Assoc Prof Robyn Young

Position/s:	Academic Staff School of Psychology
Phone:	work+61 8 82015104
Email:	robyn.young@flinders.edu.au
Location:	Social Sciences North (352)
Postal address:	GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Biography

Robyn Young's interest in autism began while studying savants as part of her PhD at the PDD clinic at Stanford University.. Her PhD thesis was described by one of her examiners as the best thesis he had read in 25 years. This work became the subject of an ABC documentary titled Uncommon Genius. She went on to develop a screening tool for Autistic Disorder suitable for use in children as young as 12 months of age. This tool, known as the Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC; ACER, 2007), clearly operationalises early behaviours indicative of autism. Together with colleagues at Flinders University she has developed an intervention program called SPECTRA (ACER, 2009).

Qualifications

B.A. (Hons.), Grad. Dip. Psych. Prac., Ph.D. (Adelaide)

Teaching

Teaching interests

Autism
Developmental Disorders
Assessment
Atypical Development
Ethics

Topic Coordinator:

PSYC2022 Psychological Assessment and Measurement

Research and supervision

Research expertise

Psychology

Research interests

Together with colleagues at Flinders University I have developed a screening tool that will identify Autistic characteristics in children as young as 12 months of age. This tool, the Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC) is now being published through the Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER). Research teams in Mexico, China, the USA, Malaysia and Sweden are also investigating its use. This research has led to the development of an Early Intervention Research Program (EIRP) based at Flinders University. The EIRP uses behaviour analysis techniques to provide an intensive, individualised, intervention program. The activities developed in this program have led to the development of SPECTRA, a behavioural intervention package published by ACER. Other interests include savant syndrome, diagnostic issues surrounding Asperger syndrome and childhood trauma.

Supervisory interests

Autism
Savant syndrome
Sports psychology

RHD research supervision

Current

Principal supervisor: Autism (5);

Completion

Principal supervisor: Autism (4); Sport psychology (2);

Associate supervisor: Autism (1);

RHD Student Achievements

Darren Hedley
Flinders Best Student Paper Award - February 2012

Clare Holmes
Playford Young Citizen of the Year - January 2013

Publications

Refereed journal articles

Hedley, D., Young, R. and Brewer, N. (2012). Using eye movements as an index of implicit face recognition in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Research, 5(5), pp.363-379. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.1246.

Sawyer, A., Williamson, P. and Young, R. (2012). Can gaze avoidance explain why individuals with Asperger's Syndrome can't recognise emotions from facial expressions? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(4), pp.606-618. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1283-0.

Young, R. and Posselt, M. (2012). Using The Transporters DVD as a learning tool for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(6), pp.984-991. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1328-4.

Hedley, D., Brewer, N. and Young, R. (2011). Face recognition performance of individuals with Asperger Syndrome on the Cambridge Face Memory Test. Autism Research, 4(1), pp.449-455. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.214.

Vast, R., Young, R.L. and Thomas, P. (2011). Emotion and automaticity: Impact of positive and negative emotions on novice and experienced performance of a sensorimotor skill. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 9(3), pp.227-237. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2011.614848.

Hedley, D., Young, R.L., Juarez-Gallegos, M.A. and Marcin-Salazar, C. (2010). Cross-cultural evaluation of the Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC) in Mexico. Autism, 14(2), pp.93-112.

Wang, L.V., Angley, M., Sorich, M.J., Young, R.L., McKinnon, R. and Gerber, J.P. (2010). Is there a role for routinely screening children with Autism Spectrum Disorder for Creatine Deficiency Syndrome? Autism Research, 3, pp.268-272. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.145.

Books

Young, R.L., Partington, C.A. and Goren, T. (2009). SPECTRA: structured program for early childhood therapists working with autism. Camberwell, VIC: ACER Press.

Young, R.L. (2007). Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC) Manual. Camberwell, VIC, Australia: ACER Press.

