A shared book reading intervention to help language and literacy skills in preschoolers on the autism spectrum has been successfully delivered by Griffith University and Autism CRC.
The news comes in time for Autistic Pride Day on June 18, which is a celebration of the neurodiversity of people on the autism spectrum. Autistic pride recognises the innate strengths and abilities of all people, including those on the autism spectrum.
This eight week intervention pilot study took place in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, and sought to develop early spoken language and emergent literacy skills.
It investigated whether a home-based shared book reading intervention would help facilitate these skills in children under six who had not yet started school and was led by Autism CRC project leader and Griffith senior lecturer Dr Marleen Westerveld from the university’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland.
“Children who are not on the autism spectrum often learn these early literacy skills through experiences with
Category: Griffith University Feed
New Griffith Law School Dean aims for deeper alumni links
Developing deeper relationships with Griffith Law School alumni is the aim of Griffith Law School’s new Dean and Head of School Associate Professor Therese Wilson.
“I want to work more closely with our graduates to help them stay better connected and to provide more remarkable professional engagement opportunities for our students,’’ she says.
“I have been privileged over my 18 years at Griffith Law School to build strong relationships with many of our amazing alumni. I want to reach out to even more, as they are all so keen to be involved and support our current students.”
Associate Professor Wilson said she also wanted to ensure that Griffith Law School staff feel supported in undertaking impactful research as well as providing a high-quality learning experience for students.
“It has always been our point of difference at Griffith Law School that we take teaching very seriously and make ourselves available to our students. We need
Allison Baden-Clay’s legacy lives on through MATE Bystander Program
Speaking out or having a conversation with loved ones if you notice something amiss can be the key to saving lives.
This is the message from Griffith University’s MATE Bystander Program which is working with the Allison Baden-Clay Foundation to promote the prevention of Domestic and Family Violence.
“We think having the conversation is worth doing, of taking the risk. Yes, these are private matters but they can also be matters of life and death,” said Professor Paul Mazerolle, Director of the Griffith University Violence Research and Prevention Program.
“It’s really about educating people that there’s a way to intervene in a way that’s sensitive and careful.”
Targeting the business and corporate environment, the MATE Bystander Program will weave Allison’s story throughout, encouraging participant discussion while providing tactics on how to be an effective bystander.
“The bystander holds the key to preventing violence and harmful behaviour. We just need to equip all people with the
Griffith film grad directs Australia’s first Netflix original feature
Griffith Film School alumnus Yolanda Ramke has written and co-directed Australia’s first Netflix original feature film, Cargo.
The post-apocalyptic zombie movie stars Martin Freeman and Susie Porter, and recently made its international debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
Netflix bought the global rights to the film – a multi-million deal that ensures the film will be seen by millions of movie fans around the world and puts the young filmmaker on the map.
“Our biggest goal has been for people to see the film,” Yolanda said.
“To screen it in New York and have it picked up by Netflix is a dream for us.
“We originally hoped it would have a theatrical release, but when Netflix made an offer, it was an easy yes – they have 125 million subscribers in 190 countries, so their reach is massive.”
Cargo is based on a short film that made the finals of Tropfest in 2013. The
Sip while you slip into the world of science
Some of Griffith University’s biggest names in science will trade the lab for the pub when fun and informative evening sessions kick off at pubs around the country in May.
From May 14-16, the Pint Of Science festival will give Gold Coasters the opportunity to sit at the cutting edge of science with a beer in hand at Parkwood Tavern, opposite Griffith’s Gold Coast campus.
School of Environment and Science Senior Lecturer Dr Erik Streed, from Griffith’s Centre for Quantum Dynamics and the Institute for Glycomics, is among the university’s science experts appearing on the line-up and said the festival was the perfect opportunity to connect his work with the public.
Dr Erik Streed.
“A curious, well-informed public is important for society,” Dr Streed said.
“It’s not just about me saying something is true as ‘an authority’ but that I can make a persuasive case, backed up with evidence, and that the people listening
Griffith Law School walks to support community legal service
Griffith Law School staff and students will walk alongside hundreds of legal professionals in Brisbane and around Queensland on National Pro Bono Day to raise money for community law organisation LawRight.
