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Melanie Palmer

Dr Melanie Palmer

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Biography

Research Interests

Dr Palmer’s research interests focus on child and adolescent psychology collecting and analysing data using a range of different study designs. She is particularly interested in typical and atypical emotional and behavioural development and the multiple factors that influence development. She also has an interest in neuropsychology, and how children develop in the context of experiencing adverse life events. She also has an interest in developing and evaluating complex interventions using randomised controlled trial design that aim to improve functioning and wellbeing of families.

Teaching Experience

Supervised 4 BSc and MSc dissertations at King’s College London as of 2022

Guest Lecturer, Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Academic Psychiatry, King’s College London. Topics: MSc in Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Guest Lecturer/Graduate Teaching Assistant/Tutor, Faculty of Education, University of Auckland. Topics: Child and Adolescent Development, Parenting and Family Studies and Educational Psychology

Research Projects

Co-Investigator, King’s College London

Project: Positioning Parent Positive – A study of stakeholder views about the best way to optimise the clinical value of a digital parenting app: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/positioning-parent-positive. Funded by King’s College London Commercial Development Fund.

Principal Investigator, King’s College London

Project: Improving care for children and young people with ID by enhancing recognition and diagnosis of co-occurring ADHD. Funded by Baily Thomas Charitable Foundation Fund.

Postdoctoral Research Associate, King’s College London

Project: Supporting Parents & Kids Through Lockdown Experiences (SPARKLE): A digital parenting support app implemented in an ongoing general population cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/supporting-parents-and-kids-through-lockdown-experiences-sparkle-trial

Postdoctoral Research Associate, King’s College London

Project: Investigating mental health in autistic children and young people during the COVID-19 Pandemic: https://maudsleybrc.nihr.ac.uk/research/covid-19-studies-project-details?id=9182

Postdoctoral Research Associate, King’s College London

Project: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Arbaclofen Administered for the Treatment of Social Function in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (AIM-2-CT1, EU-AIMS): https://www.aims-2-trials.eu/our-research/testing-new-medicines/medicine-social-difficulties/

Postdoctoral Research Associate, King’s College London

Project: Autism Spectrum Treatment and Resilience Study, Improving Autism Mental Health (IAMHealth): https://iamhealthkcl.net/research-studies/treatment/

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Brunel University London

Project: A national study of supervision orders and special guardianship: http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/cfj-supervision/

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Brunel University London

Project: Vulnerable birth mothers and recurrent care proceedings: https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/sites/default/files/files/rc-final-summary-report-v1_6.pdf

 

Education

Universitas 21 Joint PhD University of Auckland, New Zealand and University of Glasgow, UK

PhD thesis title: Low-intensity topic-specific group parenting programmes: Enhancing intervention outcomes

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Education with First Class Honours University of Auckland, New Zealand

Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Education) University of Auckland, New Zealand

Other Qualifications

Associate Fellow of The Higher Education Academy

Member of the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Member of The British Psychological Society Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle, UK

Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2), Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders Service University of Queensland, Australia

Level 3 Discussion Group Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) Practitioner

Level 3 Individual Primary Care Triple P Practitioner and Level 4 Group Triple P Practitioner

 

    Research

    sparkle logo
    Supporting Parents And Kids Through Lockdown Experiences (SPARKLE) Trial

    A randomised control trial evaluating whether a digital public health parenting intervention can help parents to manage their children’s behaviour problems.

    Project status: Ongoing

    pexels-photo-6948092
    Positioning Parent Positive (PPP) Study

    A study of stakeholder views about the best way to optimise the clinical value of the Parent Positive digital parenting app.

    Project status: Ongoing

    News

    New parenting app reduced child emotional difficulties during COVID-19 pandemic

    New research finds a novel parenting smartphone app, developed by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s...

    Parenting Under Pressure as Practical Kindness2

    Parenting intervention improves behaviour in autistic children and reduces parental stress

    New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London shows that ‘Predictive Parenting’, a group-based...

    Parent caring for child

      Research

      sparkle logo
      Supporting Parents And Kids Through Lockdown Experiences (SPARKLE) Trial

      A randomised control trial evaluating whether a digital public health parenting intervention can help parents to manage their children’s behaviour problems.

      Project status: Ongoing

      pexels-photo-6948092
      Positioning Parent Positive (PPP) Study

      A study of stakeholder views about the best way to optimise the clinical value of the Parent Positive digital parenting app.

      Project status: Ongoing

      News

      New parenting app reduced child emotional difficulties during COVID-19 pandemic

      New research finds a novel parenting smartphone app, developed by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s...

      Parenting Under Pressure as Practical Kindness2

      Parenting intervention improves behaviour in autistic children and reduces parental stress

      New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London shows that ‘Predictive Parenting’, a group-based...

      Parent caring for child