Anna Melissa Romualdez
Bio
Mel is a Lecturer in Psychology based at the Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE) at the Institute of Education, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society. She lives and works in London, United Kingdom.
Prior to becoming an autism researcher, Mel worked for several years as a teacher in a specialist setting for autistic children in New York. She primarily taught autistic adolescents and young adults, helping to prepare them for the transition from school to employment by coaching them at job sites throughout the East Harlem community. Through her work as a teacher and job coach, she developed an interest in transition planning, adult support services, and employment for autistic people. She earned her doctorate at University College London under the supervision of Professor Anna Remington and has continued her research on autism and employment since completing her PhD. She has also expanded her research portfolio to include social services for autistic adults in the UK, anxiety in autistic children, and autistic people’s experiences of sensory sensitivities.
Facts and Myths about Autism
In this talk, Dr. Mel Romualdez will begin by discussing the language we use to talk about autism and how this ties into the neurodiversity paradigm, as well as the social model of disability. She will briefly give an overview of autism, with a focus on social and non-social aspects, then address certain misconceptions about the diagnosis. Finally, she will speak about autism and inclusive education practices before ending the talk with a look at how we can build a more inclusive world for autistic people beyond education (and especially in workplaces).
Recommended Links, Books and Articles
Romualdez, A. M., Heasman, B., Walker, Z., & Remington, A. (2021). “People might understand me better”: Diagnostic Disclosure Experiences of Autistic Individuals in the Workplace. Autism in Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0063
Romualdez, A. M., Walker, Z., & Remington, A. (2021). Autistic adults’ experiences of diagnostic disclosure in the workplace: Decision-making and factors associated with outcomes. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments. https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415211022955
https://salvesen-research.ed.ac.uk/leans
Wood, R., Crane, L., Happe, F., Morrison, A., & Moyse, R. (2022). Learning From Autistic Teachers: How to Be a Neurodiversity-Inclusive School (Paperback). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Davey, L. (2020). Using the special interests of autistic children to facilitate meaningful engagement and learning. Good Autism Practice, Vol. 21 (1), 43-64.
Wharmby, P. What I Want to Talk About: How Autistic Special Interests Shape a Life. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
