The Development of Social, Attention, and Perception Abilities in Typical and At-risk Infants
Lead Research Organisation:
Birkbeck, University of London
Department Name: Psychological Sciences
Abstract
Diagnosis of developmental disorders such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rarely occurs prior to 3 years. Thus, there is very little known about the emergence of these disorders during infancy. It is important to identify the earliest symptoms of these conditions for three reasons: (1) as it allows us to see symptoms in their original "pure" form before a child's difficulties becomes compounded by years of atypical development, (2) it enables us to discover early risk signs suggesting the infant's development needs close monitoring, and (3) it allows us to potentially intervene in the course of development before the onset of the full syndrome - a strategy that some believe may be more effective than waiting until a disorder is fully established. This grant addresses these issues in three parts.
In the first Part (A) we will expand on our current studies of infants at-risk for a later diagnosis of autism to also include infants at-risk for ADHD (by virtue of being the younger brother or sister of an older child already diagnosed with ADHD). We will compare the development of brain and cognitive functions in typical (low-risk) infants, and those at-risk for autism and ADHD, using a variety of baby-friendly methods such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) while in natural sleep, EEG (electroencephalography), eye-tracking, and parent-infant interaction. We have chosen to compare autism and ADHD risk for several reasons. One of these is to determine how specific the early warning signs are for particular later outcomes. Another reason is that we know that there is some shared genetic risk between these disorders, and that they quite commonly co-occur in the same children. Part A is embedded within national and international collaborative networks in order to increase the number of babies studied on some key measures, and correspondingly increase our ability to detect effects.
While in Part A we search for the earliest appearing markers and symptoms, in Part B we will initiate work on potential early interventions. Specifically, we will build on our recent study on improving attention skills in typical (low-risk) infants by engaging them in eye-tracker controlled "games" in which they track moving objects on a screen. We will extend this work in several ways to make the training programme more suitable as a potential intervention for infants at-risk for ADHD, e.g. by greatly extending the period of training, and by taking advantage of new technology to allow for some training sessions to take place in the infant's home.
In Part C we plan a new line of basic research that can also be extended to infants at-risk in the future. While we know much about the early development of vision and auditory processing, very little research has been done on the sense of touch. Touch is important to study for many reasons, including that it is a primary mode of sensory interaction with parents. We will use several imaging methods to learn about the development of brain regions important for basic aspects of touch, social touch, and the infants emerging multi-sensory perception of its own body.
In the first Part (A) we will expand on our current studies of infants at-risk for a later diagnosis of autism to also include infants at-risk for ADHD (by virtue of being the younger brother or sister of an older child already diagnosed with ADHD). We will compare the development of brain and cognitive functions in typical (low-risk) infants, and those at-risk for autism and ADHD, using a variety of baby-friendly methods such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) while in natural sleep, EEG (electroencephalography), eye-tracking, and parent-infant interaction. We have chosen to compare autism and ADHD risk for several reasons. One of these is to determine how specific the early warning signs are for particular later outcomes. Another reason is that we know that there is some shared genetic risk between these disorders, and that they quite commonly co-occur in the same children. Part A is embedded within national and international collaborative networks in order to increase the number of babies studied on some key measures, and correspondingly increase our ability to detect effects.
While in Part A we search for the earliest appearing markers and symptoms, in Part B we will initiate work on potential early interventions. Specifically, we will build on our recent study on improving attention skills in typical (low-risk) infants by engaging them in eye-tracker controlled "games" in which they track moving objects on a screen. We will extend this work in several ways to make the training programme more suitable as a potential intervention for infants at-risk for ADHD, e.g. by greatly extending the period of training, and by taking advantage of new technology to allow for some training sessions to take place in the infant's home.
In Part C we plan a new line of basic research that can also be extended to infants at-risk in the future. While we know much about the early development of vision and auditory processing, very little research has been done on the sense of touch. Touch is important to study for many reasons, including that it is a primary mode of sensory interaction with parents. We will use several imaging methods to learn about the development of brain regions important for basic aspects of touch, social touch, and the infants emerging multi-sensory perception of its own body.
