Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
I am a developmental cognitive neuroscientist and Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychological Sciences. I am Deputy Lead of the Neurodevelopment Program at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Clinical Sciences at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.
I completed a PhD in the area of child neuropsychology at the University of Melbourne (2008), and during this time spent three months as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada (2006). My postdoctoral research has been conducted at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (2008-2011) and University of Melbourne (2009) in Australia. I was a Swiss National Science Foundation Visiting Fellow at the Bern Children’s Hospital (2011) in Switzerland, and a Department of Neuroscience Research Fellow at the Karolinska Institute (2011-2013) in Sweden.
Related Links:
Research interests
My research aims to achieve a deeper understanding of the development of children's cognitive abilities, behavioural and academic functioning, and how to improve these. The themes of my research are:
1. Cognitive training in paediatric populations: My recent research focuses on the conditions under which training leads to long-term benefits, the application of cognitive training in paediatric populations, and identifying the subgroups of children who benefit most from training.
2. Development of cognitive abilities, academic and behavioural functions: Much of my research has centred on understanding variability in developmental outcomes. I work with normally developing children and clinical populations, including children born preterm or with agenesis of the corpus callosum.
I conduct cohort studies and randomised controlled trials using a combination of measures, including neuropsychological, behavioual and clinical assessments, and neuroimaging.
Monash teaching commitment
PSY2071 - Developmental Psychology
PSY4130 - Developmental Psychology and Clinical Neuroscience
PSY4271 - Psychological Assessment and Intervention
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- child neuropsychology
- academic performance
- working memory
- cognitive training
- developmental cognitive neuroscience
- executive function
- mathematical performance
Network
Projects
- 2 Finished
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Understanding ADHD in Indigenous Australian children using the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC).
Bellgrove, M., Stefanac, N., Tiego, J., Jobson, L., Kirk, H., Spencer-Smith, M., Adams, K., Cornish, K., Coghill, D. R., Middeldorp, C. M. & Sciberras, E.
Australian ADHD Professionals Association
7/02/20 → 31/12/21
Project: Research
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Utilising digital training technology to support cognitive skill development and enhance learning in primary school children
Kirk, H., Cornish, K., Bellgrove, M., Spencer-Smith, M., Jobson, L. & Adams, K.
Monash University – Internal Faculty Contribution, Monash University – Internal Department Contribution
3/02/20 → 28/02/23
Project: Research
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Brain White Matter Development Over the First 13 Years in Very Preterm and Typically Developing Children Based on the T1-w/T2-w Ratio
Thompson, D. K., Yang, J. Y. M., Chen, J., Kelly, C. E., Adamson, C. L., Alexander, B., Gilchrist, C., Matthews, L. G., Lee, K. J., Hunt, R. W., Cheong, J. L. Y., Spencer-Smith, M., Neil, J. J., Seal, M. L., Inder, T. E., Doyle, L. W. & Anderson, P. J., 1 Mar 2022, In: Neurology. 98, 9, p. e924-e937 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus) -
Can Neurocognitive Outcomes Assist Measurement-Based Care for Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of the Relationships Among the Changes in Neurocognitive Functions and Clinical Outcomes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Pharmacological and Cognitive Training Interventions
Lee, S., Hill, T. R., Johnson, B., Testa, R., Priya, V., Spencer-Smith, M. & Coghill, D., Jun 2022, In: Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 32, 5, p. 250-277 28 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Research › peer-review
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Episodic and prospective memory difficulties in 13-year-old children born very preterm
Stedall, P. M., Spencer-Smith, M. M., Lah, S., Doyle, L. W., Spittle, A. J., Burnett, A. C. & Anderson, P. J., 2022, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. p. 1-9 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Maternal Mental Health Disorders Following Very Preterm Birth at 5 Years Post-Birth
Yates, R., Anderson, P. J., Lee, K. J., Doyle, L. W., Cheong, J. L. Y., Pace, C. C., Spittle, A. J., Spencer-Smith, M. & Treyvaud, K., Apr 2022, In: Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 47, 3, p. 327-336 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus) -
Parenting and Neurobehavioral Outcomes in Children Born Moderate-to-Late Preterm and at Term
McMahon, G. E., Treyvaud, K., Spencer-Smith, M. M., Spittle, A. J., Lee, K. J., Doyle, L. W., Cheong, J. L. & Anderson, P. J., Feb 2022, In: The Journal of Pediatrics. 241, p. 90-96.e2 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
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Harold Mitchell Travelling Fellowship
Spencer-Smith, Megan (Recipient), 2011
Prize: Competitive Fellowships
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International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes, Travel Scholarship
Spencer-Smith, Megan (Recipient), 2007
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Karolinska Institute, Department of Neuroscience Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
Spencer-Smith, Megan (Recipient), 2011
Prize: Competitive Fellowships
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Monash University, Jenny Redman Early Career Research Publication Prize for Psychological Sciences
Spencer-Smith, Megan (Recipient), 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Honorary Senior Research Fellow
Spencer-Smith, Megan (Recipient), 2011
Prize: Other distinction