Senior Research Fellow; Study Coordinator
BPsych BSc (Hons) PhD
Areas of research expertise: epidemiology of autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities; genealogical registers and intergenerational research
Dr Glasson's major research interests include using population-based data to describe the epidemiology of developmental disorders, namely Rett syndrome, autism, intellectual disability and Down syndrome.
As well as early childhood research, Dr Glasson has research interests surrounding the age-related health profiles of intellectual disability and the disease profiles that characterise adulthood and senescence.
In 2003 Dr Glasson was appointed the coordinator of a new resource, the WA Family Connections Project which is a state-wide genealogy database that can be used in familial or genetic-based research involving linked health data. Dr Glasson still manages this resource at the WA Data Linkage Branch.
Dr Glasson developed Australia's first population-based Autism Register, which has collected continuous prospective data for 17 years under her coordination and now contains information on more than 5,000 cases.
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Projects
The Sibling Project focuses on the wellbeing, relationships and needs of children, adolescents and emerging adults who have a sibling with a developmental disability.
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Publications
November 2020
Investigating associations between birth order and autism diagnostic phenotypes
Birth order effects have been linked to variability in intelligence, educational attainment and sexual orientation. First- and later-born children have been linked to an increased likelihood of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis, with a smaller body of evidence implicating decreases in cognitive functioning with increased birth order. The present study investigated the potential association between birth order and ASD diagnostic phenotypes in a large and representative population sample.
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Autism Research Subsite: CliniKidsSeptember 2020Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Mental Health in Children
The behavioral phenotype of neurogenetic disorders associated with intellectual disability often includes psychiatric comorbidity. The objectives of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to systematically review the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and symptoms in children and adolescents
Published research Intellectual Disability Child Disability Youth HealthJuly 2020Survival of children and adolescents with intellectual disability following gastrostomy insertion
Whilst gastrostomy insertion was associated with lower survival rates than children without gastrostomy, survival improved with time
Published research Academic Biostatistics Intellectual Disability Child DisabilityApril 2020Hospital admissions in children with developmental disabilities from ethnic minority backgrounds
Children with CP and intellectual disability, particularly from minority backgrounds, were at higher risk of being admitted to hospital after the first year of life
Published research Academic Biostatistics Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Child DisabilityFebruary 2020Risk of Hospitalizations Following Gastrostomy in Children with Intellectual Disability
Gastrostomy was associated with health benefits including reduced all-cause and epilepsy hospitalizations, but was not protective against acute LRTI
Published research Intellectual Disability Child DisabilityFebruary 2020Prevalence of Motor Difficulties in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Analysis of a Population-Based Cohort
In this population-based cohort that included 2,084 children with autism aged ≤6 years, over one-third met the criteria for motor difficulties
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Child Disability Autism Research Youth Mental HealthJanuary 2020The misnomer of ‘high functioning autism’: Intelligence is an imprecise predictor of functional abilities at diagnosis
We argue that 'high functioning autism' is an inaccurate clinical descriptor when based solely on intelligence quotient demarcations
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Child Disability Autism ResearchJanuary 2019Risk of Developmental Disorders in Children of Immigrant Mothers: A Population-Based Data Linkage Evaluation
Increased risk of autism spectrum disorder with intellectual disability and cerebral palsy with intellectual disability for mothers of some foreign-born groups
Autism Spectrum Disorders Cerebral Palsy Published research Academic Biostatistics Intellectual Disability Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Child DisabilityMarch 2019Epidemiology of gastrostomy insertion for children and adolescents with intellectual disability
Gastrostomy is increasingly used in multiple neurological conditions associated with intellectual disability, with no apparent accessibility barriers
Published research Intellectual Disability Child DisabilityAugust 2019Are preterm birth and intra-uterine growth restriction more common in Western Australian children of immigrant backgrounds? A population based data linkage study
Our findings illustrate the vulnerabilities of children born to foreign women from low and middle-income countries
Published research Child DisabilitySeptember 2019Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder According to Maternal-Race Ethnicity and Country of Birth: A Register-Based Study
An increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children of immigrant backgrounds has been observed
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Child DisabilitySeptember 2019Recurrence Risk of Autism in Siblings and Cousins: A Multinational, Population-Based Study
The present estimates of relative recurrence risks for autism spectrum disorder and childhood autism will assist clinicians and families in understanding autism risk
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Child DisabilityOctober 2019Data Linkage: Canadian and Australian Perspectives on a Valuable Methodology for Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research
Building data linkage capabilities, and how linked databases can be used to identify persons with IDD and used for population-based research
Published research Developmental Pathways & Social Policy Child Disability Child EpidemiologyNovember 2018Evolving Trends of Gastrostomy Insertion Within a Pediatric Population
New gastrostomy insertion among children who require long-term enteral feeding support increased over the study period
Published research Child DisabilityMarch 2018The Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disabilities in Children of Immigrant and Refugee Parents: Current Knowledge and Directions for Future Research
We investigated the literature from 2002 to 2016 describing the risk of ASD, intellectual disability and ADHD in children of refugee and immigrant backgrounds.