Technical Summary
Diagnosis of developmental disorders such as ASD and ADHD rarely occurs prior to 3 years, resulting in little being known about the emergence of these disorders during infancy. In Part A of the grant we will expand our existing study of infant siblings at familial risk for ASD to also include infants at familial risk for ADHD/attention difficulties. We will compare the development of social and attention abilities using several baby-friendly neuroimaging methods (sMRI, fMRI, NIRS, EEG, ERP), eye-tracking and touch screen tasks, parent-infant interaction, and questionnaire and clinical assessments. By studying infants at-risk for ASD and ADHD on the same measures at 4, 8-10, 14-16, 24 and 36 months we can determine how specific early markers are for particular later outcomes, and address issues about the early development of co-morbidity. Part A is embedded within collaborative national and international networks that will increase sample size and power for key measures. In Part B we will initiate work on potential early interventions by building on our recent study demonstrating improved attention skills in low-risk infants following training on gaze-contingent attention "games". We will extend this training study in several ways to make it more applicable to groups of infants at-risk, including increasing the training period and following up the effects of training more frequently. While we know much about the early development of vision and auditory processing, comparatively little research has been done on tactile perception. This is important to study, as it is a primary mode of interaction with parents. In Part C we will use several imaging methods to develop new paradigms for tracking the neurodevelopment of basic tactile perception, social touch, and the emerging multi-sensory perception of the infant's own body.
Planned Impact
We envisage several groups of non-academic beneficiaries for our research; (i) the families of children at-risk for developmental disorders, (ii) parents with a general interest in child development, (iii) policy-makers within government interested in investment in early child development and intervention, (iv) professionals, managers and commissioners in NHS, responsible for the care of individuals with autism/ADHD and their families, and (v) commercial enterprises interested in new software and hardware development to aid attention and learning early in life, and in the development of treatments for autism and ADHD.
Autism and ADHD are lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders that in many cases bring considerable burden and cost to the individual, their family and society. About 1% of children are on the autism spectrum and the prevalence for ADHD is estimated at 5%. Recent estimates of the UK annual societal cost of ASD exceed £27 billion. Total ADHD annual cost in the US has been put at between $143 and $266 billion. Recent financial analyses show that even high cost early intervention has the potential for large lifetime cost savings. The study of at-risk infant siblings remains an important and powerful approach in uncovering the early signs of autism and ADHD through identifying neuropsychological and neurophysiological hallmarks in infancy. This knowledge is important for early detection, improving diagnostic strategies, and providing the basis for early interventions aimed at improving the quality of life of those who are affected.
In Part B of the grant we will develop work on infant-directed early intervention through the use of gaze-contingent eye-tracking. Although the appeal of brain enhancement entertainment products is widespread (e.g. US consumers are reported to have spent $1.6 billion on technology based learning products) the market is currently served by very few (if any) initiatives that are scientifically tested. Furthermore there is a gap in the market for entertaining interactive computerised products that are aimed solely at cognitive enhancement of babies. According to the national statistics for live births, in the UK the total potential market is ~765,000 per year in England, Wales and Scotland. The first year of life is a critical period of rapid neural and cognitive development which lays the foundation for cognitive abilities and educational performance in later life. Targeted cognitive training during infancy has the potential to capitalise on neural plasticity and have the maximum impact on cognitive function such as attentional control.
We will continue to seek opportunities to influence government policy in the area of child development. These opportunities include (1) invitations to attend formal and informal events at the Houses of Parliament, some through our charity collaborators (project partner, Autistica), (2) invitations to contribute to specific policy groups (e.g. Johnson was consultant on the Byron Report), and (3) opportunities for secondments for team members (e.g. research fellow Gliga had a 3-month secondment to the Houses of Parliament).
