Research Interests

Kathy's research interests are in neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism and intellectual/learning disability, and neurodiversity. Kathy is passionate about pragmatic and high-impact research that will directly improve the lives of neurodivergent children and adults and their families in the UK and internationally, including in low resource contexts.

Kathy is interested in communication, interaction and language development. She is also interested in family relationships, parenting, mental health, wellbeing, quality of life, and the lived experience of autistic people and their families. Her work is underpinned by a strong pro-neurodiversity and social justice ethos. 

 Expertise

• Development and co-design of interventions/ health technologies
• Evaluation of interventions, including feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, cultural adaptation
• Design, implementation and management of randomised controlled trials of complex interventions
• Measurement tools: development, validation, usage, cultural adaptation
• Co-production and participatory research; partnership with experts by experience, clinicians and other stakeholders
• Qualitative methods, including process evaluation

Current Projects

• A Randomised Controlled Trial of Psycho-education and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for Parents of Children recently diagnosed with ASD (REACH-ASD Trial); funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme

• Communication-centred Parent-mediated treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder in South Asia (COMPASS Trial); funded by the Medical Research Council Joint Global Health Trials Initiative

• Empowering families of young children with autism to establish good oral health (ToothPASTE Project); funded by the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Programme

• The Paediatric Autism Communication Trial - Generalised (PACT-G Trial); funded by the NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation Programme

Past Projects

• Follow-up to the Preschool Autism Communication Trial at age 7-11 (PACT 7-11 Study)
• Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and Autism Study
• The Social Outcomes and Early Life Experiences Study (SOCiAL) 
• The Parent-mediated intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders in South Asia (PASS) study
• Pre-school Autism Communication Trial

• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Evidence-based interventions
• Randomised controlled trials
• Language and communication interventions
• Measurement and outcomes
• Wellbeing, quality of life and lived experience
• Global health and low resourced settings

Kathy is a Thesis Supervisor on the University of Manchester Clinical & Health Psychology Masters Programme.

She currently co-supervises one Doctoral Student.

Kathy is interested in supervising MSc or Doctoral students who share her research interests.