Research Group Summary
The Canterbury Child Development Research Group (CCDRG) is a multidisciplinary research team based at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. The group led by Professor Lianne J. Woodward investigates critical child development issues concerned with early developmental risks, brain development, parenting and family functioning.
Researchers in the group are specifically focused on:
- Neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants born very preterm
- Neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants exposed to methadone during pregnancy
- Childhood exposure to family violence and later parenting risks
Areas of expertise within the group include:
- Child and adolescent psychiatry
- Developmental neuropsychology
- Longitudinal research methods
- Neonatal nursing
- Paediatrics
Studies largely employ a multimethod approach spanning:
- Neuroimaging (diffusion tensor imaging, functional connectivity, structural magnetic resonance imaging)
- Neuropsychological evaluation
- Paediatric clinical examination
- Parental interview
- Teacher report
The research group maintains close collaborative working relationships with other researchers based at:
- Christchurch Women's Hospital (New Zealand)
- Harvard Medical School, Boston (USA)
- School of Medicine, University of Auckland (New Zealand)
- University of Melbourne (Australia)
- University of Oslo (Norway)
- University of Otago, Christchurch, Dunedin (New Zealand)
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis (USA)