Autism and ADHD are lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders that in many cases bring considerable burden and cost to the individual, their family and society. About 1% of children are on the autism spectrum and the prevalence for ADHD is estimated at 5%. Recent estimates of the UK annual societal cost of ASD exceed £27 billion. Total ADHD annual cost in the US has been put at between $143 and $266 billion. Recent financial analyses show that even high cost early intervention has the potential for large lifetime cost savings. The study of at-risk infant siblings remains an important and powerful approach in uncovering the early signs of autism and ADHD through identifying neuropsychological and neurophysiological hallmarks in infancy. This knowledge is important for early detection, improving diagnostic strategies, and providing the basis for early interventions aimed at improving the quality of life of those who are affected.
In Part B of the grant we will develop work on infant-directed early intervention through the use of gaze-contingent eye-tracking. Although the appeal of brain enhancement entertainment products is widespread (e.g. US consumers are reported to have spent $1.6 billion on technology based learning products) the market is currently served by very few (if any) initiatives that are scientifically tested. Furthermore there is a gap in the market for entertaining interactive computerised products that are aimed solely at cognitive enhancement of babies. According to the national statistics for live births, in the UK the total potential market is ~765,000 per year in England, Wales and Scotland. The first year of life is a critical period of rapid neural and cognitive development which lays the foundation for cognitive abilities and educational performance in later life. Targeted cognitive training during infancy has the potential to capitalise on neural plasticity and have the maximum impact on cognitive function such as attentional control.
We will continue to seek opportunities to influence government policy in the area of child development. These opportunities include (1) invitations to attend formal and informal events at the Houses of Parliament, some through our charity collaborators (project partner, Autistica), (2) invitations to contribute to specific policy groups (e.g. Johnson was consultant on the Byron Report), and (3) opportunities for secondments for team members (e.g. research fellow Gliga had a 3-month secondment to the Houses of Parliament).
Publications
Christoforou M
(2023)
Executive function profiles of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A systematic review
in JCPP Advances
Constantino JN
(2021)
Clinical and Translational Implications of an Emerging Developmental Substructure for Autism.
in Annual review of clinical psychology
D'Souza D
(2015)
Concurrent Relations between Face Scanning and Language: A Cross-Syndrome Infant Study.
in PloS one
D'Souza D
(2016)
Audio-visual speech perception in infants and toddlers with Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, and Williams syndrome.
in Infant behavior & development
Dasgupta J
(2016)
Translating neuroscience to the front lines: point-of-care detection of neuropsychiatric disorders.
in The lancet. Psychiatry
De Klerk CC
(2014)
Face engagement during infancy predicts later face recognition ability in younger siblings of children with autism.
in Developmental science
De Klerk CC
(2015)
An EEG study on the somatotopic organisation of sensorimotor cortex activation during action execution and observation in infancy.
in Developmental cognitive neuroscience
De Klerk CC
(2015)
Baby steps: investigating the development of perceptual-motor couplings in infancy.