Book chapters

Young, R., Brewer, N. and Hedley, D. (2012). Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Criminals in waiting? In CE Richardson & RA Wood, ed. Autism Spectrum Disorders: New Research. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers, pp. 143-154. [online]. Available from: https://www.novapublishers.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=30926.

Show all publications

Refereed journal articles

Hedley, D., Young, R.L., Juarez-Gallegos, M.A. and Marcin-Salazar, C. (2010). Cross-cultural evaluation of the Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC) in Mexico. Autism, 14(2), pp.93-112.

Vast, R., Young, R.L. and Thomas, P. (2010). Emotions in sport: Perceived effects on attention, concentraton, and performance. Australian Psychologist, 45(2), pp.132-140. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0050060903261538.

Lane, A.E., Young, R.L., Baker, A.E.Z. and Angley, M. (2010). Sensory processing subtypes in autism: association with adaptive behavior. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(1), pp.112-122. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S10803-009-0840-2.

Wang, L.V., Angley, M., Gerber, J.P., Young, R.L., Abamo, D.V., McKinnon, R., et al. (2009). Is urinary indolyl-3-acryloylglycine a biomarker for autism with gastrointestinal symptoms? Biomarkers, 14(8), pp.596-603. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/13547500903183962.

Baker, A.E.Z., Lane, A., Angley, M. and Young, R.L. (2008). The relationship between sensory processing patterns and behavioural responsiveness in autistic disorder: A pilot study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(5), pp.867-875. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0459-0.

Martins, Y., Young, R.L. and Robson, D. (2008). Feeding and eating behaviors in children with autism and typically developing children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(10), pp.1878-1887. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0583-5.

Angley, M., Young, R.L., Ellis, D., Chan, W. and McKinnon, R. (2007). Children and autism: Part 1 - recognition and pharmacological management. Australian Family Physician, 36(9), pp.741-744. [online]. Available from: http://www.racgp.org.au/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/AustralianFamilyPhys/2007issues/afp200709/200709angley.pdf.

Delinicolas, E.K. and Young, R.L. (2007). Joint attention, language, social relating, and stereotypical behaviours in children with autistic disorder. Autism, 11(5), pp.425-436. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362361307079595.

Clifford, S., Young, R.L. and Williamson, P.J. (2007). Assessing the early characteristics of autistic disorder using video analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(2), pp.301-313. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0160-8.

Angley, M., McKinnon, R., Young, R.L. and Evans, A. (2006). Children and autism: can the pharmacist help? Australian Pharmacist, 25(6), pp.468-472. [online]. Available from: http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=87082492;res=MEDITEXT.

Hedley, D. and Young, R.L. (2006). Social comparison and depression symptons in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome. Autism, 10(2), pp.139-153. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362361306062020.

Lim, Y.Z., Angley, M., Tait, P.A., Young, R.L. and McKinnon, R. (2006). Immunisation and autism: sifting myth from reality. Australian Pharmacist, 25(7), pp.554-558.

Young, R.L., Williamson, P.J., Brewer, N., Ettridge, K. and Goren, T. (2006). La Deteccion Precoz de las Caracteristicas Autistas Preverbales. Psicologia Iberoamericana, 14(1), pp.11-20.

Young, R.L., Ridding, M. and Morrell, T.L. (2004). Switching skills on by turning off part of the brain. Neurocase, 10(3), pp.215-222. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13554790490495140.

Young, R.L., Brewer, N. and Pattison, C. (2003). Parental identification of early behavioural abnormalities in children with autistic disorder. Autism, 7(2), pp.125-143. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362361303007002002.

Young, R.L. and Brewer, N. (2002). Diagnosis of autistic disorder: Problems and new directions. International Review of Research in Mental Retardation, 25, pp.107-134.

Books

Young, R.L., Partington, C.A. and Goren, T. (2009). SPECTRA: structured program for early childhood therapists working with autism. Camberwell, VIC: ACER Press.

Young, R.L. (2007). Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC) Manual. Camberwell, VIC, Australia: ACER Press.

