Senior Research Fellow
PhD
Melissa is a Senior Research Fellow in Child Disability at the Telethon Kids Institute. She is currently leading a program of research within the team investigating the clinical presentation and intervention for movement-related difficulties in children with neurodevelopmental and neurological conditions.
Melissa sits on the boards for Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) Australia Inc., the Australian DCD Alliance, and is the Australian representative on the working board for the International Society for Research into DCD. She is leading a national advocacy project (the Impact for DCD Initiative) working to improve awareness and support of movement-related difficulties, including identification and diagnostic practice and delivery of evidence-based interventions. She has also authored a children’s book (‘Sometimes I Find It Hard to Move My Body’).
Melissa holds an honours degree in Science (University of Western Australia), completed doctoral studies examining motor function in children with neurodevelopmental conditions (University of Western Australia), and is an accredited exercise physiologist (AEP, Murdoch University). She has over ten years’ experience working as a lecturer and researcher, along with over 15 years clinical experience coordinating and directing movement programs for children with neurodevelopmental conditions.
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Projects
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Publications
November 2022
Characterising the Early Presentation of Motor Difficulties in Autistic Children
This study aimed to explore the rates of motor difficulties in children from the Australian Autism Biobank, and how early motor concerns impacted on children functionally.
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Autism Research Subsite: CliniKidsAugust 2022A longitudinal examination of perinatal testosterone, estradiol and vitamin D as predictors of handedness outcomes in childhood and adolescence
The developmental origins of handedness remain elusive, though very early emergence suggests individual differences manifesting in utero could play an important role. Prenatal testosterone and Vitamin D exposure are considered, yet findings and interpretations remain equivocal.
Published research Vitamin D and Sunlight Child Disability Subsite: CliniKids Child disabilityAugust 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 disabilityFebruary 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 Disorders Published research Early Childhood Development Child Disability Autism Research Youth Mental Health Developmental Coordination DisorderJanuary 2021The unmet clinical needs of children with developmental coordination disorder
The aim of this study was to understand the challenges experienced by families obtaining a diagnosis and therapy for developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Parents of 435 children aged 4-18 years with persistent motor difficulties consistent with a diagnosis of DCD completed an online survey. Diagnostic timeline and diagnostic label/s received were examined, along with therapies accessed.
Published research Subsite: Autism & Related Disorders Subsite: CliniKids Developmental Coordination DisorderAugust 2021Investigating 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.
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Academic Biostatistics Child Disability Autism Research Diabetes and Obesity Subsite: CliniKidsJuly 2021Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in autism spectrum disorder: Protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled clinical trial
There are no well-established biomedical treatments for the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A small number of studies suggest that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, may improve clinical and cognitive outcomes in ASD.
Autism Spectrum Disorders Published research Autism Research Subsite: Autism & Related Disorders Subsite: CliniKidsMay 2021The course and prognostic capability of motor difficulties in infants showing early signs of autism
Delays within the motor domain are often overlooked as an early surveillance marker for autism. The present study evaluated motor difficulties and its potential as an early predictive marker for later autism likelihood in a cohort of infants showing early behavioral signs of autism aged 9-14 months. The motor domain was evaluated using the motor subscales of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning at baseline, and at a 6-month follow-up.
Published research Academic Biostatistics Autism Research Subsite: Autism & Related Disorders Subsite: CliniKidsNovember 2020Investigating 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: CliniKidsMay 2020Predicting outcome following mild traumatic brain injury: Protocol for the longitudinal, prospective, observational Concussion Recovery (CREST) cohort study
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a complex injury with heterogeneous physical, cognitive, emotional and functional outcomes. Many who sustain mTBI recover within 2 weeks of injury; however, approximately 10%-20% of individuals experience mTBI symptoms beyond this 'typical' recovery timeframe, known as persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS). Despite increasing interest in PPCS, uncertainty remains regarding its prevalence in community-based populations and the extent to which poor recovery may be identified using early predictive markers.
Published research Autism Research