Megan Spencer-Smith

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.

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Psych: Research Themes

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

Research area keywords

child neuropsychology
academic performance
working memory
cognitive training
developmental cognitive neuroscience
executive function
mathematical performance

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Projects

2 Active

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., Middeldorp, C. & Sciberras, E.

Australian ADHD Professionals Association

7/02/20 → 30/12/20

Project: Research

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 → 29/04/22

Project: Research

Research Output

52 Article
5 Chapter (Book)
2 Comment / Debate
2 Letter

Callosal agenesis and congenital mirror movements: outcomes associated with DCC mutations

Spencer-Smith, M., Knight, J. L., Lacaze, E., IRC5 Consortium, Depienne, C., Lockhart, P. J., Richards, L. J., Heron, D., Leventer, R. J. & Robinson, G. A., 14 Feb 2020, (Accepted/In press) In : Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 5 p.