included 75,757 students (ages 8-18 years) who completed the 2019 South Australian Wellbeing and Engagement Collection.
Published research Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Youth mental health Early Years SystemsNovember 2023Wellbeing and distress in young people with chronic conditions: how do positive psychology variables relate to mental health outcomes?
The aim of this study was to determine the unique and shared contributions of various positive psychology constructs (gratitude, optimism, hope, self-compassion, self-efficacy, and emotion regulation) to wellbeing and distress outcomes in young people living with a diverse range of chronic health conditions.
Published research Diabetes and Obesity Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthSeptember 2023Web-Based Self-Compassion Training to Improve the Well-Being of Youth With Chronic Medical Conditions: Randomized Controlled Trial
Up to one-third of young people live with chronic physical conditions (eg, diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune disease) that frequently involve recurrent pain, fatigue, activity limitations, stigma, and isolation.
Asthma Diabetes (Type 1) Published research Depression and Anxiety Youth Mental Health Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Youth mental healthJanuary 2023Time-out for well-being: A mixed methods evaluation of attitudes and likelihood to engage in different types of online emotional well-being programmes in the perinatal period
Positive maternal mental health during the perinatal period contributes to general well-being and positive emotional bonds with the child, encouraging an optimal developmental trajectory. Online interventions to enhance maternal well-being and develop coping skills, such as meditation-based interventions, can be a low-cost way to improve mother and child outcomes.
Published research Early Childhood Development ORIGINS Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Mental health Maternal healthMay 2023Intention to Engage in Alcohol Use during Pregnancy: The Role of Attitudes and Prototypes
There is no known risk-free level of alcohol use in pregnancy. Despite this, many still believe that occasional drinking is safe. To-date, there is limited evidence of the influences on women's decisions about low to moderate alcohol use in pregnancy.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Early Childhood Development Subsite: Alcohol and Pregnancy Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthMay 2023Lived experiences of the diagnostic assessment process for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A systematic review of qualitative evidence
Early assessment and diagnosis of FASD are crucial in providing therapeutic interventions that aim to enhance meaningful participation and quality of life for individuals and their families, while reducing psychosocial difficulties that may arise during adolescence and adulthood. Individuals with lived experience of FASD have expertise based on their own lives and family needs. Their insights into the assessment and diagnostic process are valuable for improving service delivery and informing the provision of meaningful, person- and family-centered care. To date, reviews have focused broadly on the experiences of living with FASD.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthFebruary 2023Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Early Irritability as a Transdiagnostic Neurodevelopmental Vulnerability to Later Mental Health Problems
Irritability is a transdiagnostic indicator of child and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems that is measurable from early life. The objective of this systematic review was to determine the strength of the association between irritability measured from 0 to 5 years and later internalizing and externalizing problems, to identify mediators and moderators of these relationships, and to explore whether the strength of the association varied according to irritability operationalization.
Published research Early Childhood Development Human Development and Community Wellbeing Child Disability Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Kids Rehab Research WA Mental healthApril 2023Priority setting for children and young people with chronic conditions and disabilities
The 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.
Published research Diabetes and Obesity Youth Mental Health Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Child disabilityAugust 2022Nurturing families: One year pilot outcomes for a modified Parent Child Assistance Program in Australia
Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) exposure during pregnancy is linked to serious adverse child outcomes, including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) supports women with problematic AOD use, who are pregnant or have young children, and are not effectively engaging with services. PCAP has been shown to reduce alcohol exposed pregnancies, promote AOD abstinence, increase employment and family planning and improve child outcomes.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Early Childhood Development Child Disability Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthMarch 2022How Caregivers Support Children’s Emotion Regulation: Construct Validation of the Parental Assistance With Child Emotion Regulation (PACER) Questionnaire
Caregivers play a crucial role in supporting the development of their children's emotion regulation. This study validated the Parental Assistance with Child Emotion Regulation (PACER) Questionnaire in a sample of 491 caregivers of young children ≤ 5 years.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood Development Human Development and Community Wellbeing Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthFebruary 2023Well-being and Distress in University Students with ADHD Traits: the Mediating Roles of Self-Compassion and Emotion Regulation Difficulties
Tertiary education is particularly demanding for students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who often struggle with emotion regulation and are at greater risk of internalising disorders compared to their peers. Self-compassion is a skill associated with positive mental health and adaptive emotion regulation that might support students in managing the emotional challenges of studying with ADHD.
