Newsletter October 2018

Our most recent newsletter including updates from our research, and news from our Charitable Trust. In this issue we celebrate the success of the recent fundraising event and thank all those who contributed, with funds, auction items or by volunteering on the night. We also are let you know to save the date for the upcoming public seminar on November 15 (more info here) Subscribe here to be kept up to date with the news from Minds for Minds and Autism Spectrum Disorder research, or follow us on facebook or twitter for the most up to date news and…continue reading →

Minds for Minds Public Seminar 2018

Together with the Centre for Brain Research and Autism New Zealand, we are excited to announce our upcoming public seminar on 15 November 2018. We are honoured to host Andrew Whitehouse, Professor of Autism Research at The University of Western Australia and Chief Research Officer of the of the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism. A panel discussion with clinical and research experts will immediately follow. This will include a focus on the support available for adults with ASD in New Zealand, and provide and opportunity for you to voice your questions. The…continue reading →

Study opportunity

Auditory Processing and Functional Language in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) We are seeking children who have ASD, with no hearing difficulties, aged 4-12 years old, who live in Auckland. Auditory processing deficits have been demonstrated in children with ASD. This may play a role in the communication difficulties children with ASD experience. We want see if there is a relationship between auditory processing and functional language in children with ASD. This study requires one assessment session, taking about 2 hours. It will include: A language assessment that looks at spoken language production and…continue reading →

Newsletter July 2018

Our most recent newsletter including updates from our research, and news from our Charitable Trust. In this issue we welcome former National Party Finance Minister the Hon Steven Joyce as the Patron for the charitable trust. This is his first public role since leaving Parliament, and is in a unique position to act as patron with both an understanding of science and as a parent of his son Tommy, who is 8 years old and on the spectrum. We also announced the upcoming quiz night fundraiser and auction, which will be hosted by Shane…continue reading →

Minds for Minds welcomes Steven Joyce as our new patron

  Former National Party Finance Minister Hon Steven Joyce is taking on his first public role since leaving Parliament and he’s getting behind a cause with a very personal connection. As the new patron of Minds for Minds Charitable Trust, an organisation dedicated to supporting research into Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Mr Joyce is stepping into a familiar area. His eight-year old son Tommy has ASD and is exactly the sort of person the work of the Trust is focused on helping. “I know personally the big impact that ASD has on those…continue reading →

Newsletter April 2018

Our most recent newsletter including updates from our research, and news from our Charitable Trust. In this issue we celebrate the achievement of one of our PhD students, Whitney Whitford, who was awarded the School of Biological Sciences Postgraduate Research award for a publication for which she was the lead author, supported by other Minds for Minds researchers as co-authors. We also report on a recent visit from Philippa James, an Audiologist for ASD at the University of Melbourne. She spoke about her current work in Melbourne and a collaborative effort between Melbourne and Auckland is…continue reading →

Newsletter #10

Our most recent newsletter including updates from our research, and news from our Charitable Trust. Minds for Minds had many publications, with more information here. We also are fortunate to announce additional funding that has been awarded to Minds for Minds via Health Research Council. This grant will enable Professor Johanna Montgomery and her team to investigate a dietary zinc link in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Subscribe here to be kept up to date with the news from Minds for Minds and Autism Spectrum Disorder research, or follow us on facebook or twitter for the most up to date news and event…continue reading →

Participants needed for investigation in brain responses to social information

We would like to invite you to participate in my research if you have never had a major head injury and are aged between 18 and 45. We are seeking research participants with and without an Autism Spectrum Disorder (including Asperger's) diagnosis to investigate the relationship between emotion processing, autistic traits and the brain responses to social information. Participation requires only 1 session at the Science Centre of the University of Auckland main campus and will require approximately 2 hours of your time. You will be asked to complete a computerized task followed…continue reading →

Publications Q4 2017

Jacobsen JC, Whitford W, Swan B, Taylor J, Love DR, Hill R, Molyneux S, George PM, Mackay R, Robertson SP, Snell RG, Lehnert K. Compound Heterozygous Inheritance of Mutations in Coenzyme Q8A Results in Autosomal Recessive Cerebellar Ataxia and Coenzyme Q10 Deficiency in a Female Sib-Pair. JIMD Rep,  (2017) Thanks to the collaborative effort with some of our stellar New Zealand clinicians, the genetics team recently published results of a family, registered on our database, which have two girls with ataxia (loss of co-ordination of gait). After identifying the genetic cause in the two girls…continue reading →