in Developmental science
Description | Book Trust Review on Human, Cognitive and Behavioural Development |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Description | Report for the Vatican Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
Description | Wellcome Trust workshop for funders |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Description | Action Medical Research |
Amount | £195,418 (GBP) |
Organisation | Action Medical Research |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2015 |
End | 02/2018 |
Description | Action Medical Research |
Amount | £199,987 (GBP) |
Organisation | Action Medical Research |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 11/2015 |
End | 02/2019 |
Description | Attention control training for infants at risk of ADHD |
Amount | £497,454 (GBP) |
Funding ID | MQ14PP83 |
Organisation | MQ Mental Health Research |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2015 |
End | 09/2018 |
Description | Developing brain function-for-age curves using novel biomarkers of neurocognitive development from birth in Gambian and UK infants |
Amount | £1,051,623 (GGP) |
Funding ID | OPP1127625 |
Organisation | Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start | 03/2015 |
End | 12/2019 |
Description | Human neurocognitive development: Early-stage processing, modifiers, and outcomes |
Amount | £213,380,751 (GBP) |
Funding ID | MR/T003057/1 |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 12/2019 |
End | 11/2024 |
Description | Leverhulme Small Research Grant |
Amount | £9,809 (GBP) |
Funding ID | SG140749 |
Organisation | The British Academy |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2014 |
End | 02/2016 |
Description | MQ Psy-IMPACT programme |
Amount | £497,454 (GBP) |
Organisation | MQ Mental Health Research |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2015 |
End | 09/2018 |
Description | Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Networks (ETN) |
Amount | € 3,888,945 (EUR) |
Organisation | European Commission |
Department | Horizon 2020 |
Sector | Public |
Country | European Union (EU) |
Start | 01/2015 |
End | 12/2018 |
Description | Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks: INTERLEARN: Individualised Interventions in Learning: Bridging Advanced Learning Science and 21st Century Technology. |
Amount | € 1,342,368 (EUR) |
Funding ID | 721895 |
Organisation | European Commission |
Sector | Public |
Country | European Union (EU) |
Start | 11/2016 |
End | 10/2020 |
Description | Medical Research Council Global Health |
Amount | £232,406 (GBP) |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2018 |
End | 02/2019 |
Description | Novel Approaches to Early Detection and Treatment of ASD |
Amount | $2,086,742 (CAD) |
Funding ID | RES0027838 |
Organisation | Brain Canada Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | Canada |
Start | 03/2016 |
End | 03/2019 |
Description | Research Grant |
Amount | £698,245 (GBP) |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2018 |
End | 05/2021 |
Description | Research Grant |
Amount | £59,387 (GBP) |
Organisation | The Waterloo Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2018 |
End | 10/2019 |
Description | Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship |
Amount | £250,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2014 |
End | 04/2018 |
Description | Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship: Establishing objective measures for identifying children with Autism Spectrum Disorders using eye-tracking technology in the UK and India. |
Amount | £250,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 204706/Z/16/Z |
Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2017 |
End | 04/2021 |
Title | Functional brain imaging in infants |
Description | We continued to improve several methods for the non-invasive measurement of brain function in babies, including advanced ERP and EEG methods and analyses, and (in collaboration - see G0300025) - optical imaging. |
Type Of Material | Physiological assessment or outcome measure |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | We were the first lab in the UK (and 2nd in the world) to use the advanced ERP and EEG methods with babies. There are now at least 7 other labs in the UK alone using the same technology and methods. |
Title | Optical imaging in babies |
Description | The use of near-infrared spectroscopy to study brain function in babies |
Type Of Material | Physiological assessment or outcome measure |
Year Produced | 2006 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | See the associated MRC Co-Operative Group Component Grant within this Co-op group. (PI: Clare Elwell ref: G0400120) |
URL | http://www.cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/research/nirs-cbcd-headgear-plugin-1/nirs-cbcd-headgear-plugin |
Description | BRIGHT Project |
Organisation | University College London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | This BRIGHT project will compare brain development from birth between groups of infants growing up in rural Gambia and those growing up in the UK, providing information about the effects of malnutrition and other risk factors and where best to target assistance. Our expertise in infant brain development led to this collaboration. |
Collaborator Contribution | UCL Medical Physics are experts in NIRS technology used in the Bright project, and there are nutrianists on the team from MRC International Nutrition Group, MRC Unit, The Gambia. |
