Language, Literacy, and Wellbeing During the Transition from Primary to High School
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Who Can Participate?
We invite you and your child to participate if:
Your child is currently in year 6, and
Your child lives in Australia
If your child meets these criteria, they are welcome to participate
regardless of whether they have language and/or literacy
difficulties.
What's Involved? (Online or In-Person)
In a booked session, one of our team members will work with you and your child to get you both set-up at the start.
For Your Child (approx. 90-minutes)
The team member will support your child whilst they complete a survey on mental health, self-esteem, resilience, ability to regulate emotions and cope with stress, and relationships with friends, family, teachers, and school
The team member will run your child through some language and reading tasks which are audio-recorded for scoring purposes
For You as a Caregiver (approx. 45-minutes)
You will complete a survey on your own and your child’s social and emotional wellbeing, as well as your child’s academic ability.
MRFF Research Team
Adie Wilmot
Lizz is a Speech Pathologist and Teaching/Research Academic at Curtin University. Lizz's research explores the intersection of mental health and language, with a particular focus on accessible mental health programs for people with language and literacy difficulties.
Samuel Calder
Sam is a Teaching/Research Academic at the University of Tasmania and the Early Career Representative for the International Collaborative Network for N-of-1 Trials and Single-Case Designs. Sam's research focuses on understanding the origins and impact of Developmental Language Disorder, and how to improve outcomes for this at-risk population.
Deanna Francis
Deanna is a Clinical Neuropsychologist (Registrar) working in private practice and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Black Dog Institute. Her research focuses on understanding child mental health and learning disorders, and particularly developing and evaluating interventions for children with elevated anxiety and reading difficulties.
Anne Whitworth
Anne is the inaugural Academic Lead for the Master of Speech Pathology at the University of Tasmania. Her research focuses on developing evidence-based assessments and interventions for people with communication impairment across the lifespan.
Penny Levickis
Penny is a senior research fellow in the REEaCh Centre at the University of Melbourne, with expertise in child language development and early childhood education. Her research focuses on enhancing parent-child interaction and improving children's language skills and wellbeing in early childhood education centres.
Peter McEvoy
Peter is a Professor at Curtin University and Senior Clinical Psychologist and Research Director at the Centre for Clinical Interventions. His expertise centres on developing and evaluating evidence-based treatments for mental disorders.
Genevieve McArthur
Genevieve is a Professor in the Australian Centre for the Advancement of Literacy, and Director of Research Translation at the Dyslexia SPELD Foundation. Her research focuses on understanding what causes reading and language difficulties in children, how these difficulties can be identified and treated effectively, and how they relate to emotional health.
Lizz Hill
Lizz is a Speech Pathologist and Teaching/Research Academic at Curtin University. Lizz's research explores the intersection of mental health and language, with a particular focus on accessible mental health programs for people with language and literacy difficulties.
Richard Norman
Richard is a Professor and Health Economist at Curtin University, specialising in the use of survey tools to measure community attitudes towards health and healthcare.
Sylvanna Mirichlis
Sylvanna is a PhD student from Curtin University, with research experience in self-injury and mental health. She brings a strengths-based and neuro-affirming approach to her work, combining her experience with autistic adults and her passion for neurodiversity, learning, and mental health in her role at LaLYP.
Mark Boyes
Mark leads this MRFF project. He is a professor at Curtin University and Co-Lead of the Mental Health Research Domain within the Curtin enAble Institute. His current research focuses on mental health and wellbeing among children with language and literacy difficulties, with the aim of informing accessible evidence-based interventions.
Patricia Eadie
Patricia is the Director of the REEaCh Research Centre and Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on understanding young children's developmental pathways and trajectories during preschool and school years, emphasising early identification and the detection of risk and protective factors in large community representative samples.
Courtney Norbury
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MRFF Research Assistants
Brea Knott
Brea is a provisional psychologist, currently completing a Master of Clinical Psychology at University of Tasmania. She has experience working with young people and their families to identify and support a range of learning difficulties and mental health challenges.
Zoe Young
Zoe is an Honours Psychology Student at Curtin University. She has experience in supporting school-aged children and adults with autism, as well as supporting families through challenging health journeys.
Robannie Summer
Robannie is an Honours Psychology Student at Curtin University working on a dissertation in language/literacy difficulties and youth mental health. She has experience working with, advocating for, and supporting young people who are neurodivergent and young people with LGBTQIA+ identities and experiences.
Sudeshna Rajapakse
Sudeshna is a Generally Registered Psychologist who has recently graduated from UTAS. She has experience conducting cognitive and language assessments across the lifespan and is eager to make meaningful differences with her clients.
Hannah Pizzey
Hannah is a PhD student (Psychology), researcher and teaching academic at Curtin University. She has been a part of the Mental Health and Transition to High School research project since 2021 and has also worked on research projects looking at families and children’s experiences with Dyslexia, school, emotion regulation and mental health. Hannah has experience supporting children and young people with autism and neurodiversity and working in the areas of out-of-home care, mental health, and education.
Anita Knezevic
Anita is currently a Provisional Psychologist working with children and families to support their wellbeing and development.
Rebecca Hill
Rebecca Hill is currently completing her Bachelor of Psychology with Honours at Curtin University, exploring research in the field of non-suicidal self-injury. She has experience tutoring young adolescents with learning difficulties and has volunteered her time at Parkerville Children and Youth Care, to help the young adolescents who reside there, plant new vegetation for their centre.
Amy Watts
Adie is a Post Doc Researcher at Curtin University. Her PhD was focused on understanding mental health concerns among children and adolescents with dyslexia.