Autistic Language Development
Sarah Foster is an autistic early year’s teacher and MPhil student studying Psychology and Education and is looking for participants for her master’s research study.
Sarah is seeking autistic teachers, teaching assistants and early years educators (or similar), or individuals recently employed in one of these roles. You are eligible to take part if you have worked directly with an autistic child or overseen their support (e.g., as a SENCO) within the last three years. Participants can be diagnosed or self-diagnosed.
This study aims to use the insights of autistic educators to think about autistic pupils’ developing language skills and how best to support them. The study involves taking part in online forum discussions with other autistic educators.
Operationalising Neurodiversity in the Classroom
Dr Emma Pritchard-Rowe, Dr Will Farr and Professor Jenny Gibson are seeking SENCOs and other school staff directly involved in SEND, ALN, or ASN provision for primary-school-aged children in the UK to take part in an online discussion for their project, Operationalising Neurodiversity in the Classroom.
Each online discussion will explore how educators can support primary-school-aged students facing barriers to learning. They will discuss practical strategies, explore some visual profiles, and hear your views on findings from a recent scoping review.
Each participant will receive a £20 voucher as a thank-you for taking part.
Pretend Play and Thinking Skills in Young Children
Zijia Li is a second-year PhD student supervised by Professor Jenny Gibson and is conducting research to learn how play can help with children’s thinking abilities.
She is seeking participants aged 4, 5 and 6 to engage in interesting pretend play, pictures, and stories, then answer some questions about the stories, imagination, and play. This will be conducted in a child-friendly laboratory at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.
Zijia is also looking for nurseries and primary schools interested in collaborating on this research and supporting participant recruitment.
Please contact Zijia Li (zl593@cam.ac.uk) for more details or to take part.