Latest Research

Gender issues are more common among autistic young people and sensory preferences may have a role to play. Cooper, K., Mandy, W., Butler, C., & Russell, A. (2023). Phenomenology of gender dysphoria in autism: a multiperspective qualitative analysis. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 64(2), 265-276. https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcpp.13691?campaign=woletoc

The prevalence of suicidal ideation among young people is between 14.3% to 22.6% and that of suicide attempts between 4.6% and 16.9% globally.  Rates have remained consistent over time, except in the US, where they have been steadily increasing since 2007. Van Meter, A. R., Knowles, E. A., & Mintz, E. H. (2022). Systematic review and meta-analysis: international prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt in youth. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent P...

Looking to the future, Robert Plomin predicts how behavioural genomic research is likely to influence child mental health care in years to come.   Plomin, R. (2022). The next 10 years of behavioural genomic research. JCPP Advances, e12112. https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcv2.12112

Could machine learning help us predict which children and young people will respond well to antidepressant medication?  The authors of this paper certainly believe so. Athreya, A. P., Vande Voort, J. L., Shekunov, J., Rackley, S. J., Leffler, J. M., McKean, A. J., ... & Croarkin, P. E. (2022). Evidence for machine learning guided early prediction of acute outcomes in the treatment of depressed children and adolescents with antidepressants. Journal of Child Psychology and Ps...

This article describes the development and validation of a useful new scale for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions aimed at families affected by maternal substance use.   Chiang, D. F., Siedlik, E. A., & Templeton, O. J. (2022). Development and validation of a goal attainment scale for families affected by maternal substance use. Infant mental health journal, 43(6), 899-909. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/imhj.22022?campaign=wolearlyview

Developmental paediatricians are surprisingly accurate at identifying autistic children. Barbaresi, W., Cacia, J., Friedman, S., Fussell, J., Hansen, R., Hofer, J., ... & Sideridis, G. (2022). Clinician Diagnostic Certainty and the Role of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule in Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis in Young Children. JAMA pediatrics. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2797438?guestAccessKey=492fa889-2e06-4b69-800b-aeb6980f0f58&utm_...

This new position statement by the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for anxiety in all children aged 8-18. No doubt, this (and the related statement for depression screening) will some discussion about the pros and cons, as well as methods, for doing so. Mangione, C. M., Barry, M. J., Nicholson, W. K., Cabana, M., Coker, T. R., Davidson, K. W., ... & US Preventive Services Task Force. (2022). Screening for Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: US Preventive Services T...

This new position statement by the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for depression in all children aged 12-18. No doubt, this (and the related statement for anxiety screening) will some discussion about the pros and cons, as well as methods, for doing so. Mangione, C. M., Barry, M. J., Nicholson, W. K., Cabana, M., Chelmow, D., Coker, T. R., ... & US Preventive Services Task Force. (2022). Screening for depression and suicide risk in children and adolescents: US Prev...

This review summarises the history of ADHD research over the past few decades and reminds us that we know an awful lot more than we did twenty years ago.  Sonuga‐Barke, E. J., Becker, S. P., Bölte, S., Castellanos, F. X., Franke, B., Newcorn, J. H., ... & Simonoff, E. (2022). Annual Research Review: Perspectives on progress in ADHD science–from characterization to cause. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jc...

As newer medications such as Lisdexamphetamine become available for the treatment of preschool ADHD, this editorial summarises what we know about the benefits and risks of treating this condition. Stein, M. A. (2022). Treating Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Preschool Age Children With Stimulants: Modest Effects in Young Children With Big Problems. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, S0890-8567. https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(22)0...