Dr Holan Liang
Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Dr Holan Liang is Senior Clinical Research Associate at Cambridge University Autism Research Centre and honorary Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Great Ormond Street Hospital and North East London Foundation Trust. She was formerly psychiatry lead at the National and Specialist Tic Service at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Her special interest is in neurodevelopmental conditions including ADHD, autism, Tourette syndrome and intellectual disability. She has been Honorary Associate Professor at UCL and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, Clinical Research Fellow and Clinical Lecturer at The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience.
Dr Liang has 20 years’ experience in specialist child and adolescent psychiatry including leading neurodevelopmental disorders services in London and Hertfordshire. She is involved in clinical research including clinical drug trials and international genetics studies. She has been an elected member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Faculty Executive Committee. She is actively involved in teaching undergraduate and postgraduates in neurodevelopmental conditions for 20 years, including at King’s College London and University College London and peer reviews proposals and papers for NIHR and the BMJ. She has written for The Guardian, The Telegraph and RED Magazine.
Education & qualifications
- The Glennie Prize in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cambridge University (1999)
- MB BChir University of Cambridge (1999)
- MA (Cantab) University of Cambridge (2000)
- The Conor Egan Prize, The Psychiatry Research Trust (2004)
- MRCPsych (2005), Certificate of Completion of Training – South London & Maudsley NHS Trust Training Scheme (2010)
- The Margaret Davenport Prize, The Royal College of Psychiatrists (2008)
- Royal College of Psychiatrists UK CAMHS Team of the Year (2018)
- NHS Consultant Clinical Excellence Awards (2017 & 2019)
- BMJ Awards Mental Health Team of the Year (2021)
- FRCPsych (2021)
Publications
As well as academic publications, she has authored a commercial parenting book Inside Out Parenting: How to raise children with a core of self-esteem (Bluebird Books, 2017) which was awarded Silver Medal for Best Parenting Book 2017, and a commercial non-fiction book on mental health A sense of belonging: How to find your place in a fractured world (Short Books, 2022).
Lukito S, Lam SL, Criaud M, Westwood S, Kowalczyk OS, Curran S, Barrett N, Abbott C, Liang H, Simonoff E, Barker GJ, Giampietro V, Rubia K. Effects of fMRI neurofeedback of right inferior frontal cortex on inhibitory brain activation in children with ADHD. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2024 Dec 2;379(1915):20230097. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0097. PMID: 39428885; PMCID: PMC11491852.
Duncan M, Pearman Z, Harrold K, Warren A, Evans S, McAllister E, Heyman I, Shavel-Jessop S, Murphy T, Liang H. Evaluation of a psychoeducation group for children presenting with functional tic-like behaviours. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2024 Mar 13:13591045241237829. doi: 10.1177/13591045241237829. PMID: 38476087.
Feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of a mental health drop-in centre for the siblings of young people attending a paediatric hospital. Bennett SD, Rojas N, Catanzano M, Roach A, Ching BC, Coughtrey AE, Heyman I, Liang H, Project Team L, Shafran R. J Child Health Care. 2023 Oct 18:13674935231206895. doi: 10.1177/13674935231206895. PMID: 37850534.
Epilepsy severity mediates association between mutation type and ADHD symptoms in tuberous sclerosis complex. Charlotte Tye, Fiona S. McEwen, Holan Liang, Emma Woodhouse, Lisa Underwood, Elizabeth Shephard, Edward D. Barker, Fintan Sheerin, Nicholas Higgins, Juul Steenbruggen, TS 2000 Study Group, Patrick F. Bolton. Epilepsia (2023), DOI: 10.1111/epi.17507
The ESSTS (European Society for the Study of Tourette Syndrome) 2022 Criteria for Clinical Diagnosis of Functional Tic Like Behaviours (FTLBs): An international consensus from experts in tic disorders. European Journal of Neurology (2023) Apr; 30(4):902-910. doi: 10.1111/ene.15672.
