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
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
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 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...
Research
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
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 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...