Speakers
Kerry Murphy
Early Childhood and Neurodiversity Specialist; Lecturer of in Early Years and SEND (Goldsmiths, University of London)
Kerry Murphy is an Early Years lecturer and consultant, specialising in wellbeing, behaviour and special educational needs. She is a lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London, and works with a number of educational organisations to plan and deliver early years training and projects. Kerry’s passion has always been inclusion and breaking down deficit attitudes about special educational needs and disability with practical and sustainable approaches. Visit www.eyfs4me.com, follow Kerry on Instagram @eyfs4me.
Charlotte Naylor
Educational Psychologist (Catalyst Psychology)
Charlotte began her training in Applied Educational Psychology at The University of Nottingham in 2020. Charlotte’s doctoral research investigated neurodiversity-affirming practice, and what this means to the autistic community. She is passionate about advocating for the neurodiversity perspective of developmental differences, challenging others to move away from a ‘deficit’ or ‘disorder’ mindset. She hopes to continue to research and speak about this topic in future.
Heba Al-Jayoosi
Assistant Headteacher, Inclusion & Research Leader (Mayflower Primary School); Deputy Regional Lead (Whole School SEND)
Heba Al-Jayoosi is the Assistant Headteacher and Inclusion Leader at Mayflower Primary School in East London, and has been seconded as a deputy regional lead at Whole School SEND, a consortium hosted by the National Association for Special Educational Needs. Heba is undertaking her PhD at the UCL Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE), and is exploring ways in which to improve home school collaboration for caregivers of autistic pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds. Her other interests include the encounters of autistic people with the criminal justice system.
Alyssa Alcorn
Independent Researcher and Consultant; Lead Researcher of the Learning About Neurodiversity at School (LEANS) project
Dr Alyssa Alcorn was the Research and Impact lead on the Learning About Neurodiversity at School (LEANS) project, based at the University of Edinburgh’s Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre. Previously, Alyssa was based at the Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE) at the UCL Institute of Education, and the University of Edinburgh School of Informatics. Alyssa has a multidisciplinary background in psychology, computing, education, and design. Her research focuses on using the neurodiversity paradigm and participatory methods to develop evidence-based interventions that facilitate children’s and young people’s educational inclusion and wellbeing. In addition to LEANS, other recent work includes the Belonging in School free inclusion planning resource (with University of Cambridge) and a chapter in the to the book “Educational Psychology Perspectives on Supporting Young Autistic People” (Jessica Kingsley Press).
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/amalcorn0131/ X/Twitter: @a_m_alcorn0131
Helena Pickup
Specialist Educational Psychologist (East Sussex EPS)
Helena began her career in animal behaviour research, completing a Zoology degree at Bristol University and then an MSc and PhD in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare at Edinburgh University, focusing on maternal behaviour and offspring development in sheep for her doctoral research. Following the birth of her children, Helena re-trained and worked as a primary school teacher for 6 years which introduced her to the world of Educational Psychology. Having found it so rewarding to work with those pupils who found school challenging, Helena completed the MSc Experimental Psychology conversion course at Sussex University and applied for the DECP at UEL, starting in 2018. During her training Helena published a review of the EP’s role in engaging with young carers and completed a participatory research project with autistic adolescent girls for her thesis to explore what helps them successfully navigate the social aspects of mainstream schooling and inform support and inclusion. Helena is now a Specialist EP at East Sussex County Council, specialising in research, and is also the Autism Lead for the EPS.
Yun-han Li
Trainee Educational Psychologist (UCL DECPsy Programme)
Yun-han Li, a qualified teacher, specialised in writing interventions for secondary students. After earning an MSc in Education: Research from the University of Edinburgh in 2016, she developed a teacher burnout prevention system and worked with at-risk students. Returning to the UK in 2018, she completed MA Education (Psychology) and MSc Psychological Sciences programs at UCL. She began her Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology at UCL in 2021, conducting autism-related systematic literature reviews on vocational interventions and camouflaging. Additionally, her doctoral empirical research examines the impacts of biological sex, autistic traits, and perceived autism-related stigma on Chinese adolescents’ camouflaging intent.
Mat Fuller
Co-Principal Educational Psychologist (Havering EPS); Academic & Personal Development Tutor (UCL DECPsy Programme)
Matthew Fuller studied psychology at Goldsmiths University before working as a special needs assistant and assessment officer at a residential special school in Brighton. He completed his Doctorate in Educational Psychology at UCL in 2018, researching the educational experiences of unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors. Mat worked as an educational psychologist in Barnet until August 2021, then joined Havering as a senior educational psychologist. In 2022, he began a role as an Academic and Professional Development Tutor on the UCL Doctoral training program. Mat became an acting co-principal of Havering EPS in November 2023.