Complications during birth, or birth occurring well before full development in the womb, increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. These disorders impact the brain's functioning and neurological development in various ways. Examples include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disability. My primary focus is on autism within the neonatal high-risk group.
In my research project, we are investigating the effectiveness of the parental screening tool M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) within the neonatal high-risk group. Additionally, we are developing a digital parental support program aimed at enhancing the social and communication skills of premature children. Our parental support program is an adaptation of an intervention initially developed by Professor Jonathan Green and his team in Manchester, later refined by Professor Andrew Whitehouse and colleagues at the Telethon Kids Institute in Australia.
The intervention involves video-recording parent-child interactions during everyday activities and providing feedback to parents based on these recordings. The intervention aims to strengthen parent-child relationships, improve parental sensitivity and responsiveness, and promote positive social and communicative behaviors in children.