Social Science Translated

Many of us know what loneliness feels like. However, we don’t always completely understand what conditions make us feel lonely and how we can improve them. A recent study by Yung-Ting Tsou and their team challenged the traditional view that autistic children lack social motivation. Using a variety of methods to measure social connectivity and loneliness in autistic and non-autistic school children, the team found that non-autistic children felt more lonely if they had less contact with others during recess. However, for autistic children, the number of reciprocated friendships or amount of time in contact with peers didn’t have much of an impact on loneliness. The degree of being liked within the class network had the biggest impact on how they felt. These findings are a great reminder that we all have different social preferences and relationship goals. By becoming more understanding of these differences and challenging our assumptions, we can create more welcoming school climates with a little less loneliness. #loneliness #neurodiversity #autism #relationships Image description: In the first image, a child wearing denim and sneakers sits in a doorway with their hands covering their face. In the following five images, a summary of the research explained above is provided.

Kathleen Davey, Clinical Psychologist and CEO of Social Science Translated will be speaking at the Health Innovation Community Conference hosted by the Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) in Brisbane on August 7. Kathleen has been a part of the changing face of psychological services for over two decades and we can’t wait to hear her insights. She'll be talking about the growth of the neurodiversity movement globally and how programs like Secret Agent Society are becoming more accessible through digital innovation. You can tap the link below to register! https://buff.ly/4d47g73 #digitalhealth #neurodiversity #secretagentsociety #healthinnovationcommunity Image description: A pink banner displays the text, "I'm speaking at Health Innovation Community. Brisbane 5-7 August 2024. Presented by Australia's peak body for digital health."

Kathleen Davey and Emily Wise are at SEPLA-CON 2024 in Sydney today! The theme of this year's conference is Creativity, Culture, and Context with discussions focused on how education professionals across Primary, Secondary, and Special School settings can face challenges and continuously build upon their practice. Make sure you visit the Secret Agent Society stall if you'd like to learn more about how our team is supporting neurodiversity in schools by empowering teachers and students with fun social and emotional problem-solving tools! #seplacon #seplacon24 #neurodiversity #education Image description: A gallery of images from the SEPLA-CON 2024 Conference. Emily Wise and Kathleen Davey from the Social Science Translated team are shown smiling at the Secret Agent Society booth. The booth features information and flyers about the program, as well as a computer showing a trailer of the Secret Agent Society computer game. Emily is featured speaking with conference guests at the booth. There is also an image of the exhibition hall which is full of attendees.

We took the opportunity to create a shared understanding of our values at a recent team planning day. Having face-to-face time together as an entire team, was a great chance to reflect on why we put so much effort into connecting families around the world with practical and evidence-based resources like Secret Agent Society. Here are the values that resonated most with our team. - We are purposeful: We engage in meaningful work, strategically and systematically meeting impact goals efficiently, driven by determination and motivation. - We are catalytic: We spark and energise bigger, exponential impact through our collaborative efforts. - We are dynamic: We are open to ideas, innovative, imaginative, explorative, fun, and adventurous. We are flexible, adaptable, agile, brave, and courageous in responding to change and feedback. - We are authentic: We are genuine, show our true selves, value diversity, inclusivity, and collaboration. - We are ethical: We are honest, reliable, responsible, and hold ourselves to our values. What values bring your team together? #secretagentsociety #socialsciencetranslated #teamwork #culture Image descriptions: There is a gallery of four images showing Social Science Translated's team members on their planning days. They are shown sitting outside on picnic rugs while working on team activities and presenting from a digital screen. There is also an image of some of their post-it notes created during a planning activity.

Last month, the Social Science Translated team got together for a series of team planning days focused on professional development and finding ways to activate feedback from our valued network of providers. Watch this space, as we start rolling out a number of new projects designed to spark meaningful change in the community and bring Secret Agent Society to more families around the world! Image description: Six team members from Social Science Translated standing together at a team planning session. There is a purple frame on the photo and the Secret Agent Society logo at the bottom right-hand side.

Applied Behaviour Analysts in Ontario, Canada must now provide safe, quality care to the public by law! The Psychology and Applied Behaviour Analysis Act, 2021 has been proclaimed into law, meaning that Behaviour Analysts in the province will be held accountable to the public for their professional behaviour and activities through The College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario. Ontario is the first province in Canada to regulate the field of Behaviour Analysis and the milestone comes from years of collaboration between professionals and advocates. This includes members of the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis (ONTABA) which our Senior Consultant, Melissa Legree has volunteered with for many years, supporting professional best practice reviews and training initiatives. Well done to everyone involved! #appliedbehaviouranalysis #psychology #ONTABA https://buff.ly/3LjplC2

We love hearing from our international network of providers about how the Secret Agent Society Small Group Program is improving children’s lives. Here is a snippet from a thank you note written by an SAS Cadet who recently completed the program with Eastwood Psychologists in Brampton, Canada ❤️ "Thank you a lot for helping me observe the environment and people's emotions." SAS can help children who are finding it hard to read and respond to the social situations that come up for them daily. We're so glad to hear that this recent graduate found their new knowledge valuable. Tap the link below if you would like to learn more about the impact you could make as an SAS Provider. https://buff.ly/3Hckimk #secretagentsociety #education #mentalhealth #sociallearning Image Description: The first image features a hand-written letter from an SAS participant that says, "Thank you for helping me in my therapy, you are the best." The next image features a quote from their thank you letter, "Thank you a lot for helping me observe the environment and people's emotions."

The communication differences of autistic people often receive a lot of focus and are at times labelled as ‘deficits’. Under that premise, you might assume that autistic people struggle to communicate with each other. However, research into a theory called the “Double Empathy Problem” suggests a different story. The theory predicts that communication effectiveness is impacted by whether or not people with the same type of brain are communicating with one another. A research study has combined non-autistic and autistic people in different groups and measured rapport during communication. These were the findings: - The mixed groups had the worst ratings of rapport. - In the self-rating report, the non-autistic groups had the best rapport. - In the observer report, the autistic groups had the best rapport. So, what does this all suggest? Communication becomes difficult when we encounter people who are different to us. If we all put some effort into understanding communication differences, we can start feeling more connected with others. You can learn more about this groundbreaking research via the link below. https://buff.ly/45XEu5z Image description: The following quote is featured against a green background inside a rectangular white frame alongside a character from the Secret Agent Society program. "Have you heard of the Double Empathy Problem? The theory suggests that communication between autistic and non-autistic people is impacted by differences in how our brains work, rather than anyone's deficits." A summary of the research study described in this caption is featured in the images that follow.

Autistic children deserve a childhood full of love, learning, and discovery - and accessing the right support can make their early years more fun! That’s why our close colleagues at Autism CRC have developed a fantastic best practice guide to help caregivers find the right people and support with confidence. It's part of Australia's National Guideline and has lots of helpful advice about how caregivers can start the journey of supporting a child, find the right practitioner, set goals, select supports, monitor progress, and reflect on the impact. If you want to help the families, caregivers, and children you meet to identify and advocate for their support needs, you could share the resource with them and use it to understand their goals. What techniques do you use to deliver personalised and effective support? #autism #neurodiversity #autismsupport

Despite the sensory challenges and disruptions that autistic mothers face to their sleep, self-care, socialisation, and attachment - many love being a mother. However, they often discover their diagnosis later in life. This insightful article from Psychology Today sheds light on their challenges and how to support them.