APS Member Groups

Professor Simon Crowe 

School of Psychological Science. La Trobe University

The neurobiology of Sturm und Drag: Developmental re-sculpting of the adolescent brain

Two decades ago, when the first longitudinal studies of brain function with magnetic resonance imaging took place, it was thought that the initial postnatal growth in brain structure was followed by a protracted period of stability across the next several decades until finally the degenerative changes associated with old age set in. Systematic studies of healthy individuals across the life span clearly indicate that nothing could be further from the truth. Magnetic resonance imaging has revealed an unsuspected degree of dynamic change in the brain throughout the various stages of adult life, but particularly associated with the adolescent growth spurt. This address will focus on an integrative review of the nature of the neuroanatomical resculpting of the adolescent brain and the implications of this upheaval to neuropsychological and emotional functioning.

Simon Crowe is Professor of Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology in the School of Psychological Science at La Trobe University in Bundoora. He has a PhD in the neurobiological basis of memory formation and has also completed a training program in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Melbourne. Professor Crowe maintains a strong research program in the biological basis of memory formation as well as conducting studies into the neuropsychology of neuropsychiatric disorders and a variety of neuropsychological assessment issues. He has published two monographs, and has authored more than 90 refereed journal articles and numerous book chapters, conference presentations, notes and commentaries. He has supervised 40 doctoral degree candidates (PhD and DPsych) as well as numerous Masters and fourth year theses. He is a member of the Expert Reference Group of beyondblue and a grant evaluator for the ARC, NH&MRC and beyondblue.

Professor Ramon Lewis

School of Education, La Trobe University

Teachers coping styles as mediators of teachers classroom management

Recent research in Australia, Chinas and Israel has highlighted the impact of various classroom management strategies on students' attitudes to their schoolwork and teachers, and their levels of responsibility in class. This paper examines the proposition that the way teachers choose to cope with their concerns about students' classroom misbehaviour influences their choice of classroom management practices.

Coping styles, based on groupings of coping strategies are identified, and then the relationship between teachers' coping styles and their use of various management strategies are reported. A socially connected, problem-solving coping style predicts an increased usage of productive management strategies such as use of rewards and recognitions, discussion and non-interventional hinting, and a reduction in teacher aggression toward students. In contrast, a passive avoidant style of coping predicts increased teacher assertion and aggression.

Professor Ramon Lewis has made a strong contribution to the fields of adolescent and adult coping and classroom management. With Associate Professor Erica Frydenberg, he has published the Adolescent Coping Scale and the Coping Scale for Adults (both ACER). He is currently involved in implementing his Developmental Management approach to classroom behaviour in all primary and secondary schools in the Northern Metropolitan region. His writing has reached a wide national and international audience of parents, teachers and community leaders as well as a professional audience of teachers, psychologists and human service personnel.

Associate Professor Cheryl Dissanayake

Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University

Promoting the early identification of infants and toddlers with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

An overview on the signs of autism in infancy will be given based on the results of retrospective home video and parent report studies, as well as from prospective studies of high risk infant siblings including the few available community-based studies. Although no primary level instrument has proved sufficiently robust to recommend universal screening, it will be argued that the problem lies in the approach of using a one-off screen at a given age. A developmental surveillance approach, where infants are routinely monitored throughout their first two years for the development of social attention and communication behaviours by primary health care professionals will be recommended. A large community based study in Melbourne using this approach has resulted in an 81% ascertainment rate for an ASD, with the remaining children either having a developmental and/or language delay. The need for education on the early signs of autism of primary care professionals will be emphasized, as the value of early identification and intervention cannot be underestimated.

Cheryl Dissanayake is an Associate Professor and Reader in the School of Psychological Science at La Trobe University, and Director of the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre at La Trobe University. She has been an autism researcher since 1984. Her work has contributed to understanding the social and emotional development of children with autism and Asperger's Disorder. She is a member of the Professional Panel of Autism Victoria, and co-founder and convenor of the Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Group. Cheryl is a registered psychologist in Victoria.

Keynote Address

Professor Simon Crowe
The neurobiology of Sturm und Drang: Developmental re-sculpting of the adolescent brain 

Keynote Address

Professor Ramon Lewis
Teachers coping styles as mediators of teachers classroom management

Keynote Address

Associate Professor Cheryl Dissanayake
Promoting the early identification of infants and toddlers with an Autism Spectrum Disorder