Published research ADHD Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Youth mental healthOctober 2022Paternal Attachment in the First Five Years: the Role of Self-compassion, Negative Emotional Symptoms, Parenting Stress, and Parent Self-efficacy
Father-child attachment during the first five years of life plays a vital role in child health and wellbeing but remains an under-researched area. Recently, self-compassion has emerged as a mechanism through which parent–child attachment may be optimized via its capacity to promote parental mental health and wellbeing, yet little is known about self-compassion among fathers specifically.
Published research Early Childhood Development Human Development and Community Wellbeing Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthMarch 2023Associations between the human immune system and gut microbiome with neurodevelopment in the first 5 years of life: A systematic scoping review
The aim of this review was to map the literature assessing associations between maternal or infant immune or gut microbiome biomarkers and child neurodevelopmental outcomes within the first 5 years of life. We conducted a PRISMA-ScR compliant review of peer-reviewed, English-language journal articles.
Published research Human Development and Community Wellbeing Child Disability Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Subsite: ORIGINS Project Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthDecember 2022Improving the Journey Before, During and After Diagnosis of a Neurodevelopmental Condition: Suggestions from a Sample of Australian Consumers and Professionals
The current study used a transdiagnostic approach to explore experiences of consumers and professionals on how the process of assessing and diagnosing neurodevelopmental conditions can be improved.
Published research Human Development and Community Wellbeing Child Disability Autism Research Youth Mental Health Subsite: CliniKids Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Youth mental healthOctober 2022Charting developmental trajectories from 12 to 36 months and associated early risk and protective factors
To investigate developmental trajectories in early childhood and predictors of class assignment.
Published research Breastfeeding Early Childhood Development Child Disability Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Raine studyAugust 2022Australian Psychologists Experiences with Digital Mental Health: a Qualitative Investigation
Digital mental health is changing the landscape of service delivery by addressing challenges associated with traditional therapy. However, practitioners’ use of these resources remains underexamined.
Human Development and Community Wellbeing Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthSeptember 2022Eye Abnormalities in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review
Although eye abnormalities are reported in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), no systematic review based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines has been undertaken.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthAugust 2022A systematic review of the biological, social, and environmental determinants of intellectual disability in children and adolescents
This systematic review aimed to identify the most important social, environmental, biological, and/or genetic risk factors for intellectual disability.
Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Child Disability Autism Research Subsite: CliniKids Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Child disabilityAugust 2022Understanding Engagement in Digital Mental Health and Well-being Programs for Women in the Perinatal Period: Systematic Review Without Meta-analysis
Pregnancy and the postnatal period can be a time of increased psychological distress, which can be detrimental to both the mother and the developing child. Digital interventions are cost-effective and accessible tools to support positive mental health in women during the perinatal period.
Published research ORIGINS Technology & KidsFebruary 2022Supporting Maternal and Child Mental Health Through Dietary Changes Focused on the Gut Microbiota
Growing evidence from preclinical studies, epidemiology, and randomized controlled trials supports a causal role for diet quality in mental disorder risk, and clinical psychiatric guidelines now place diet, along with other life-style behaviors, as foundational treatment targets for mood disorders.
Published research Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Maternal dietJune 2022Mind the distance: experiences of non-face-to-face child and youth mental health services during COVID-19 social distancing restrictions in Western Australia
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, social distancing restrictions limited access to face-to-face mental health services in Western Australia (WA), necessitating a rapid transition to non-face-to-face alternatives, including telehealth. The current study investigated barriers and facilitators to telehealth access and engagement, and preferences for child and youth mental health service delivery during and beyond COVID-19.
Published research Diabetes and Obesity Youth Mental Health Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health COVID-19 Youth mental healthOctober 2022Maternal emotion regulation and early childhood irritability: The mediating role of child directed emotion regulation strategies
Parental assistance with children's emotion regulation (ER) is a form of emotion socialization behavior that has recently been operationalized with the development of the Parent Assistance with Child Emotion Regulation (PACER) questionnaire.
Published research Early Childhood Development Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthApril 2022Don't Get Lost in Translation: Integrating Developmental and Implementation Sciences to Accelerate Real-World Impact on Children's Development, Health, and Wellbeing
Translation of developmental science discoveries is impeded by numerous barriers at different stages of the research-to-practice pipeline. Actualization of the vast potential of the developmental sciences to improve children's health and development in the real world is imperative but has not yet been fully realized.
