EVENT: Psychology Colloquium: Andrew Whitehouse - Achieving the major clinical goals of autism research: Why psychology is necessary, but not sufficient.

Presenter: Prof Andrew Whitehouse

Professor Andrew Whitehouse directs the Autism Research Team at the Telethon kids Institute (University of Western Australia). His research team use a range of methodologies to investigate the early identification and intervention of children with autism, including molecular genetics, neuroscience, endocrinology and behavioural experiments. Andrew has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and has attracted over $35 million in competitive grants. He currently writes a popular column on child development for The West Australian and the news website The Conversation, which have attracted over 1 million reads. Andrew has published one edited book with his twin brother (Ben), and a popular science book that examined the science behind some of the myths of pregnancy and child development (Will Mozart Make My Baby Smart?).

Title: Achieving the major clinical goals of autism research: Why psychology is necessary, but not sufficient.

Abstract:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is now diagnosed in 1 in 68 individuals - a 25 fold increase over the past 50 years. The concept of 'autism' has evolved considerably since the 1990's, when Psychologists ruled the roost in their definitions of the disorder. In this colloquium, Andrew Whitehouse will discuss why psychology is still essential for autism research, but why also embracing knowledge from other disciplines is critical to move the field forward. His talk will illustrate this point through the minor successes and major failures of his own research program that seeks to identify early developmental markers for autism.