Research Fellow/Senior Researc
Overview
Jacqui is an experienced Occupational Therapist and Postdoctoral Clinical Researcher with the Child Health Research Centre, at the University of Queensland. She is committed to creating a shift in early childhood intervention where parents are at the centre of therapy, and child outcomes are better optimised by strengthening parent-child interactions. Jacqui is involved in several clinical research projects that focus on supporting parents who have a child with developmental difficulties. She has also developed an innovative and practical training package for early childhood practitioners. This training package supports practitioners to feel confident incorporating a relationship-focused approach in their therapy as a foundation for all other areas of child development.
Research Impacts
Jacqui is an experienced occupational therapist, early career researcher and consultant with a strong track record relative to opportunity. To date, she has attracted >$160,000 funding to improve services for children and families ($100,000 for therapy services in a remote indigenous community in the NT). She is also a CI on an MRFF Grant to evaluate the effectiveness of a parenting intervention PACT Online. In 2022 she delivered a TedxUQ talk titled “The Seesaw Effect: building children’s resilience by emotional regulation” that has had more than 3300 views to date.
Jacqui currently works 0.6FTE as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Child Health Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland. She receives supervision from Dr Whittingham and Professor Boyd and is involved in four research studies: Early PACT, ENACT, PACT Online and LEAP-CP. The central focus for each of these projects is to provide support to parents who have a young child with developmental difficulties and help strengthen parent-child interactions to promote optimal child development and family functioning.
In addition to this role, Jacqui is employed as a consultant for the Benevolent Society in Brisbane. As part of this role she is responsible for evaluating current practices in the Early Supports Approach and supporting multidisciplinary team members to use a relationship-focused approach with families who are seeking to access the NDIS or supports for their child. She has developed a training package for early childhood clinicans to support effective implementation of a relationship-focused approach. This training is available online and face to face. She also provides clinical supervision to clinicians working with this appraoch.
Jacqui has a strong emerging research, training and engagement profile. She has significant knowledge in translation experience, having applied her work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, families of children with cerebral palsy and a range of other developmental concerns or disabilities. She is committed to actively contributing to a paradigm shift in early childhood services with my work in developing and testing parenting-child approaches, parent support programs, and a culturally sensitive peer to peer model with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community change agents. She currently supervises RHD students and Honours students through the University of Qld, and has strong partnerships with a number of organisations across Queensland and Australia, including BushKids, the Benevolent Society, Next Challenge and the Indigenous Urban Health Institute.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
- Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, The University of Queensland
Publications
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Thompson, Bianca A. D., Gilmore, Rose, Barfoot, Jacqui and Sakzewski, Leanne (2024). A systematic review of the efficacy of group social skills interventions on social functioning and social participation in children with acquired brain injury or cerebral palsy. Child: Care, Health and Development, 50 (2) e13242, e13242. doi: 10.1111/cch.13242
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Journal Article: Including a relationship-focus in paediatric occupational therapy interventions: Introducing the PAIR Model
Barfoot, Jacqueline, Meredith, Pamela, Whittingham, Koa and Kerley, Lachlan (2023). Including a relationship-focus in paediatric occupational therapy interventions: Introducing the PAIR Model. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, and Early Intervention. doi: 10.1080/19411243.2023.2203416
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McGlade, Andrea, Whittingham, Koa, Barfoot, Jacqui, Taylor, Leisa and Boyd, Roslyn N. (2023). Efficacy of very early interventions on neurodevelopmental outcomes for infants and toddlers at increased likelihood of or diagnosed with autism: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Autism Research, 16 (6), 1145-1160. doi: 10.1002/aur.2924
Grants
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(2023–2027) NHMRC MRFF Clinician Researchers: Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Grant
Supervision
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Effectiveness of an Occupational Therapy intervention using a sensory enriched and parent coaching approach with toddlers (18 to 42 months) with tactile defensiveness and their caregivers.
Doctor Philosophy
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CP ArtS: Optimising social skills in primary school-aged children with acquired brain injury and cerebral palsy through active participation in a group-based Creative and Performing Arts Social skills program
Doctor Philosophy
Publications
Journal Article
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Thompson, Bianca A. D., Gilmore, Rose, Barfoot, Jacqui and Sakzewski, Leanne (2024). A systematic review of the efficacy of group social skills interventions on social functioning and social participation in children with acquired brain injury or cerebral palsy. Child: Care, Health and Development, 50 (2) e13242, e13242. doi: 10.1111/cch.13242
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Barfoot, Jacqueline, Meredith, Pamela, Whittingham, Koa and Kerley, Lachlan (2023). Including a relationship-focus in paediatric occupational therapy interventions: Introducing the PAIR Model. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, and Early Intervention. doi: 10.1080/19411243.2023.2203416
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McGlade, Andrea, Whittingham, Koa, Barfoot, Jacqui, Taylor, Leisa and Boyd, Roslyn N. (2023). Efficacy of very early interventions on neurodevelopmental outcomes for infants and toddlers at increased likelihood of or diagnosed with autism: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Autism Research, 16 (6), 1145-1160. doi: 10.1002/aur.2924
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Barfoot, Jacqueline, Meredith, Pamela, Ziviani, Jenny and Whittingham, Koa (2021). PlayConnections: relationship-focussed early childhood intervention training for allied health practitioners. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 69 (1), 217-238. doi: 10.1080/1034912x.2021.1955334
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Barfoot, J., Meredith, P., Ziviani, J. and Whittingham, K. (2017). Parent-child interactions and children with cerebral palsy: An exploratory study investigating emotional availability, functional ability, and parent distress. Child: Care, Health and Development, 43 (6), 812-822. doi: 10.1111/cch.12493
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Barfoot, Jacqueline, Meredith, Pamela, Ziviani, Jenny and Whittingham, Koa (2017). Relationship-based approaches in early childhood intervention: are these applicable to paediatric occupational therapy under the NDIS?. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 64 (3), 273-276. doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12343
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Barfoot, Jacqui, Meredith, Pamela, Ziviani, Jenny and Wittingham, Koa (2015). Relationship-based parenting to support developmental outcomes for a young child with cerebral palsy: a practice application.. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 78 (10), 640-643. doi: 10.1177/0308022615583304
Conference Publication
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Parent-child interactions and cerebral palsy: an exploratory study
Barfoot, J., Meredith, P., Ziviani, J. and Whittingham, K. (2016). Parent-child interactions and cerebral palsy: an exploratory study. 2016 IASSIDD World Congress, Melbourne, Australia, 14-19 August 2016. Chichester, West Sussex United Kingdom: WILEY-BLACKWELL.
Other Outputs
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Barfoot, Jacqueline (2019). Early childhood interventions for children with developmental delays, including cerebral palsy: Adopting a relationship focus. PhD Thesis, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2019.945
Grants (Administered at UQ)
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(2023–2027) NHMRC MRFF Clinician Researchers: Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Grant
PhD and MPhil Supervision
Current Supervision
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Effectiveness of an Occupational Therapy intervention using a sensory enriched and parent coaching approach with toddlers (18 to 42 months) with tactile defensiveness and their caregivers.
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
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CP ArtS: Optimising social skills in primary school-aged children with acquired brain injury and cerebral palsy through active participation in a group-based Creative and Performing Arts Social skills program
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
