
Dr Kelsie Boulton
Dr Kelsie Boulton is a Senior Research Fellow in the Clinic for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney. Her research focuses on child neurodevelopment and mental health, with a focus on digital health and the development and implementation of scalable, clinically integrated tools that can support children and families.
Biography
Her research focuses on designing and implementing digital platforms that embed assessment, monitoring, and decision-making into routine care for children and families. By leveraging real-world data and user-centred design, she aims to improve early identification of need, personalise care pathways, and enhance access to evidence-based supports within health systems.
Dr Boulton works closely with clinicians, health services, policymakers, and people with lived experience to ensure digital innovations are feasible, acceptable, and impactful in real-world settings. Her research aims to bridge the gap between discovery and practice, with a focus on building sustainable systems that improve outcomes for children and families at scale.
Research interests
Research interests include:
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Social development
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Neurodevelopmental conditions
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Transdiagnostic research
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Mental health
Publication highlights
Boulton, K. A., Raghupathy, V., Guastella, A. J., & Bowden, M. R. (2022). Reducing seclusion use in an Australian child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit. Journal of Affective Disorders, 305, 1-7.
Boulton, K. A., & Guastella, A. J. (2022). The Importance of Experimental Investigation of the CNS Oxytocin System. In Oxytocin (pp. 53-65). Humana, New York, NY.
Hilton, M. N., Boulton, K. A., Kozlowska, K., McClure, G., & Guastella, A. J. (2022). The co-occurrence of neurodevelopmental disorders in gender dysphoria: Characteristics within a paediatric treatment-seeking cohort and factors that predict distress pertaining to gender. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 149, 281-286.
Griffin, Z. A., Boulton, K. A., Thapa, R., DeMayo, M. M., Ambarchi, Z., Thomas, E., ... & Guastella, A. J. (2022). Atypical sensory processing features in children with autism, and their relationships with maladaptive behaviors and caregiver strain. Autism Research.
Boulton, K. A., Coghill, D., Silove, N., Pellicano, E., Whitehouse, A. J., Bellgrove, M. A., ... & Guastella, A. J. (2021). A national harmonised data collection network for neurodevelopmental disorders: A transdiagnostic assessment protocol for neurodevelopment, mental health, functioning and well‐being. JCPP Advances, 1(4), e12048.
Zopf, R., Boulton, K., Langdon, R., Rich, A. (2021). Perception of visual-tactile asynchrony, bodily perceptual aberrations, and bodily illusions in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 228, 534-540.
Boulton, K. A., & Guastella, A. J. (2021). Social anxiety symptoms in autism spectrum disorder and social anxiety disorder: Considering the reliability of self‐report instruments in adult cohorts. Autism Research, 14(11), 2383-2392.
Bemmer, E. R., Boulton, K. A., Thomas, E. E., Larke, B., Lah, S., Hickie, I. B., & Guastella, A. J. (2021). Modified CBT for social anxiety and social functioning in young adults with autism spectrum disorder. Molecular Autism, 12(1), 1-15.
Hodge, M. A., Boulton, K. A., Sutherland, R., Barnett, D., Bennett, B., Chan, E., ... & Silove, N. (2021). Predictors of adaptive functioning in preschool aged children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research, 14(7), 1444-1455.
Patel, S., Boulton, K. A., Redoblado-Hodge, M. A., Papanicolaou, A., Barnett, D., Bennett, B., ... & Guastella, A. J. (2021). The acceptability and efficacy of electronic data collection in a hospital Neurodevelopmental clinic: Pilot Questionnaire study. JMIR Formative Research, 5(1), e18214.
Boulton, K. A., & Porter, M. A. (2020). Extending the positive bias in Williams syndrome: The influence of biographical information on attention allocation. Development and Psychopathology, 32(1), 243-256.
Boulton, K., & Guastella, A. (2020). Measuring Social Anxiety in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Psychometric Properties of Self-Report Instruments.
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