Impact | Data collection is ongoing. The Brain Imaging for Global HealTh (BRIGHT) Project is a collaborative project led by a team of researchers from University College London, Birkbeck University of London, the Medical Research Council Units in the Gambia and Cambridge, as well as Cambridge University Hospitals. The project is a longitudinal study from birth to 24 months of age, following 200 Gambian infants and 50 infants living in the UK. The aim of the project is to establish brain function-for-age curves of infants in both these settings, in order to gain an insight into the effects that malnutrition, social or environmental difficulties and increased risk of disease, as well as other issues related to living in a low-resource context, may have on infant development. 1 in every 4 children worldwide are undernourished before they reach the age of 5 (UNICEF, 2013), and 1 in every 2 children is thought to live in poverty (Currie & Almond, 2011). However, although there is a large amount of research that highlights the detrimental impact that these conditions have on infant development, not much is known about the neural basis of these consequences. The BRIGHT Project intends to shed some light into this research area by not only tracking development through behavioural assessments, anthropometrical measures and questionnaires, but also through the implementation of neuroimaging techniques such as Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) and Electroencephalography (EEG). In this way The BRIGHT Project is providing the first ever brain imaging of infants in Africa! |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | IMI EU-AIMS |
Organisation | European Commission |
Department | Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) |
Country | Belgium |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Lead Workpackage 4 for 'Eurosibs' team to collect common measures in infant siblings of children with autism |
Collaborator Contribution | To collect common measures in infant siblings of children with autism |
Impact | Project is underway and testing in 4 different European labs including ours has begun. |
Start Year | 2012 |
Title | Attention training in babies |
Description | We have developed cognitive training for babies during the first years of life. This is currently under discussion with MRC Technology. |
Type | Preventative Intervention - Behavioural risk modification |
Current Stage Of Development | Initial development |
Year Development Stage Completed | 2011 |
Development Status | Actively seeking support |
Impact | We have published a paper as a proof of concept. |
Title | Autism biomarker protocol |
Description | Biomarker protocol for stratification of autism. Includes eye tracker and ERP measures. Has received validation from the European Medicines Association. |
Type | Diagnostic Tool - Imaging |
Current Stage Of Development | Initial development |
Year Development Stage Completed | 2016 |
Development Status | Under active development/distribution |
Impact | Please see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26718285. |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26718285 |
Title | NIRS optical imaging in babies |
Description | See the associated MRC Co-Operative Group Component Grant within this Co-op group. (PI: Clare Elwell ref: G0400120) |
Type | Support Tool - For Fundamental Research |
Current Stage Of Development | Initial development |
Year Development Stage Completed | 2008 |
Development Status | Under active development/distribution |
Impact | See the associated MRC Co-Operative Group Component Grant within this Co-op group. (PI: Clare Elwell ref: G0400120) |
URL | http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys/research/borl/nirs/nirs/current_projects/funct_infant/probe_dev |
Description | Autism predicted by how babies' brains respond to touch |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Press release detailing novel research findings to the public. Published by Birkbeck News and shared across various social media platforms (including LinkedIn, Twitter, Birkbeck Newsletter email). Further shared by University of East Anglia. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.bbk.ac.uk/news/autism-predicted-by-how-babies2019-brains-respond-to-touch |
Description | BASIS Annual Meeting Talk |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | In October 2018, Dr Amy Goodwin included an introduction to the InterSTAARS study in her talk at the British Autism Study of Infant Siblings (BASIS) Annual Scientific Meeting. Families who have children with autism and ADHD, and who have participated in the STAARS project (into which the InterSTAARS study is embedded), were invited to attend this event. Talk Title: Attention and activity levels in infants with a first degree relative with ADHD |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
Description | BASIS Annual Scientific Meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Annual Meeting of BASIS and related scientists to showcase recent research. This annual meeting has drawn interest from young scientists now interested in working in the field. It has also drawn interest from other national and international groups who now either run, or plan to run affiliated studies, and/or share data across groups. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017 |
URL | http://www.basisnetwork.org/ |
Description | BASIS Newsletter |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
Results and Impact | Newsletter sent out to participants and families on BASIS (British Autism Study of Infant Siblings) database >400 families. Used as a recruitment source and also given to funders, clinicians, and other interested parties. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012,2014 |
URL | https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3708084/BASISnewsltr2011.pdf |
Description | BBC Horizon Living with Autism |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Horizon special showcased our research on 'high-risk' siblings of children with autism. Increased public knowledge of our research |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0404861 |
Description | BBC London STAARS Study |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Interview of research staff was aired on Breakfast news and increased hit rate on website. We had some requests for further information. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-27069591 |
Description | BBC Radio 5 Live Interview |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Unknown Increased public knowledge of our research |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04573vh. |