Book chapters

Young, R.L. (2005). Neurobiology of Savant Syndrome. In Con Stough, ed. The Neurobiology of Exceptionality. New York: Kluwer Academic / Plenum, pp. 199-215.

Refereed conference papers

Young, R.L., Williamson, P.J., Brewer, N. and Partington, C. (2006). The early detection of pre-verbal autistic characteristics using autism detection in early childhood (ADEC). In Session Chairperson-Lorna Jacklin, ed. Autism Safari: 2nd World Autism Congress & Exhibition: Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Safari 2006. [online]. Available from: http://www.sbs.co.za/autism2006/Autism2006_PROG_10-25.pdf.

Delinicolas, E.K. and Young, R.L. (2006). Does ability to engage in joint attention indicate autism severity? In Autism Safari: Proceedings of the 2nd World Autism Congress & Exhibition: Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Safari 2006. [online]. Available from: http://www.sbs.co.za/autism2006/Autism2006_PROG_10-25.pdf.

Conference publications

Nah, Y.H., Young, R., Brewer, N. and Choimes, G. (2013). Validation of the Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC) As a Level 2 Screening Tool for Autistic Disorder. In The International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR).

Hiller, R., Weber, N. and Young, R. (2012). Gender differences in theory of mind and the association with social competence. In The Annual Conference of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, Adelaide, Australia. The Annual Conference of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists.

Hiller, R., Weber, N. and Young, R. (2012). The female advantage? The role of mental state talk, theory of mind, and social competence. In International Meeting for Autism Research, Toronto, Canada. International Meeting for Autism Research.

Young, R. (2011). The presentation of Autism in infancy. In Association of Neonatal Nurses SA & C & N Project Conference, Marryatville, South Australia. Association of Neonatal Nurses SA & C & N Project Conference.

Sawyer, A., Williamson, P. and Young, R. (2011). Meta-cognitive processes in emotion recognition. Are they different for adults with Asperger's Syndrome? In Asia Pacific Autism Conference, Perth, Australia. Asia Pacific Autism Conference.

Moffat, A. and Young, R. (2011). Investigating the effect of behavioural therapy on copying behaviours in young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Implications for social development. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference, Perth, Australia. Asia Pacific Autism Conference.

Young, R. (2011). Two year outcomes of an early intervention program for young children with Autism Disorder. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference, Perth, Australia. Asia Pacific Autism Conference.

Young, R. and McCormack, P. (2011). Prosody in Asperger Syndrome. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference, Perth, Australia. Asia Pacific Autism Conference.

Nagesh, A., Brewer, N. and Young, R.L. (2010). Interviewing child witnesses: Children's ability to regulate output quanitity and accuracy. In 20th Conference of the European Asociation of Psychology and Law. 20th Conference of the European Asociation of Psychology and Law.

Sawyer, A., Williamson, P.J., Young, R.L. and Sawyer, M. (2010). Can gaze avoidance explain why young people with Asperger's Syndrome have difficulty recognising emotions from faces? In American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Vast, R. and Young, R.L. (2010). Automacity and sport performance: Emotion, attentional focus and automatic skill execution. In 20th Conference of the European Association of Psychology and Law. 20th Conference of the European Association of Psychology and Law.

Williamson, P.J. and Young, R.L. (2010). An evaluation of the Early Intervention Research Program (EIRP) for children with autistic disorder at Flinders University, South Australia. In 15th International Conference of the Association of Psychology & Psychiatry for Adults and Children. 15th International Conference of the Association of Psychology & Psychiatry for Adults and Children.

Young, R.L. (2010). Identifying children under the age of 2 years of age. In 15th International Conference of the Association of Psychology and Psychiatry for Adults and Children. 15th International Conference of the Association of Psychology and Psychiatry for Adults and Children.

Young, R.L. (2010). Unlock the mystery of autism: Causes, diagnosis and treatment - A full overview. In World Autism Conference. World Autism Conference.

