Search
Research
Towards evidence based care for Rett syndrome: a research model to inform management of rare disordersHelen Jenny Leonard Downs HM JA MBChB MPH BApplSci (physio) MSc PhD Principal Research Fellow Program Head, Development and Disability +61 419 956
News & Events
Research enriching the lives of girls with Rett syndromeA program developed by The Kids Research Institute Australia researcher Dr Jenny Downs has led to dramatic improvements in the functioning of Chinese children with Rett syndrome, and could change the world.
Research
Does gastrostomy improve the lives of children with severe disability and their families?Approximately 13,000 children in Australia live with moderate to severe intellectual disability.
Research
Psychometric evaluation of clinician- and caregiver-reported clinical severity assessments for individuals with CDKL5 deficiency disorderThe CDKL5 Clinical Severity Assessment is a comprehensive, content-validated measurement tool capturing the diverse challenges of cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 deficiency disorder, a genetically caused developmental epileptic encephalopathy. The CCSA is divided into clinician-reported and caregiver-reported assessments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factor structure of these measures through confirmatory factor analysis and evaluate their validity and reliability.
Research
Italian Version of QI-Disability for QoL Evaluation in Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disability: Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation ProcessChildren and adolescents with Intellectual Disability experience a worse Quality-of-Life (QoL) relative to typically developing peers. Thus, QoL evaluation is important for identifying support needs and improving rehabilitation effectiveness. Nevertheless, currently in Italy there are not tools with this scope. This study aims to translate and cross-culturally adapt the Quality-of-Life Inventory-Disability into Italian.
Research
Can RESPiratory hospital Admissions in children with cerebral palsy be reduced? A feasibility randomised Controlled Trial pilot study protocol (RESP-ACT)The most common cause of morbidity and mortality in children with severe cerebral palsy (CP) is respiratory disease. BREATHE-CP (Better REspiratory and Airway Treatment and HEalth in Cerebral Palsy) is a multidisciplinary research team who have conducted research on the risk factors associated with CP respiratory disease, a systematic review on management and a Delphi study on the development of a consensus for the prevention and management of respiratory disease in CP.
Research
Interobserver Agreement When Diagnosing Hypoventilation in Children With Neuromuscular DisordersNeuromuscular disorders can lead to nocturnal hypoventilation. Accurate diagnosis of hypoventilation is imperative to guide treatment decisions. This study determined interobserver agreement for a number of definitions of nocturnal hypoventilation in children and adolescents with neuromuscular disorders.
Research
Effects of ganaxolone on non-seizure outcomes in CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder: Double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trialCDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a rare developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. Ganaxolone, a neuroactive steroid, reduces the frequency of major motor seizures in children with CDD. This analysis explored the effect of ganaxolone on non-seizure outcomes.
Research
Patient-advocate-led global coalition adapting fit-for-purpose outcomes measures to assure meaningful inclusion of DEEs in clinical trialsExisting clinical tools that measure non-seizure outcomes lack the range and granularity needed to capture skills in developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE)-affected individuals who also fall in the severe to profound range of intellectual disability. This effectively excludes those with severe impairments from clinical trials, impeding the ability of sponsors to evaluate disease-modifying therapies.