Fields of Research

Special education and disability
Child and adolescent development
Psychology of ageing
Inclusive education
Counselling, wellbeing and community services
Social psychology
Social policy
People with disability
Specialist studies in education
Health psychology
Applied and developmental psychology
Human resources management
Health and community services
Mathematics and numeracy curriculum and pedagogy
Other education
Occupational therapy
LOTE, ESL and TESOL curriculum and pedagogy
Social program evaluation
Medical anthropology
Other psychology
Other language, communication and culture
Social work
Testing, assessment and psychometrics
Educational psychology
Vocational education and training curriculum and pedagogy
Educational counselling
Learning sciences
Police administration, procedures and practice
Communication and media studies
Social change
Philosophical psychology (incl. moral psychology and philosophy of action)
Criminal law
Central nervous system
Gender relations
Higher education
Neurogenetics
Human rights and justice issues (excl. law)
Medical ethics
Teacher education and professional development of educators
Secondary education

Research Objectives

Ability and disability
Inclusive education
Families and family services
Disability and functional capacity
Learner and learning
Provision of health and support services
Policies and development
Other education and training
Neonatal and child health
Carers' support
Specific population health (excl. Indigenous health)
Allied health therapies (excl. mental health services)
Secondary education
Expanding knowledge in human society
Equity and access to education
Pedagogy
Schools and learning environments
Determinants of health
Community services
Health education and promotion
Assessment, development and evaluation of curriculum
Social ethics
Evaluation of health and support services
Structure, delivery and resourcing
Gender aspects in education
Expanding knowledge in psychology
Teacher and instructor development
Expanding knowledge in education
International organisations
Health related to ageing
Mental health services