Young, R.L. and Robson, D. (2010). The development of infants with an increased risk of autism. In Towards defining the pathophysiology of autistic behavior. Towards defining the pathophysiology of autistic behavior.

Young, R.L., Williamson, P.J. and Brewer, N. (2010). Detecting autism in children under three years. In 3rd Congress of the Asean Regional Union of Psychological Societies. 3rd Congress of the Asean Regional Union of Psychological Societies.

Nagesh, A., Brewer, N. and Young, R.L. (2009). Face recognition and metacognitive monitoring in individuals with Asperger's Disorder. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009. Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009.

Moffat, A.K., Young, R.L. and Ridding, M. (2009). Using repetitive transcranial maganetic stimulation to influence imitation ability: Implications for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009. Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009.

Main, P., Angley, M., Thomas, P., Young, R.L. and McKinnon, R. (2009). Towards individualised treatment of autism, understanding the folate/methionine pathway. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009. Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009.

Kasauskas, J.T., Young, R.L. and Williamson, P.J. (2009). The link between autistic behaviours and feeding and eating problems. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009. Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009.

Hedley, D., Young, R.L., Juarez-Gallegos, M.A. and Marcin-Salazar, C. (2009). Cross-cultural evaluation of the Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC) in Mexico. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009. Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009.

Nagesh, A., Brewer, N. and Young, R.L. (2009). Interviewing child witnesses?: regulating output quantity and accuracy. In 8th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. 8th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition.

Young, R.L., Williamson, P.J., Brewer, N. and Bradshaw, G.E. (2009). When does typical development become atypical? In Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009. Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009.

Young, R.L., Williamson, P.J., Brewer, N. and Bradshaw, G.E. (2009). Early detection of autism in pre-verbal children. In 8th Annual International Meeting for Autism Research. 8th Annual International Meeting for Autism Research. [online]. Available from: http://imfar.confex.com/imfar/2009/webprogram/Paper4137.html.

Young, R.L., Baker, A.E.Z. and Angley, M. (2009). Making sense of sensory processing in autism?: evidence for the existence of sensory subtypes. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009. Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009.

Young, R.L. (2009). The development of autism in young pre-verbal children. In 16th Biennial AHDA Conference. 16th Biennial AHDA Conference.

Young, R.L. (2009). Early identification and intervention for young children. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009. Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009.

Young, R.L. (2009). An evaluation of the Early Intervention Research Program (EIRP) for children with Autistic Disorder (AD) at Flinders University in South Australia. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009. Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009.

Wang, L.V., Angley, M., Gerber, J.P., Young, R.L., Abarno, D.V., McKinnon, R., et al. (2009). Does urinary indolyl-3-acryloylglycine (IAG) have potential to distinguish autism subtypes. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009. Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009.

Vast, R., Young, R.L. and Thomas, P. (2009). The role of attention in the relationship between emotion and performance in sport. In 44th APS Annual Conference. 44th APS Annual Conference.

Vast, R., Young, R.L. and Thomas, P. (2009). Effect of positive and negative emotions on novice and experienced sensorimotor skill. In Experimental Psychology Conference (EPC 09). Experimental Psychology Conference (EPC 09). [online]. Available from: http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@health/documents/doc/uow056864.pdf.

Sawyer, A., Young, R.L. and Williamson, P.J. (2009). Understanding the eyes?: face processing and emotion recognition in Autism Spectrum Disorders. In Asian Pacific Autism Conference. Asian Pacific Autism Conference.

Robson, D. and Young, R.L. (2009). The development of infants with an increased risk of autism. In Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009. Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2009.

Vast, R. and Young, R.L. (2008). Thoughts and cognitions surrounding the experience of emotions in sport: implications for concentration and performance. In 31st AACBT National Conference. 31st AACBT National Conference. [online]. Available from: https://socsci.flinders.edu.au/psyc/students/RobynVast/more.php.