Description | BBC World News |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | BBC World News interview to discuss autism research |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | BBC2; Babies: Their Wonderful World |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Three part series on BBC2 "Babies: Their Wonderful World" featured research completed at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development in all episodes. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bt7v16 |
Description | Basis EXPO event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | A workshop on the use of eye-tracking in infant research for Parents and older children involved in the research at Birkbeck Babylab |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Birkbeck Collage Royal Visit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Demonstrating the Interstaars study as part of the research conducted by Birkbeck Babylab to Princess Anne during a visit to Birkbeck College |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Birkbeck One World Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Dr Emily Jones presented the study while a research assistant demonstrated data collection techniques using an eye tracker and the audience participated. There was interesting question and answer period with open discussion. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/one-world-festival-beauty-in-the-brain-tickets-49641299463# |
Description | Birkbeck Science Week |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Members of the public attended talks during science week which also had question and answer sessions. This sparked interest from potential students in Birkbeck School of Science. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016 |
URL | http://www.bbk.ac.uk/science/about-us/events/science-week |
Description | Birkbeck Science week event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Demonstrating the Interstaars study to staff and students attending a science week event at Birkbeck College |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Boy brain, girl brain? TRIGGER / BabyLab lunch-time seminar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Seminar was on 7th December and students attended. Seminar abstract: Many psychiatric disorders are more common either in boys (e.g. autism) or in girls (e.g. anxiety). Animal models of development and human studies have revealed early biological differences between sexes, present even before birth, which might explain differences in susceptibility to risk factors. Surprisingly, studies of typical infant cognition (like those carried out at the Babylab), rarely yield differences in performance between boys and girls. The study of atypical development may be a more fruitful avenue of research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://www.bbk.ac.uk/trigger/news/boy-brain-girl-brain-trigger-babylab-lunch-time-seminar-on-7-decem... |
Description | CAPA - The Global Education Network Lab Visit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Showing 17 students and two Professors from University of Pittsburgh around the Babylab explaining the different methodology used in the lab and demonstrating the Interstaars study |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Contributing author and Consultant, Watch my Baby Grow |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Contributing author and Consultant, Watch my Baby Grow (2015), Dorling Kindersley, 224 pages http://www.dk.com/uk/9781409368007-watch-my-baby-grow/ |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.dk.com/uk/9781409368007-watch-my-baby-grow/ |
Description | Early Autism talk at Google |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Jones, E.J.H. (May, 2018). Early Autism. Google, London, UK |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Getting answers from babies about autism. Presentation to Neurodiversity workshop at Accenture |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Jones, E.J.H. & Charman, T. (March, 2017). "Getting answers from babies about autism". Presentation to Neurodiversity workshop, Accenture, London, UK. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Interactive talk held on zoom open to public to explain research about the STAARS study and biomarkers of ASD and/or ADHD |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interactive talk held on zoom open to public to explain research about the STAARS study and biomarkers of ASD and/or ADHD |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | International Society for Autism Research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Wan, M.W., Garg, S., Kolesnik, A.M., Jones, E.J.H, Green, J., Johnson, M.H. & EDEN-BASIS team. Parent-infant interaction in infants with Neurofibromatosis Type 1. INSAR, Rotterdam, 2018. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://insar.confex.com/insar/2018/webprogram/Paper27785.html |
Description | Into Univerisity |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Pembroke House in SE London brought a group of 16-18 year olds to CBCD to spend a day hearing workshops on reserach, doing lab tour and Q&A regarding applying for and attending University. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015 |
URL | http://intouniversity.org/ |