Career Best Publications

Research Publications

A dialogic approach to working inclusively in a Research Reference Committee; British Journal of Learning Disabilities
A focus group study of police officers' recognition of individuals with intellectual disability; Psychiatry Psychology and Law
A longitudinal study of motivation and competence in children with Down syndrome: early childhood to early adolescence; Journal of Intellectual Disability Research
A systematic review of interventions for improving the work performance of direct support staff; Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Active kids active minds: a physical activity intervention to promote learning?; Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education
An investigation of parents’ decisions to transfer children from regular to special schools; Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities
Applying the theory of planned behaviour in assessments of teachers’ intentions towards practicing inclusive education: a scoping review; European Journal of Special Needs Education
Aspirations held by young adults with intellectual disabilities and their mothers; Australian Journal of Career Development
Associations of child and adolescent mastery motivation and self-regulation with adult outcomes: a longitudinal study of individuals with Down syndrome; American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Attitudes and self-efficacy as significant predictors of intention of secondary school teachers towards the implementation of inclusive education in Ghana; European Journal of Psychology of Education
Authoritative parenting of Chinese mothers of children with and without intellectual disability; Journal of Child and Family Studies
Broadening the conceptualization of literacy in the lives of adults with intellectual disability; Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities
Career development of students with intellectual development: A systems theory perspective; Careers for Students with Special Educational Needs: Perspectives on Development and Transitions from the Asia-Pacific Region
Challenging the myths and redressing the missteps in family research; Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities
Choosing a school: parental decision-making when special schools are an option; Disability & Society
Cognitive development and Down syndrome: age-related change on the Stanford-Binet Test (Fourth Edition); American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Commentary on Improving policy and practice: Adults with intellectual disability and their families (Fyffe, Pierce, Ilsley, & Paul, 2015); Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Contribution of occupational therapists in positive behaviour support; Australian Occupational Therapy Journal
Contributors to adult sibling relationships and intention to care of siblings of individuals with Down syndrome; American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Cultural beliefs about autism in Indonesia; International Journal of Disability, Development and Education
Delay of gratification: a comparison study of children with Down syndrome, moderate intellectual disability and typical development; Journal of Intellectual Disability Research
Developmental dyscalculia and down syndrome: indicative evidence; International Journal of Disability, Development and Education
Down Syndrome Across the Life Span; Whurr
Effectiveness of support services for children and young people with challenging behaviours related to or secondary to disability, who are in out-of-home care: a systematic review; Children and Youth Services Review
Engaging with National Disability Insurance Scheme Planning: perspectives of parents of an adult with intellectual disability; Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability
Evaluating the performance improvement preferences of disability service managers: An exploratory study using Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering model; Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities
Examination of a scale assessing attitudes towards individuals with intellectual disability in China; International Journal of Disability, Development and Education
Exploring the complexity of implementing National Disability Insurance Scheme plans for adults with intellectual disability: parents’ perspectives; Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability
Factor structure of the parenting sense of competence scale using a normative sample; Child: Care, Health and Development
Families of Adults with Down Syndrome (Down Syndrome Issues & Information); The Down Syndrome Educational Trust
Families of children with Down syndrome: what we know and what we need to know; Down Syndrome Research and Practice
From research to reality: Australian evidence-based practice in autism education; Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs
Futures of adults with intellectual disability: staff expectations; Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability
Goal setting and motivation in therapy: engaging children and parents; Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Impact of COVID-19 on refugee-background students during school shut down in Australia: a call for action; Teachers and Curriculum
Individual and environmental characteristics associated with cognitive development in Down Syndrome: a longitudinal study; Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities
Literacy strategies used by adults with intellectual disability in negotiating their everyday community environments; Australian Journal of Adult Learning
Long-term care-giving: a short-term longitudinal examination of the experiences of women caring for adults with intellectual disabilities; Journal of Alternative Medicine Research
Mapping the evidence-based research on Ghana's inclusive education to policy and practices: a scoping review; International Journal of Inclusive Education
Mastery motivation in children with intellectual disability: Is there evidence for a Down syndrome behavioural phenotype?; International Journal of Disability, Development and Education
Maternal support for autonomy: relationships with persistence for children with Down syndrome and typically developing children; Research in Developmental Disabilities
Measures of parent satisfaction with early intervention services for children with physical disabilities: a systematic review; Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools and Early Intervention
Mental health problems in adults with Down syndrome and their association with life circumstances; Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities
Mothers’ and fathers’ roles in caring for an adult child with an intellectual disability; International Journal of Disability, Development and Education
Motivation in children with intellectual disability; Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
National disability insurance scheme: is it creating an ordinary life for adults with intellectual disability?; Disability and Society
Observational assessment and maternal reports of motivation in children and adolescents with Down syndrome; American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Parent satisfaction with early intervention services for children With physical disabilities: internal consistency of the European parent satisfaction scale about early intervention; Infants and Young Children
Parenting satisfaction and self-efficacy: a longitudinal study of mothers of children with Down syndrome; Journal of Family Studies
Parenting stress in mothers of preterm infants during early infancy; Early Human Development
Parenting stress in mothers of very preterm infants — Influence of development, temperament and maternal depression; Early Human Development
Parenting style among Indonesian parents of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Associations with socio-economic status and social supports; Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities
Parenting style and parent-child relationship: A comparative study of Indonesian parents of children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Journal of Child and Family Studies
Parents and schools: Commentary on “Identifying child, parent, and school correlates of stress among parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities” (Burke, Rios, & Aleman-Tovar, 2020); Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Parents' reported use and views of strategies for managing the behaviour of their preschool child; Australasian Journal of Early Childhood
Parents' views of an optimal school life: using Social Role Valorization to explore differences in parental perspectives when children have intellectual disability; International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education
Participation in community leisure programs: experiences and perspectives of children with developmental difficulties and their parents; Leisure Sciences: An Interdisciplinary Journal
Perceptions of support in Chinese mothers of a child with intellectual disability; Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities
Psychometric Properties of Parenting Measures in Indonesia; Makara Hubs Asia
Reliability of a method for establishing the capacity of individuals with an intellectual disability to respond to Likert scales; Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability
Self-regulation in children born with extremely low birth weight at 2 years old: a comparison study; Infants & Young Children
Self-regulation in children born with extremely low birth weight at four years of age: a comparison study; Early Education and Development
Self-regulation: a new perspective on learning problems experienced by children born extremely preterm; Australian Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology
Siblings' Influence on the Development of Individuals with Down Syndrome; The Oxford Handbook of Down Syndrome and Development
Social behaviors of children with ASD during play with siblings and parents: parental perceptions; Research in Developmental Disabilities
Social comparisons: associations with psychosocial functioning In individuals With Down syndrome; Down Syndrome Quarterly
Sustainable caregiving? Demands upon and resources of female carers of adults with intellectual disability; Journal of Women & Aging
The art and science of motivation: a therapist's guide to working with children; Jessica Kingsley Publishers
The development of research skills in young adults with intellectual disability in participatory research; International Journal of Disability, Development and Education
The Impact of Teacher Attributes on Intentions to Practice Inclusive Education in Secondary Schools in Ghana; International Journal of Disability, Development and Education
The National Disability Insurance Scheme: voices of adults with intellectual disabilities; Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
The trajectory of development of receptive vocabulary in individuals with Down syndrome; Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities
Unanticipated ethical issues in a participatory research project with individuals with intellectual disability; Disability and Society
Understanding maternal support for autonomy in young children with Down syndrome; Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities
Understanding the Influence of Traditional Cultural Values on Indonesian Parenting; Marriage & Family Review
Views of adolescent Bhutanese refugees on home learning during school shutdown across the period of COVID-19; Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies
Vulnerability to loneliness in people with intellectual disability: An explanatory model; Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities
Young people’s perceptions of family, peer, and school connectedness and their impact on adjustment; Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling

Research Projects

Research Enhancement Program (REP) 2017; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Australia-ASEAN Academics Forum: Online Education during COVID-19 and Beyond; Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
Learning Year Level Appropriate Curriculum: Secondary Mathematics for Students with Down Syndrome; University of Queensland (UQ)
Reasonable Adjustments to Maths for Students with Intellectual Disabilities; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Sibling Influence on Development of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Applied Research Centre for Disability and Wellbeing, establishment and operation of the research component
ARCDW scholarship - Social experiences of adults with intellectual disability
ARCDW Scholarship Disability and Criminal Justice
College of Experts 2019-2021: Prof Monica Cuskelly
A cross cultural study of self-imposed delay of gratification
Constructing futures: Career development of individuals with an intellectual disability.
Evaluation of early intervention for young children with cerebral palsy and their families.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of increased school-based activity for enhanced learning
Evaluation of the EVOLVE Behaviour Support Service
Facilitating self-regulation and management of learning in children with Down syndrome
Maternal support for exploratory behaviour: Implications for mastery motivation
Parenting employment decisions and family functioning in community contexts: Normative features and disability specific factors
Screening for autism spectrum disorders in preterm infants in early childhood.
Self-regulation in very low birthweight/very preterm 2 and 4 year olds: A comparison study
Sibling relationships of children with Down syndrome.
The development of the capacity to delay gratification in children with intellectual disability
The developmental progression of motivation over the early years of schooling: Personal characteristics, parental influences and academic experiences
The factors associated with healthy eating and physical activity in young people with Down syndrome
Variability and change: An Australian longitudinal study of disability.

Research Candidate Supervision