Published research Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Youth mental healthMarch 2022It takes a village: Influencing policy and practice to prevent alcohol use in pregnancy and promote better outcomes for individuals living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by exposure to alcohol in utero. It has pervasive, lifelong impacts and is recognised as a major public health concern in many countries where alcohol is used. The FASD Research Australia Centre of Research Excellence was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council to generate and translate evidence to address prevention, diagnosis, and management of FASD in Australia.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Subsite: Alcohol and PregnancyOctober 2021The orofacial, oromotor, speech, and voice characteristics of adolescents in youth detention: a comparison of groups with and without prenatal alcohol exposure
Language disorder is highly prevalent in youth justice; however, orofacial, oromotor, speech, and voice anomalies have been largely overlooked. There has been some documentation of these among individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), and adolescents with PAE are over-represented in youth justice.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthFebruary 2022Prevalence of electronic device use before bed among Australian children and adolescents: a cross-sectional population level study
To understand the prevalence of children and adolescents’ electronic device use (EDU) in the hour before bed and identify sociodemographic groups that are at increased risk of problematic use.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthJanuary 2022Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders screening tools: A systematic review
Screening facilitates the early identification of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and prevalence estimation of FASD for timely prevention, diagnostic, and management planning.
Published research Subsite: Alcohol and Pregnancy Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthOctober 2021Is ‘a little’ too much?: An exploration of women’s beliefs about alcohol use during pregnancy
Interventions to address alcohol use during pregnancy need to target underlying determinants of the behaviour. Using the theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical framework, the aim of this study was to identify behavioural, normative and control beliefs regarding alcohol use during pregnancy among a sample of women.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthSeptember 2021A Review of Self-Compassion as an Active Ingredient in the Prevention and Treatment of Anxiety and Depression in Young People
Previous meta-analyses have found higher self-compassion is associated with lower anxiety and depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of self-compassion as an active ingredient in the treatment and prevention of anxiety and depression in youth. This was conducted through (i) a systematic review of the literature and (ii) qualitative consultation with young people and researchers in self-compassion.
Published research Depression and Anxiety Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthAugust 2021Basic epidemiology of wellbeing among children and adolescents: A cross-sectional population level study
Wellbeing and mental health are fundamental rights of children and adolescents essential for sustainable development. Understanding the epidemiology of child and adolescent wellbeing is essential to informing population health approaches to improving wellbeing and preventing mental illness.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education School Attendance Early Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Youth mental healthJuly 2021Self-Compassion, Wellbeing, and Distress in Adolescents and Young Adults with Chronic Medical Conditions: the Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation Difficulties
Adolescents and young adults with chronic medical conditions report higher distress and lower wellbeing than their physically healthy peers. Previous research suggests that self-compassion is negatively correlated with distress and positively correlated with wellbeing among healthy young people, as well as adults with chronic medical conditions.
Published research Youth Health Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthJune 2021Can positive mindsets be protective against stress and isolation experienced during the covid-19 pandemic? A mixed methods approach to understanding emotional health and wellbeing needs of perinatal women
The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between emotional health and wellbeing and support needs of perinatal women during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to understand their experiences and need for support. This is a potentially vulnerable group and a critical developmental phase for women and infants.
Published research ORIGINS Subsite: ORIGINS Project COVID-19June 2021Caregiver-mediated interventions to support self-regulation among infants and young children (0-5 years): A protocol for a realist review
Self-regulation is a modifiable protective factor for lifespan mental and physical health outcomes. Early caregiver-mediated interventions to promote infant and child regulatory outcomes prevent long-term developmental, emotional and behavioural difficulties and improve outcomes such as school readiness, educational achievement and economic success. To harness the population health promise of these programmes, there is a need for more nuanced understanding of the impact of these interventions.
Published research Early Childhood Development Child Disability Youth Health Youth Mental Health Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthJune 2021Oral and written communication skills of adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) compared with those with no/low PAE: A systematic review
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with growth deficits and neurodevelopmental impairment including foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Difficulties with oral and written communication skills are common among children with PAE; however, less is known about how communication skills of adolescents who have PAE compare with those who do not.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthFebruary 2021Early motor function of children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review
Early motor impairments have been reported in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), but it is not clear if early detection of motor impairments can identify children at risk for NDD or how early such impairments might be detected. Our aim was to characterize early motor function in children later diagnosed with NDD relative to typically developing children or normative data.