Feasibility of a parent-mediated social-communication therapy for young autistic children in Brazil: An implementation study of Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT). Priscilla Brandi Gomes Godoy, Lorna McWilliams, Leticia Rodrigues da Silveira, Mirian de Cesaro Revers Biasão, Fernanda Speggiorin Pereira Alarcão, Leonardo Seda, Renata Generoso Campoli, Holan Liang, Gauri Divan, Kathy Leadbitter, Jonathan Green & Elizabeth Shephard – Autism (2023) Jan 1;13623613221144501. doi: 10.1177/13623613221144501.
The spectrum of functional tic‐like behaviours: Data from an international registry. Martino, D., Hedderly, T., Murphy, T....Liang, H.,...Pringsheim, T.M. European Journal of Neurology, 2022. 2023 Feb;30(2):334-343. doi: 10.1111/ene.15611
A double-blind, randomised, sham-controlled trial testing the efficacy of fMRI neurofeedback on clinical and cognitive measures in children with ADHD. Sheut- Ling Lam, Marion Criaud, Steve Lukito, Samuel Westwood, Deborah Agbedjro, Olivia Kowalczyk, Sarah Curran, Nadia Barret, Chris Abbott, Holan Liang, Emily Simonoff, Gareth J Barker, Vincent Giampietro, Katya Rubia. American Journal of Psychiatry (2022) Dec 1;179(12):947-958. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.21100999.
Feasibility of low-intensity psychological interventions for emotional and behavioural difficulties in children and young people with genetic conditions: a case series. Brian CF Ching, Sophie D Bennett, Natalia Rojas, Isobel Heyman, Holan Liang, Matteo Catanzano, Anna E Coughtrey, Tazeen Ashraf, Wendy Jones and Alison Male. the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist , Volume 15 , 2022 , e59, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1754470X22000551
Changes and adaptations in a national specialist paediatric mental health service in response to Covid-19. Brian Ching, Isobel Heyman, Chloe Elphick...Holan Liang. Clinical Psychology Forum Aug 2022 1(355) 10.53841/bpscpf.2022.1.355.9
White matter disruptions related to inattention and autism spectrum symptoms in tuberous sclerosis complex. Lucy D. Vanes, Charlotte Tye, Jacques-Donald Tournier, Anna J.E. Combes, Elizabeth Shephard, Holan Liang, Gareth J. Barker, Chiara Nosarti, The TS2000 Study Team and Patrick Bolton, Neuroimage: Clinical, August 2022 2022;36:103163. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103163
Catanzano, M., Bennett, S. D., Fifield, K., Xu, L., Sanderson, C., Coughtrey, A. E., ... & Shafran, R. Efficient Sufficiency: a qualitative evaluation of a 1 year pilot study of young people and parents accessing a mental health drop-in centre in a paediatric hospital. Accepted Child: Care, Health & Development (2022) http://doi.org/10.1111/cch.13051
Cost-effectiveness of a mental health drop-in center for young people with long-term physical conditions. Harrison Clarke, Walter Morris, Matteo Catanzano, Sophie Bennett, Anna E Coughtrey, Isobel Heyman, Holan Liang, Roz Shafran and Neha Batura. BMC Health Services Research, 2022. 10.1186/s12913-022-07901-x
Perinatal Adversities in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: Determinants and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes. Alexa X. D. Zhang, Holan Liang, Fiona S. McEwen, Charlotte Tye, Emma Woodhouse, Lisa Underwood, Elizabeth Shephard, Fintan Sheerin, Tuberous Sclerosis 2000 Study Group, Patrick F Bolton. Developmental Medicine Child Neurology 2022. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15224
Holan Liang. A Sense of Belonging: How to find your way in a fractured world. Short Books (2022).
Paediatric tic-like presentations during the COVID-19 pandemic – a paediatric case series. Sarah Buts, Morvwen Duncan, Tamsin Owen, Davide Martino, Tamara Pringsheim, Susan Byrne, Andrew McWilliams, Tara Murphy, Osman Malik, Holan Liang, Isobel Heyman, Tammy Hedderly. (2021) Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2022 Mar;107(3):e17. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2021-323002.
