Tom Loucas

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+44 (0) 118 378 4697
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Associate Professor
- Departmental Director of Teaching and Learning
- Programme Director for BSc Speech & Language Therapy.
Areas of interest
Language, communication and cognition in autism spectrum disorders (ASD); the relationship between the language impairments in ASD and specific language impairment (SLI); language and anxiety in ASD; communication interventions for individuals with ASD and SLI.Teaching
Disorders of communication in children
Research centres and groups
- Language and Cognition
- Berkshire Autism Research Network.
Research projects
Relatively low-intensity early intervention which involves training parents of children with autism to more effectively support their child's communication development can lead to long-term reduction in autism symptoms. We plan to see if these techniques can be implemented using telemedicine.Academic qualifications
BSc, MA, PhD, HCPC Registered Speech and Language Therapist.
Publications
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Williams, T.
ORCID: 0000-0003-0072-3316 , Loucas, T. , Sin, J. , Jeremic, M. , Aslett, G. , Knight, M. , Fincham Majumdar, S. , Liu, F.
ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 (2021) A randomised controlled feasibility trial of music-assisted language telehealth intervention for minimally verbal autistic children - the MAP study protocoL. Pilot and feasibility studies , 7 ISSN: 2055-5784 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40814-021-00918-9
- Cilibrasi, L. , Stojanovik, V. , Loucas, T. , Riddell, P. (2018) The role of non-initial clusters in the Children’s test of Nonword Repetition: evidence from children with language impairment and typically developing children. Dyslexia , 24 (4). pp. 322-335. ISSN: 1099-0909 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dys.1599
- Rudra, A. , Ram, J. , Loucas, T. , Belmonte, M. , Chakrabarti, B. (2016) Bengali translation and characterisation of four cognitive and trait measures for autism spectrum conditions in India. Molecular Autism , 7 (1). ISSN: 2040-2392 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-016-0111-y
- Loucas, T. , Baird, G. , Simonoff, E. , Slonims, V. (2016) Phonological processing in children with specific language impairment with and without reading difficulties. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders , 51 (5). pp. 581-588. ISSN: 1460-6984 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12225
- Riches, N. , Loucas, T. , Baird, G. , Charman, T. , Simonoff, E. (2016) Elephants in pyjamas: testing the weak central coherence account of autism spectrum disorders using a syntactic disambiguation task. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 46 (1). pp. 155-163. ISSN: 1573-3432 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2560-0
- Loucas, T. (2015) Autism spectrum disorder. In: Kersner, M. and Wright, J. , (eds.) Supporting young children with communication problems. 4th edition. Routledge , Abingdon. pp. 104-118. ISBN: 9781138779211
- Dalton, N. , Chandler, S. , Turner, C. , Charman, T. , Pickles, A. , Loucas, T. , Simonoff, E. , Sullivan, P. , Baird, G. (2014) Gut permeability in autism spectrum disorders. Autism Research , 7 (3). pp. 305-313. ISSN: 1939-3806 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.1350
- Chander, S. , Carcani-Rathwell, I. , Charman, T. , Pickles, A. , Loucas, T. , Meldrum, D. , Simonoff, E. , Sulivan, P. , Baird, G. (2013) Parent-reported gastro-intestinal symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 43 (12). pp. 2737-2747. ISSN: 0162-3257 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1768-0
- Loucas, T. , Riches, N. , Baird, G. , Pickles, A. , Simonoff, E. , Chandler, S. , Charman, T. (2013) Spoken word recognition in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and specific language impairment. Applied Psycholinguistics , 34 (2). pp. 301-322. ISSN: 1469-1817 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0142716411000701
- Law, B. , Houston-Price, C. , Loucas, T. (2012) Using gaze direction to learn words at 18 months: relationships with later vocabulary. Language Studies Working Papers , 4 pp. 3-14. ISSN: 2040-3461
- Rowley, E. , Chandler, S. , Baird, G. , Simonoff, E. , Pickles, A. , Loucas, T. , Charman, T. (2012) The experience of friendship, victimization and bullying in children with an autism spectrum disorder: associations with child characteristics and school placement. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders , 6 (3). pp. 1126-1134. ISSN: 1750-9467 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2012.03.004
- Loucas, T. (2012) Children with autism spectrum disorders. In: Kersner, M. and Wright, J. , (eds.) Speech and Language Therapy: the decision-making process when working with children. Routledge , London. pp. 109-116. ISBN: 9780415614078
- Riches, N. , Loucas, T. , Baird, G. , Charman, T. , Simonoff, E. (2011) Non-word repetition in adolescents with Specific Language Impairment and Autism plus Language Impairments: a qualitative analysis. Journal of Communication Disorders , 44 (1). pp. 23-36. ISSN: 0021-9924 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2010.06.003
