The Team

Dr Shu Yau

I am a Lecturer in Developmental Psychology (Research & Teaching, tenured), Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Director of the Cognition in Autism lab. I research child cognition and work closely with families and clinicians to improve research paradigms, inclusion and understanding in autism. I also Co-Chair the Gender & Diversity working party for our discipline.

In our Cognition in Autism lab at MU, we use behavioural and cognitive paradigms, and mobile neuroimaging to investigate language, auditory perception and cognition in autism, and in individuals who are nonspeaking or minimally verbal. We work with children, adults, families and clinicians in experimental testing and intervention protocols. The work that my students and I do in the lab consists of 3 streams : Neurocognition (e.g. auditory perception and hypersensitivities in autism), Mental Health (e.g. screentime in youth and young adults, yoga-intervention for anxiety in autism), and Non-speaking/Minimally Verbal individuals with autism (e.g. co-designed community training on complex communication needs). Co-design and participatory action research is at the heart of what we do, and we take into account voices of individuals with autism and their allies, and work closely with community partners in WA such as Telethon Kids Institute and Rocky Bay, to ensure our study aims and testing environment suit our participants.

Prior to Murdoch, I was an Assistant Professor (Research & Teaching, tenured) and Neuroscience & Education programme coordinator at the University of Bristol, UK. I care about translation of research through public engagement, and was co-director of the Bristol Autism Research Group, which established a network of scientists and practitioners in South West England. I completed my Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship, with Prof Joel Talcott, Dr Caroline Witton and Prof Stefano Seri, developing a receptive language mapping MEG paradigm that is suitable for child and clinical populations.

Awards and Grants

  • GEMM Leadership Grants (2022). Yau, S.H. and Loftus, T.
  • Lotterywest Building Communities Grant (2021). Community TechTalkers to encourage re-connection and community participation in families with disabilities in WA. $97,502, Rocky Bay & Yau, S.H. 
  • University Citations for Enhancing Student Learning, (2021), Yau, S.H. Teaching & Supervision award ‘For creative and inclusive approaches to learning and teaching that inspire students to embrace curiosity, think independently and be change agents in the real world’
  • Autism Awareness immersive public Event, University of Bristol Public Engagement Award (2017), Yau, S.H.
  • Jean Golding Institute Seed Corn Funding for fMRI research in nonverbal children with Autism (2017), Yau, S.H., Howard-Jones, P. & Thai, J. £5000 (approx AUD 9,400)
  • Macquarie University Research Excellence Awards: Highly Commended ‘Innovative Technologies’ (2015), Badcock, N.A., McArthur, G., de Lissa, P., Preece, K.A., de Wit, B., Fieder, N., Mousikou, P., Thie, J., Mahajan, Y., Yau, S., Brock, J., Sorensen, S., & Glenn, K. “Efficient and child-friendly measures of brain activity using a video-gaming system.”
  • Macquarie University Faculty of Human Sciences HDR National Recognition Award (2013)
  • Finalist, Trans-Tasman 3 Minute Thesis (2013)
  • 1st Place Macquarie University 3 Minute Thesis Competition (2013)
  • People’s Choice, Human Sciences Faculty, 3 Minute Thesis Competition (2013) Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
  • Best presentation (2012), Yau, S.H. Australasian Society for Autism Research Scientific Meeting

Publications

Journals

  • Petit, S., Grootswagers, T., Rich, A., Brock, J., Nickels, L., Moerel, D., Yau, S., Dermody, N., Woolgar, A., (2020),Toward an Individualized Neural Assessment of Receptive Language in Children, Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 63, 7, pages 2361 – 2385.
  • Ruiz-Martinez, F., Wilson, E., Yau, S., Saldana, D., Gomez, C., (2020), Impaired P1 Habituation and Mismatch Negativity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50, 2, pages 603 – 616.

(This list is not updated – please refer to Research Gate and Google Scholar for latest publications) : 

Howard-Jones, P., Ioannou, K., Bailey, R., Prior, J., Jay, T., & Yau, S. (2020). Towards a science of teaching and learning for teacher education. In Educational Neuroscience (pp. 445-473). Routledge.

Howard-Jones, P & Yau, S, 2018, ‘Applying the science of learning in the classroom’. Journal of the chartered college of teaching.
Yau, S & Allen, M, 2018, ‘Research with children with Special Educational Needs: A focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder.’. in: The Routledge International Handbook of Learning with Technology in Early Childhood.
Yau, S, Bardy, F, Sowman, PF & Brock, JP, 2017, ‘The Magnetic Acoustic Change Complex and Mismatch Field: A Comparison of Neurophysiological Measures of Auditory Discrimination’. AIMS Neuroscience, vol 4., pp. 14-27
Yau, SH, Brock, JP & McArthur, G, 2016, ‘The relationship between spoken language and speech and nonspeech processing in children with autism: a magnetic event-related field study’. Developmental Science, vol 19., pp. 834-852
Yau, SH, McArthur, G, Badcock, NA & Brock, J, 2015, ‘Case study: auditory brain responses in a minimally verbal child with autism and cerebral palsy’. Frontiers in Neuroscience, vol 9.
Bardy, F, McMahon, CM, Yau, SH & Johnson, BW, 2014, ‘Deconvolution of magnetic acoustic change complex (mACC)’. Clinical Neurophysiology, vol 125., pp. 2220-2231

Tundi Loftus

Tundi is an Associate Lecturer in Psychology at Murdoch University and is currently pursuing a PhD focused on co-designing a yoga intervention to target anxiety in children with autism. Tundi holds a Master’s degree in Psychology, during which she conducted a systematic review of existing literature regarding the efficacy of mindfulness for reducing anxiety, improving social skills and reducing aggressive behaviors in children with autism.

Her academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Criminology from Edith Cowan University, followed by a Bachelor’s (Honours) degree in Psychological Science from the Institute of Social Neuroscience. With a strong academic foundation and a passion for supporting neurodevelopmental well-being, Tundi is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all through her research, practice, and teaching endeavors.

Awards and Grants

  • GEMM Leadership Grants (2022). Yau, S.H. and Loftus, T.

Publications

  • Loftus, T., Mathersul, D., Ooi, M., & Yau, S. The Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Anxiety, Social Skills, and Aggressive Behaviors in Children and Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in psychiatry, 14, 287.

Stephanie Bovell

Stephanie is a Sessional Academic and Research Officer in Allied Health and Psychology at Murdoch University. She holds a Bachelor’s (Honours) degree in Psychology from The University of Western Australia. Her honours thesis explored associations between brain asymmetry and language development in children, research areas that she continues to pursue. She is passionate about communication, engagement, and accessibility: the driving forces behind her research and teaching philosophy. Stephanie is currently learning AUSLAN and collaborating with Rocky Bay on a series of videos about augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Publications

Yau SH, Choo K, Tan J, Monson O and Bovell S (2024) Comparing and contrasting barriers in augmentative alternative communication use in nonspeaking autism and complex communication needs: multi-stakeholder perspectives. Front. Psychiatry 15:1385947. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1385947 

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