Oscillatory neural network alter ations in young people with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and associations with co-occurring symptoms of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Shephard, E., McEwen, F., Earnest, T., Friedrich, N., Mörtl, I., Liang, H., Woodhouse, E., The TS2000 Study Team, Tye, C. & Bolton, P.F. Cortex. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2021.10.007
Bennett, S.D., Kerry, E., Fifield, K., Ching, B., Catanzano, M., Liang, H., Heyman, I., Coughtrey, A.E., Sanderson, C., Rojas, N. & Shafran, R. (2021). A drop-in centre for treating mental health problems in children with chronic illness: outcomes for parents and their relationship with child outcomes. JCPP Advances. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.12046
A survey of mental health professionals in a paediatric hospital during COVID-19. (2021) Ching, B., Bennett, S.D., Heyman, I., Liang, H., Catanzano, M., Fifield, K., Berger, Z., Hewson, E., Gray, S., Bryon, M., Coughtrey, A. & Shafran, R. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry; special issue Covid-19. DOI: 10.1177/13591045211033186.
Catanzano, M.; Bennett, S.D.; Tibber, M.S.; Coughtrey, A.E.; Liang, H.; Heyman, I.; The Lucy Project Team; Shafran, R. A Mental Health Drop-In Centre Offering Brief Transdiagnostic Psychological Assessment and Treatment in a Paediatric Hospital Setting: A One-Year Descriptive Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(10), 5369; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105369
A mental health drop-in centre offering brief transdiagnosticpsychological assessment and treatment in a paediatric hospital setting: a one year descriptive study. (2021) Catanzano, M., Bennett, S.D., Tibber, M., Coughtrey, A.E., Liang, H., The Lucy Project team, Heyman, I & Shafran, R. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660- 4601). 2021 May 18;18(10):5369. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18105369
Evaluation of a mental health drop-in centre offering brief transdiagnostic psychological assessment and treatment for children and adolescents with long-term physical conditions and their families: a single-arm, open, non-randomised trial (2020). Catanzano, M., Bennett, SD., Kerry, E., Liang, H., Heyman, I., Coughtrey, AE. Fifield, K., Taylor, C., Dalgleish, T., Xu, L., Shafran, R. Evidence Based Medicine. 2021 Feb;24(1):25-32. doi: 10.1136/ebmental-2020-300197.
COVID-19 related increase in childhood tics and tic-like attacks. Heyman, I, Liang, H. & Hedderly, T. (2021). Archives of Disease in Childhood106(5): DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2021-321748
Actigraph-measured movement correlates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in young people with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) with and without intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). (2020) T. Earnest, E. Shephard, C. Tye, F. McEwen, E. Woodhouse, H. Liang, F. Sheerin and P. F. Bolton. Brain Sciences. Jul28; 10(8): E492. doi: 10.3390/brainsci10080491.
Lessons learned in lockdown: a one-day remotely-delivered training on low-intensity psychological interventions for common mental health conditions. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. (2020) R. Batchelor, M. Catanzano, E. Kerry, S.D. Bennett, A.E. Coughtrey, H. Liang, V. Curry, I. Heyman & R. Shafran. Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 25(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12402
Brief psychological interventions for psychiatric disorders in young people with long term physical health conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2020) M Catanzano, S Bennett, PhD, C Sanderson, M Patel, G Manzotti, E Kerry, A Coughtrey, PhD, H Liang, I Heyman, PhD, R Shafran, PhD, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110187
Guidance for identification and treatment of individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder based upon expert consensus. Young, S., Hollingdale J., Absoud, M., Bolton, P., Branney, P., Colley, A., Craze, E., Dave, M., Deeley, Q., Farrag, E., Gudjonsson, G., Hill, P., Liang, H., Murphy, C., Mackintosh, P., Murin, M., O’Regan, F., Ougrin, D., Rios, P., Stover, N., Taylor, E. & Woodhouse, E. (2020) BMC Medicine 18, 146. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-01585-y
Tye, C, McEwen, F.S, Liang, H, Underwood, L, Woodhouse, E, Barker, E.D., Sheerin, F, Higgins, N, Steenbruggen, J.R.W, Yates, J.F. TS2000 Group and Bolton, P.F. (2019). Long‐term cognitive outcomes in tuberous sclerosis complex. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology (On-line: DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.14356).
