An opportunity for a student to work with a post-doctoral research fellow and closely with the IoP supervisors and team from the BASIS UK Autism at-risk-sibling study, led by Prof Mark Johnson (Birkbeck College). See: http://www.basisnetwork.org/
Psychiatric and sensory processing difficulties commonly co-occur in individuals with autism but little is understood about their underlying shared aetiology, developmental course or neurocognitive underpinnings. This project will follow up at age 5 to 7 years a cohort of familial at-risk siblings previously seen at ages 6, 12, 24 and 36 months for a range of neurocognitive and behavioural assessments. Concurrent 5-7 years associations between cognitive processing and core and co-occurring behaviours will be investigated. The student will use the longitudinal nature of the study to test whether infant/toddler cognitive measures predict the 5-7 year behavioural phenotype.
Based on a reading of the literature and with input from the experienced supervisors, the student will develop a range of experimental neurocognitive measures assessing cognitive processes thought to be associated with core autism behaviours (e.g. theory of mind, face/emotional processing, executive functions) and those associated with co-occurring psychiatric and sensory difficulties (e.g. fear processing, delay gratification, auditory/touch discrimination). These will be a combination of toy-based and computerised (e.g. touch screen) tasks. Standard assessments of the core autistic and co-occurring behavioural phenotype will be undertaken (parental questionnaires, observational measures, interviews).
Applicants should have (or be expected to obtain) a 2:1 or 1st class honours degree in a subject relevant to the proposed project. If applicants already possess (or expect to obtain) a research-based MSc degree, a merit or distinction level is required. Both the MRC and ‘IoP Excellence’ studentships cover course fees (Home/EU rate) for the MSc and PhD; a stipend (approx. £16,000 per year) and a contribution towards research costs, training and conference attendance.
For full details: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iop/research/pgr/phdstudentships/Psychiatric-and-sensory-processing-difficulties-in-autism.aspx
Closing Date: 30th June 2013