Young, R.L., Williamson, P.J. and Hedley, D. (2007). Autism Detection in Early Childhood. In Autism 2007 - Third AWARES International Online Autism Conference. Autism 2007 - Third AWARES International Online Autism Conference.

Hedley, D. and Young, R.L. (2006). Socio-emotional development in adolescents with Asperger syndrome. In 1er Simposio Internacional, Desarrollo Integral y Resiliencia en la Adolescencia. 1er Simposio Internacional, Desarrollo Integral y Resiliencia en la Adolescencia.

Martins, Y. and Young, R.L. (2006). A comparison of eating and feeding behaviours in children with autism and typically developing children. In World Autism Congress. World Autism Congress.

Hedley, D. and Young, R.L. (2006). Autistic Disorder: Early detection leading to early intervention. In 1er Congreso Internacional de Autismo: Diagnóstico, Tratamiento y Educación Integral. 1er Congreso Internacional de Autismo: Diagnóstico, Tratamiento y Educación Integral.

Wong, Y.C., Young, R.L., Angley, M., McKinnon, R., Berryman, M.J. and Abarno, D.V. (2005). Discrimination of autistic children from healthy controls. In Proceedings of the Joint APSA ASCEPT Annual Meeting 2005. Joint APSA ASCEPT Annual Meeting 2005.

Wu, A., Young, R.L., Angley, M., McKinnon, R. and Chung, W.K. (2005). Children and Autism: Can the Pharmacist help? In Proceedings of the Joint APSA ASCEPT Annual Meeting 2005. Joint APSA ASCEPT Annual Meeting 2005.

Wu, A., Young, R.L., Angley, M., Petkov, J., Partington, C., Churches, O., et al. (2005). Establishing an Autism Database. In Proceedings of the Joint APSA ASCEPT Annual Meeting 2005. Joint APSA ASCEPT Annual Meeting 2005.

Lim, Y.Z., Young, R.L., Angley, M., Koronios, A., Xia, X.A. and Tait, P.A. (2005). Autism and Immunisation: Sifting myth from reality. In Proceedings of the Joint APSA ASCEPT Annual Meeting 2005. Joint APSA ASCEPT Annual Meeting 2005.

Young, R.L. (2001). The Role of Memory in the Development and Representation of Savant-Type Skills. In Horan, A, ed. The Role of Memory in the Development and Representation of Savant-Type Skills. Australian Psychological Society National Conference.

Young, R.L. and Brewer, N. (2001). Detecting Autism in Pre-Verbal Children. In Detecting Autism in Pre-Verbal Children. Biennial National Autism Conference.

Young, R.L. and Brewer, N. (2001). The detection of autism in young, pre-verbal children. In Biennial National Autism Conference. Biennial National Autism Conference.

Show selected publications

Professional and community engagement

Journal Reviewing

Autism, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Media

One Hour Documentary with the ABC - "Uncommon Genius"

The film secured a budget of $250,000 and has sold rights to the Discovery Channel. My role involved writing an initial proposal, liaising with researchers and script writers and approaching savants to participate. On screen I am the main presenter. I also had editorial input.

Regular consults in the Media (e.g., Today Tonight, Catalyst, radio).

Law

My work with lawyers and victims of crime involves liaising with other professionals, making referrals if required, and often validating or not reports of other professionals. I have written many medico-legal reports and my expert opinion has been sought in many legal matters including Fitness to Plead assessments.

Presentations and Charity Work

I regularly present at interest and charity group meetings such as Rotary meetings and give workshops and training sessions regarding autism intervention and diagnosis.

Autism Diagnostic Assessments

I am a recognised diagnostician with Autism SA and involved with the Autism SA Professional Practice Committee.

Expertise for media contact

Intelligence: Testing and assessment
Autism: Incidence, diagnoses, idiosyncrasies in intellectual profiles, behaviour intervention
Post-Traumatic Stress: In young children and victims of crime

Subject/s

Autism
Disability
Intelligence
Psychology
Savant Syndrome

Further information

For further information click here.

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