Corbet Burcher, G., Liang, H., Lancaster, R., Cross, JH., Tisdall, M., Varadkar, S., Spoudeas, HA., Caredda, E., Bennett, S., , Heyman, I. (2019). The neuropsychiatric profile of children and adolescents with hypothalamic hamartoma; a systematic review and case series. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology (On-line: DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.14241).
Liang, H., Inside Out Parenting: How to Raise Children with a Core of Self Esteem (2017). Bluebird Books (Pan Macmillan). Awarded Silver Medal for Best Parenting Book 2017.
Sub-investigator in medication trial: Gringras, P, Nir, T, Breddy, J, Frydman-Marom, A, Findling, RL. Efficacy and Safety of Pediatric Prolonged-Release Melatonin for Insomnia in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. (2017) Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 56 (11): 948-957
Simonoff, E., Taylor, E., Baird, G., Bernard, S., Chadwick, O., Liang, H., Riemer, K., Sharma Pandey, S., Sharma, K., Wood, N., Kelly, J., Golaszewski, A., Kennedy, J., Rodney, L., West, N., Walwyn, R., Jichi, F. (2013) Randomized controlled double- blind trial of optimal dose methylphenidate in children and adolescents with severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and intellectual disability. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 54 (5): 527-535. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02569.x
Krebs, G., Liang, H., Hilton, K., Macdiarmid, F., & Heyman, I. (2012). Computer- assisted assessment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in young people: A preliminary evaluation of the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA). Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 17(4):246-251. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-3588.2012.00651.x
Liang, H., Pickles, A., Wood, N. & Simonoff, E., (2012) Adolescent Emotional and Behavioural Outcomes of Non-parental Preschool Childcare. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2012 Mar;47(3):399-407. doi: 10.1007/s00127-011-0351- 2
Liang, H., Simonoff, E., (2009) Learning Disabilities. In J. B. Benson & M. M. Haith (Eds). Diseases and Disorders in Infancy and Early Childhood. Elsevier Publishing.
Liang, H., Simonoff, E., (2008) Learning Disabilities. In M. M. Haith, J. B. Benson. (Eds) Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development (Volume 2) San Diego: Academic Press.
Liang, H., Flisher, A.J. & Lombard, C. (2007). Bullying, violence and risk behaviours in South African school students. Child Abuse & Neglect, 2007 Feb;31(2):161-71. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.08.007.
Flisher, A.J., Ward, C.L., Liang, H., Onya, H., Mlisa, N., Terblanche, S., Bhana, A., Parry, C.D.H., & Lombard, C. (2006). Injury-related behaviour among South African high-school students at six sites. South African Medical Journal, 96, 825- 830.
Liang, H. & Eley, T.C. (2005). A Monozygotic Twin Differences Study of Nonshared Environmental Influence on Adolescent Depressive Symptoms. Child Development. 2005 Nov-Dec;76(6):1247-60. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00848.x
Flisher, A.J., Liang, H. Laubscher, R. & Lombard, C. (2004). Suicide trends in South Africa 1968-1990. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. 2004;32(6):411-8. doi: 10.1080/14034940410029469
Eley, T.C., Liang, H., Plomin, R., Sham, P., Sterne, A., Williamson, R. & Purcell, S. (2004) Parental Vulnerability, Family Environment and their Interactions as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents. The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2004 Mar;43(3):298-306. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-200403000-00011
Liang, H., Flisher, A.J. & Chalton, D.O., (2003), Violence and Substance Use in Adolescents with Increasing Severity of Suicidal Behaviour, Archives of Suicide Research, 7, 29-40. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811110301565
Liang, H., Flisher, A.J. & Chalton, D.O. (2002), Physical and Mental Health in Out of School Children in a South African Township, European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2002 Dec;11(6):257-60. doi: 10.1007/s00787-002-0294-y