King’s College London (UK)

Autism Policies

Welcome

The Preschool Brain Imaging and Behaviour Project is the first Europe-wide study to track the development of preschool children with and without autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions. The study involves researchers from the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Sweden. The project is part of the AIMS-2-TRIALS and CANDY consortiums. 

This is the King’s College London PIP page. Here you will find out more about our research project and how to get involved.

What are our aims?

Our first goal is to better understand variability in brain development in children from different backgrounds. We would then like to see how differences in brain development are related to a child’s behaviour, learning, social and emotional development.

Our second goal is to use this information to better understand the impact of differences in brain development on neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism, ADHD, developmental delay and epilepsy.

We hope that in the future this research might aid in earlier diagnosis and improved support for children with different neurodevelopmental conditions.

What does the study involve?

In the PIP study, we aim to track the development of a large cohort of pre-schoolers over the course of three years.

We ask for parents or caregivers to complete questionnaires and interviews about their child’s behaviour, development, temperament, and environment.

We use interactive games, touchscreen tablet tasks and eye-tracking with the children themselves. We also measure children’s brain activity and development using brain-imaging techniques, called EEG and MRI.

Discover more – this video explains what to expect in the PIP study: 

Watch a short film with your child to learn more about MRI scans: 

With thanks to Folded Feather and Hogarth Worldwide for their work in the Pip and the Brain Explorers video.

Interested in taking part?

We are currently recruiting:

  • Children between 2 ½ and 4 ½ years with or without autism
  • Children between 4 and 5 ½ years with ADHD
  • Children between 3 and 4 ½ years with developmental delay 

Get in touch:

If you’re interested in taking part, or would like some more information, you can contact the PIP team at King’s College London by: 

  • Email: pip.brainexplorers@kcl.ac.uk
  • Post: PIP Study Team, FANS Box PO23, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience Main Building, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF.

Meet the Team

Amy Goodwin

Amy Goodwin

Postdoctoral Researcher

I am the co-ordinator of the PIP study across the five sites in Europe. I am also one of the PIP researchers at King’s College London. You will probably meet me at your study visit!

Anne Fritz

Anne Fritz

Research Assistant

I am a research assistant on the PIP study at King’s College London. I am involved in the study visits and I will also assist you with preparing for your visit!

 

Emily Jones

Emily Jones

Professor in Translational Neurodevelopment

I am a professor at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development (BONDS lab).  Alongside Dr Luke Mason, I direct the acquisition of EEG and eye-tracking data in the PIP study. I am also the ethics lead for AIMS-2-TRIALS.

Eva Loth

Eva Loth

Senior Lecturer and AIMS-2-TRIALS deputy director

I am the study lead of PIP. Our work involves developmental, cognitive and neuroimaging approaches to understand the link between social, emotional, motivational and cognitive processes in neurodevelopmental conditions, most notably autism.

Greg Pasco

Greg Pasco

Postdoctoral Researcher

I am a postdoctoral researcher working on the PIP study at King’s College London. You will probably meet me at your study visit!

Jennifer Cooke

Jennifer Cooke

Postdoctoral Researcher

I am a postdoctoral researcher at King’s College London. I mostly work on the Synaptic Gene Project (SynaG), but I am also involved in the PIP study. You might meet me at your study visit!

Julia Koziel

Julia Koziel

Research Assistant

I am a research assistant at King’s College London. I am involved in the PIP study visits, and I am particularly interested in the new touchscreen tasks that we have been developing!

Luke Mason

Luke Mason

Postdoctoral Researcher

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development. I specialise in EEG and eye-tracking methods, and I lead the development of EEG and eye-tracking tasks for pre-schoolers in the PIP study.

 

Matthew Bowdler

Matthew Bowdler

Research Assistant

I am a neuroimaging PhD student and researcher. I run the MRI scans for the PIP study. You will meet me at the MRI scan!

Tony Charman

Tony Charman

Professor in Clinical Child Psychology

Tony’s main research interest is the investigation of development in children with autism and the clinical application of this work. Tony is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist and works in a specialist service for children with autism and complex neurodevelopmental conditions.