Autism Spectrum Published research Early Childhood Development Child Disability Autism Research Youth Mental Health Developmental Coordination DisorderFebruary 2021The oral and written narrative language skills of adolescent students in youth detention and the impact of language disorder
Unmet language and literacy needs are common among young people who are involved with youth justice systems. However, there is limited research regarding the functional text-level language skills of this population with regard to narrative macrostructure (story grammar) and microstructure (semantics and syntax) elements. In this study, we examined macrostructure and microstructure elements in the oral and written narrative texts of 24 adolescent students of a youth detention centre. The students, who were aged 14- to 17- years, were all speakers of Standard Australian English, and 11 (46%) students met criteria for language disorder (LD).
Published research Language Development Youth Health Youth Mental Health Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthJanuary 2021Group mindful self-compassion training to improve mental health outcomes for LGBTQIA+ young adults: Rationale and protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Young adults who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual and other diverse genders and sexualities (LGBTQIA+) are more likely to experience mental health difficulties and are at significantly elevated risk of substance abuse, self-harm and suicide, relative to their heterosexual, endosex and cisgender peers. There is a need for effective mental health interventions for LGBTQIA+ young adults. Mindful Self-Compassion training is a promising approach; among LGBTQIA+ individuals, self-compassion accounts for more variation in mental health outcomes than bullying, victimization, and adverse childhood experiences combined. Furthermore, LGBTQIA+ individuals with high self-compassion report more positive identity and happiness, less self-stigma, and lower suicidality than those with low self-compassion.
Published research Depression and Anxiety Gender Diversity Youth Health Youth Mental HealthDecember 2020Community Priority setting for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Research in Australia
Introduction Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). FASD research is a rapidly growing field that crosses multiple disciplines. To ensure research is relevant and meaningful for people living with FASD, their families, and the broader public there is a need to engage community members in setting priorities for research.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchOctober 2020Comparing Web-Based Mindfulness With Loving-Kindness and Compassion Training for Promoting Well-Being in Pregnancy: Protocol for a Three-Arm Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Promoting psychological well-being and preventing distress among pregnant women is an important public health goal. In addition to adversely impacting the mother's health and well-being, psychological distress in pregnancy increases the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes, compromises infant socioemotional development and bonding, and heightens maternal and child vulnerability in the postpartum period. Mindfulness and compassion-based interventions show potential for prevention and early intervention for perinatal distress.
Published research Child Disability ORIGINS Youth Mental HealthJune 2020A qualitative examination of the cognitive and behavioural challenges experienced by children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
The findings suggest consistency between caregivers in their reports of the difficulties experienced by children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Youth Mental HealthMarch 2020A preliminary investigation of the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on facial morphology in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
While early exposure to alcohol may influence the development of facial structures, it does not appear to be associated with ASD phenotypic variability
Autism Spectrum Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Child Disability Autism ResearchFebruary 2020Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: the importance of assessment, diagnosis and support in the Australian justice context
The current article outlines how individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder may experience inequities within the justice system
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Youth Mental HealthJanuary 2020Online self-compassion training to improve the wellbeing of youth with chronic medical conditions: Protocol for a randomised control trial
The Self-Compassion Online program could provide a scalable solution for improving psychological outcomes and quality of life among youth with chronic illness
Published research Youth Health Youth Mental HealthJanuary 2020The contributions of fetal growth restriction and gestational age to developmental outcomes at 12 months of age: A cohort study
Developmental assessment of infants with fetal growth restriction was mostly comparable to those born without fetal growth restriction at 12 months
Published research Child Disability Youth Mental HealthJune 2019Very Early Identification and Intervention for Infants at Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Transdiagnostic Approach
In this article, we examine the utility of a transdiagnostic, dimensional approach to very early identification and intervention for infants at risk of neurodevelopmental disorders
Published research Child Disability Autism Research Systems Immunology Youth Mental HealthApril 2019Common Pathways to NSSI and Suicide Ideation: The Roles of Rumination and Self-Compassion
The salience of self-compassion offers promise for early intervention initiatives focusing on less judgmental or self-critical means of self-relation
Published research Youth Mental Health -
Education and Qualifications
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Awards/Honours
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Active Collaborations