- Charman, T. , Pickles, A. , Simonoff, E. , Chandler, S. , Loucas, T. , Baird, G. (2010) IQ in children with autism spectrum disorders: data from the Special Needs and Autism Project (SNAP). Psychological Medicine , 41 (3). pp. 619-627. ISSN: 1469-8978 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291710000991
- Loucas, T. , Riches, N. , Charman, T. , Pickles, A. , Simonoff, E. , Chandler, S. , Baird, G. (2010) Speech perception and phonological short-term memory capacity in language impairment: preliminary evidence from adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders , 45 (3). pp. 275-286. ISSN: 1368-2822 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3109/13682820902936433
- Riches, N. , Loucas, T. , Baird, G. , Charman, T. , Simonoff, E. (2010) Sentence repetition in adolescents with specific language impairments and autism: an investigation of complex syntax. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders , 45 (1). pp. 47-60. ISSN: 1368-2822 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3109/13682820802647676
- Baird, G. and Loucas, T. (2009) Delay and disorder in speech and language. In: Newton, V. , (eds.) Paediatric audiological medicine. 2nd ed.. Wiley-Blackwell , Chichester. pp. 467-487. ISBN: 9780470319871
- Pickles, A. , Simonoff, E. , Conti-Ramsden, G. , Falcaro, M. , Simkin, Z. , Charman, T. , Chandler, S. , Loucas, T. , Baird, G. (2009) Loss of language in early development of autism and specific language impairment. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , 50 (7). pp. 843-852. ISSN: 1469-7619 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.02032.x
- Charman, . , Pickles, . , Chandler, . , Wing, . , Bryson, . , Simonoff, . , Loucas, . , Baird, . (2009) Commentary: effects of diagnostic thresholds and research vs service and administrative diagnosis on autism prevalence. International Journal of Epidemiology , 38 (5). pp. 1234-1238. ISSN: 0300-5771 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyp256
- Green, . , Charman, . , Pickles, . , Chandler, . , Loucas, . , Simonoff, . , Baird, . (2009) Impairment in movement skills of children with autistic spectrum disorders. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology , 51 (4). pp. 311-316. ISSN: 0012-1622 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2008.03242.x
- Loucas, . (2008) Language abilities in ASD: evidence from an epidemiological sample.
- Baird, . , Charman, . , Pickles, . , Chandler, . , Loucas, . , Meldrum, . , Carcani-Rathwell, . , Serkana, . , Simonoff, . (2008) Regression, developmental trajectory and associated problems in disorders in the autism spectrum: the SNAP study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 38 (10). pp. 1827-1836. ISSN: 0162-3257 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0571-9
- Baird, . , Pickles, . , Simonoff, . , Charman, . , Sullivan, . , Chandler, . , Loucas, . , Meldrum, . , Afzal, . , Thomas, . , Jin, . , Brown, . (2008) Measles vaccination and antibody response in autism spectrum disorders. Archives of Disease in Childhood , 93 (10). pp. 832-837. ISSN: 0003-9888 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1136/adc.2007.122937
- Loucas, . , Charman, . , Pickles, . , Simonoff, . , Chandler, . , Meldrum, . , Baird, . (2008) Autistic symptomatology and language ability in autism spectrum disorder and specific language impairment. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , 49 (11). pp. 1184-1192. ISSN: 0021-9630 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01951.x
- Simonoff, . , Pickles, . , Charman, . , Chandler, . , Loucas, . , Baird, . (2008) Psychiatric disorders in children with autism spectrum disorders: prevalence, comorbidity, and associated factors in a population-derived sample. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , 47 (8). pp. 921-929. ISSN: 0890-8567 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1097/CHI.0b013e318179964f
- Chandler, . , Charman, . , Baird, . , Simonoff, . , Loucas, . , Meldrum, . , Scott, . , Pickles, . (2007) Validation of the social communication questionnaire in a population cohort of children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , 46 (10). pp. 1324-1332. ISSN: 0890-8567 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1097/chi.0b013e31812f7d8d
- Charman, . , Baird, . , Simonoff, . , Loucas, . , Chandler, . , Meldrum, . , Pickles, . (2007) Efficacy of three screening instruments in the identification of autistic-spectrum disorders. British Journal of Psychiatry , 191 (6). pp. 554-559. ISSN: 0007-1250 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.107.040196
- Baird, . , Simonoff, . , Pickles, . , Chandler, . , Loucas, . , Meldrum, . , Charman, . (2006) Prevalence of disorders of the autism spectrum in a population cohort of children in South Thames: the special needs and autism project (SNAP). Lancet , 368 (9531). pp. 210-215. ISSN: 0140-6736 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69041-7