Clinical Study

As his Fellowship draws to a close, Dr Kopecki isn't winding down. Instead, he's taking the next step, working with industry to advance groundbreaking research that could revolutionise the way chronic wounds and infections are treated in children with EB. “I'm actually kind of excited and energised to take this research to the next step and to be working closely with industry, I'm really positive on the future outcomes,” the Adelaide University Industry Research Fellow shares. And Dr Kopecki acknowledges…

Dr Ryan Balzan hopes the smartphone app he is co-designing will one day make his role as a clinical psychologist obsolete. Only half joking, he says the goal of the “Thinking About Thinking” app is to intervene early before young people develop an eating disorder. Supported by the Firefly Children’s Foundation, the app targets key risk factors including perfectionism, rigid thinking and body image concerns – traits known to increase vulnerability in adolescents. Eating disorders are among the leading causes…

Immersive virtual reality could open up a whole new world for people with intellectual disability, enabling them to learn practical life skills much faster without relying on caregivers, according to a new study.  Australian researchers compared the effectiveness of immersive VR headsets and non-immersive virtual environments to teach 36 adults with an intellectual disability how to separate general waste from recycling, garden, and food organics. The study, undertaken by University of South Australia and UNSW Sydney researchers, involved 12 virtual…

We first shared Dr Abi Thirumanickam's promising pilot results in Autistic children the real winners from online gaming. The larger, Firefly-funded follow-up is now complete. It shows that Minecraft™, played with the right structure and support, can help autistic children make friends who stay friends long after the sessions end. Friendships are one of the strongest contributors to a child's wellbeing. Yet many autistic children face real barriers to forming and keeping peer relationships. Traditional social skills programs tend to…