Projects

University of Cambridge, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit 

Visiting researcher, impact lead

This impact-focused project developed a free resource offers tools that schools and educators can use to revise or develop policies for educational inclusion, particularly as they pertain to learners with neurodevelopmental differences. 

Visit the Belonging in School website for more information, and to download the resource documents: https://inclusion.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/ 

View our intro webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHY_S8fFC3E 

University of Edinburgh, Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre

Research and Impact Lead

LEANS is a free programme for mainstream primary schools to introduce pupils aged 8-11 years to the concept of neurodiversity, and how it impacts our experiences at school. This participatory research project developed and evaluted the effectiveness of  this programme, the first of its type. Follow-on impact activities have engaged widely with educators, families, policymakers, and the third sector.

More information and download the LEANS resources: https://salvesen-research.ed.ac.uk/leans 

LEANS evaluation study (pre-print): https://osf.io/fhc2k/ 

Author, trainer

I have contributed to a range of written resources and training workshops for practitioners in education, health, and related fields. Please contact me if you are interested in training, or my writing a piece for your organisation or project. Examples:

Alcorn, A.M., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2022). Choosing and using technologies to support autistic children and young people. In J. Gainsborough (Ed.), Effective Support and Education of Autistic Young People, Jessica Kingsley Press, London.

"Teaching neurodiversity to primary school pupils"

National Autistic Society, professional practice website resources

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/neurodiversity-schools 

Multiple roles at UCL, University of Edinburgh, and Heriot-Watt University

My early research career focused on interdisciplinary projects designing and evaluating technologies for autistic users, mainly primary-aged children in mainstream and special education. Projects included:

DE-ENIGMA Horizon2020 project (UCL) on social robotics for autism. Outputs rated “excellent” by European Commission. The UCL website has a general-interest project overview with video.

PhD research on using surprise and novelty in games to motivate social interaction. See more info and demo videos. PhD thesis.

ECHOES-II ESRC/EPSRC participatory design project on developing virtual environments for autism. Outputs rated “outstanding” by ESRC.