Description | Keynote Lecture: Society for Research in Child Development |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | The Society for Research in Child Development is the largest child psychology organisation internationally with over 25,000 members. This was one of three keynote lectures delivered at their annual scientific meeting. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Lab visit by MP Chris Skidmore and Birkbeck Master |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Demonstrating the Interstaars study set up and protocol to Birkbeck's Master and MP, for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, Chris Skidmore. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | London ADHD Research Forum |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | London ADHD Research Forum held on 30th January 2018 at the University of East London (UeL). The London ADHD Research Forum aims to bring together ADHD researchers from universities across London and the UK, and it was a great opportunity to share our InterSTAARS study with experts in the field of ADHD. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Magazine Article in Pioneer |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | PREDICTING AUTISM Pioneering study could help to predict autism in babies with a rare genetic disease |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Optimising physiological measurements in infants and toddlers |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Webinar given to Biopac customers/users about the best ways to get data from infants and toddlers with ECG, GSR and EMG |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Polka Theatre Collaboration |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Birkbeck Babylab collaborated with Polka Theatre to put on theatre show for parents and infants. Parents were also invited to participate in research at the theatre. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Pregnancy and the Brain talk at Google |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Jones, E.J.H. (Feb, 2018). Pregnancy and the Brain. Google, London, UK. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Presentation at 5th EUNETHYDIS Interational Conference on ADHD in Edinburgh |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Dr Amy Goodwin shared study progress with the 5th EUNETHYDIS International Conference on ADHD in Edinburgh in Sept 2018. Title: Attention control training for infants with a family history of ADHD |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://adhd-institute.com/meetings-events/congress-reports/day-4-5th-eunethydis-international-confe... |
Description | Presentation at the NF department at Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital- October 2016 . |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Fifteen members of the NF service attended this meeting, including child neurologists, geneticists, NF specialist nurses. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | School Visits |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Lab team members have given talks about science to local schools, classes range in size from 24-35, in primary and secondary schools. The schools have asked for more talks, and have asked for older students to do 'work placements' in our Centre. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015 |
Description | Talk at J-EUNETHYDIS Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk at J-EUNETHYDIS Conference (Edinburgh, UK), September 2018 Title: Behavioural and neural correlates of attention in infants at familial risk for ADHD |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Talk given at the Joint Global Neurofibromatosis Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 'Early development and autism risk in Neurofibromatosis Type 1' Talk given at the Joint Global Neurofibromatosis Conference; Paris November 2018. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://www.nf-paris2018.com/EventPortal/Information/EventInformation.aspx?EventInformationPageCode=W... |
Description | The Big Baby Experiment, Nature News Feature |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Nature News Feature on the Birkbeck Babylab featured major discoveries from CBCD. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.nature.com/news/the-big-baby-experiment-1.18701 |
Description | The Birkbeck One World Festival 2018 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Project presentation during Birkbeck One World Festival |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | The Otto Wolf lecture 2021 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The Otto Wolf lecture at the Institute for Child Health at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, is an annual event delivered by an expert lecturer, and aimed at both researchers and practitioners. An on-line audience of 250-300 attended the lecture. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | The Predictive Learning Study: Understanding media choices in early development |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Outreach publication detailing findings emerged from the Predictive Learning Study and future directions of investigation. Published by Research Outreach (a platform for sharing with the public research findings) and shared across various social media platforms (including LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://researchoutreach.org/community-content/predictive-learning-study-understanding-media-choices... |
Description | UNESCO funded, Science Museum lates, Representing the women in science grant and Birkbeck babylab |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Demonstrating portable eye-tracking technology in the context of the Interstaars study protocol |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Understanding why some children enjoy TV more than others |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Public dissemination across various social media platforms (including LinkedIn, Twitter, BBK News website, BBK Alumni Newsletter, etc). The press has received considerable attention and various journalists/bloggers have discussed the findings (i.e. the paper has currently an Altmetric score of 132). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | http://www.bbk.ac.uk/news/understanding-why-some-children-enjoy-tv-more-than-others?fbclid=IwAR2OC6c... |
Description | What do babies think about? |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Public engagement project led by Madeleine Payne (PhD student, UCL ICN) for adolescents to ask scientists questions. Recorded a voice response to the question "What do babies think about?" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |