Social development and psychopathology
Our group investigates a range of developmental social impairments in childhood and their clinical consequences. These include:
1. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD):
Developmental studies of early parent-child social interactions in both infants at risk of developing autism and in pre-school children diagnosed with autism.
Development and testing of early interventions for autism in infancy and preschool periods, including the Intervention within the British Autism Study of Infant Siblings (iBASIS) and the Preschool Autism Communication (PACT) trials.
Genetics and neurodevelopment: We study the presence of ASD in other neurodevelopmental disorders of known genetic origin which can give insight into the treatment of these disorders and also illuminate ASD more generally (neurofibromatosis type 1).
We are collaborators in the International Molecular Genetic Study of Autism Consortium (IMGSAC) and in the British Autism Study of Infant Siblings (BASIS).
2. Attachment and Social Development:
Measurement and study of childrens’ representations of attachment relationships using the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST).
Social Outcomes after early trauma and adversity, including study of Reactive and Disinhinited Attachment Disorder (SOCiAL).
An observational measure of childrens’ social behaviour in the playground setting – the Manchester Inventory for Playground Observation (MIPO).
Clinical Trials:
We have a focus on running clinical trials of theoretically driven interventions for these problems as well as wider problems in child mental health (eg. Self harm intervention with family therapy; SHIFT).
The aim of these is both to identify useful clinical interventions for practice and also to use clinical trials as a way of investigating basic science questions. In these trials we collaborate with methodologists and bio-statisticians in the MRC funded trials methodology research group (led by Professor Graham Dunn).
Within this group we study treatment process in trials, therapeutic alliance and new ways of analysing causal inferences in trial results.
Instruments:
During our work we have developed a range of instruments for both research and clinical use that are now widely used in the research and clinical communities. Amongst these:
• Manchester Child Attachment Story Task
• Manchester Inventory for Playground Observation
• Family Engagement Questionnaire for therapeutic alliance in treatments
Further information:
• Research projects: ongoing/completed
• Research projects: PhD/MPhil
• Publications
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