The annual Queensland Legal Walk, now in its tenth year, reaffirms the legal profession’s commitment to pro bono work and addressing the gaps in the civil justice system by providing free legal help to the most vulnerable in our community.
LawRight aims to raise $150,000 to provide legal services to clients of hospitals, mental health and Aboriginal health services. Griffith Law School has set a team fundraising goal of $1,500. Donations can be made through their team fundraising webpage.
Griffith Law School’s Ms Zoe Rathus AM says staff and students participate because of a shared interest in social justice and the School’s historical connection with QPILCH, the former name of LawRight.
“We were the first to set up a legal clinic with them
Griffith grad scripts Picnic at Hanging Rock remake
Griffith Film School alumnus Alice Addison has penned a critically-acclaimed remake of Picnic at Hanging Rock – re-imagining Joan Lindsay’s iconic Australian novel for a new generation on the small screen.
The $20 million, six-part series, which had its world premiere on Foxtel, will also be released in the US, UK, France and New Zealand.
The series stars British actress Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) and Aussie star Yael Stone (Orange is the New Black). It opened the prestigious ‘Berlinale Series’ of the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year and also screened at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Alice, who co-wrote the series with playwright Bea Christian, said she was a little daunted by the prospect of remaking Peter Weir’s iconic film for the small screen.
“I was a huge fan of the original film, and was initially resistant about tinkering with it,” she said.
“The film was very moody and atmospheric, but then I
Environmental crusader joins 2018 Annual Appeal to change students’ lives
One of Griffith University’s most successful alumni whose conservation missions have taken her to some of the coldest places on earth is returning to where it all began to help change the lives of students.
After blazing trails in Mongolia, jagging prestigious scholarships, and being profiled in the upcoming edition of Griffith’s digital magazine, Emma Dale is now helping the university that helped set her on the path of conservation by raising awareness of the Griffith Futures Scholarships and how much they change lives, including her own.
Emma thought her dreams for the future were over, until she received a Griffith Futures Scholarship in 2016. These scholarships help students who are excelling at university despite personal or financial hardship.
Since graduating in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science (Ecology and Conservation Biology with Honours) and a University Medal, Dale has traded sunny Brisbane for the freezing outskirts of the Mongolian capital Ulaanbataar
Dual awards for Griffith Law alumnus
Griffith Law School alumnus Terrence Stedman was awarded twice at the 2018 Queensland Law Society Profession Awards, taking out the Community Legal Centre Member of the Year and the Equity Advocate Award for his service to the community.
One of Terry’s most remarkable achievements during his decade long career at Southwest Brisbane Community Legal Centre, is the successful introduction of a duty lawyer service for child protection matters – the first of its kind in Queensland.
Terry says it was one of the biggest anomalies he could see in the system when he started.
“Families were turning up to court, after their children had been grabbed, not knowing what’s happening in the system and they’d go into meltdown because Department of Child Safety wanted to put their children into care until they were 18,” says Terry.
“We approached the Department of Justice and Attorney-General and proposed the service.”
The duty lawyer service ran for five
Collaborative study aims to enhance child wellbeing in disadvantaged communities.
A new Australian Research Council Linkage Project led by Griffith University aims to improve child wellbeing in nine disadvantaged communities.
Using a model that blends new human and digital resources, the $597,000 project builds on longstanding work in this area with collaborations between schools, families and community agencies..
Professor Ross Homel.
Chief investigator Professor Ross Homel (pictured), from the Griffith Criminology Institute, said the study would generate new knowledge in prevention science about how to influence risk and protective factors for child wellbeing cost-efficiently within existing service systems.
“Children and young people living in economically deprived areas drop out of school, become trapped in cycles of welfare dependence, and entangled in the child safety or youth justice systems at much higher rates than their counterparts in more affluent communities,’’ said Professor Homel, who will work with colleagues from the Griffith Institute for Educational Research on the study.
“Family support and child services are among the