Published research Academic Biostatistics Child DisabilityJanuary 2018The prevalence of mental health disorders and symptoms in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Mental health conditions and problems are often reported in children and adolescents with CP. A systematic review was undertaken to describe their prevalence.
Published research Health Promotion & Education Child Disability Autism ResearchFebruary 2016Improved Survival in Down Syndrome over the Last 60 Years and the Impact of Perinatal Factors in Recent Decades
Improved survival for children born with Down syndrome over the last 60 years has occurred incrementally, but disparities still exist
Published research Intellectual Disability Child DisabilityApril 2015The aggregation of early-onset melanoma in young Western Australian families
Results indicated a strong familial basis of melanoma, with the higher than expected hazard ratio observed likely to reflect early-age at onset cases in this...
Children's Cancers Published researchApril 2014The triple challenges associated with age-related comorbidities in Down syndrome
Major increases in the survival of people with Down syndrome during the last two generations have resulted in extended periods of adulthood requiring...
Published research Intellectual Disability Child DisabilityJanuary 2014The Western Australian family connections genealogical project: Detection of familial occurrences of single gene and chromosomal Disorders
This study utilised a Western Australian (WA) genealogical database for the identification of single gene and chromosome disorders among families.
Published research Intellectual Disability Child DisabilityFebruary 2013Hospitalisation rates for children with intellectual disability or autism born in Western Australia 1983-1999: A population-based cohort study
ID and/or ASD were found to be associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation compared with the remainder of the population.
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Academic Biostatistics Intellectual Disability Child DisabilityJanuary 2013Maternal Conditions and Perinatal Characteristics Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability
Findings show that indicators of a poor intrauterine environment are associated with an elevated risk of ID, while for ASD, and particularly ASD without ID,...
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Developmental Pathways & Social Policy Intellectual Disability Child DisabilityJanuary 2013Application of Population-Based Linked Data to the Study of Intellectual Disability and Autism
Data linkage is the bringing together of specific datasets from different sources using demographic information on individuals within a population.
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Developmental Pathways & Social Policy Intellectual Disability Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Child DisabilityMarch 2011Autism and intellectual disability are differentially related to sociodemographic background at birth
We used population data on Western Australian singletons born from 1984 to 1999 (n = 398,353) to examine the sociodemographic characteristics of children...
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Academic Biostatistics Intellectual Disability Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Child Disability Autism ResearchFebruary 2011A comparison of autism prevalence trends in Denmark and Western Australia
Prevalence statistics for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) vary widely across geographical boundaries. Some variation can be explained by diagnostic methods...
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Academic Biostatistics Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Child DisabilityJanuary 2011The impact of single gene and chromosomal disorders on hospital admissions of children and adolescents: A population-based study
It is well recognized that genetic disease makes a significant contribution to childhood illness. Here, we present recent population data describing...
Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Child DisabilityOctober 2010Unpacking the complex nature of the autism epidemic
The etiology of autism spectrum disorders is unknown but there are claims of increasing prevalence in many countries.
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Child DisabilityFebruary 2010Unpacking the complex nature of the autism epidemic
This paper discusses changes in diagnostic criteria, decreasing age at diagnosis, improved case ascertainment, diagnostic substitution, and social influences.
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Child Disability Autism ResearchJanuary 2010Increased longevity and the comorbidities associated with intellectual and developmental disability
The contributors, all world experts in their fields, also discuss what we can learn from the presence of co-morbidities.
Published research Intellectual Disability -
Education and Qualifications