Laura Gormley

Dr

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Dr. Laura Gormley contributes to a number of programmes within the School of Inclusive and Special Education in DCU, focusing primarily on supporting postgraduate teachers working with autistic learners, as well as those working with learners with severe to profound general learning difficulties. Within this role, Laura has the opportunity to collaborate practically with educators to adapt evidence-informed practices to develop increasingly more accessible and inclusive learning environments for all learners.

Laura’s Irish Research Council (IRC)-funded PhD research programme examined the dissemination of evidence-based practice to professionals working in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since completing her PhD, Laura has worked as a postdoctoral researcher with the Behaviour Research Unit (BRU) at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and held the position of programme director on the BA (Hons) in Montessori Education with Saint Nicholas Montessori College, Dun Laoghaire. 

Laura has been the principal investigator on a number of research projects that have explored ways to enhance the quality of learning experiences for autistic students, as well as adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is currently a Researcher in Residence on the Teaching Council's panel (with a focus on Inclusion and Supporting Teachers' Learning). She is also working on a co-produced research project, alongside colleagues from the autistic community and Queen's University, Belfast.

Peer Reviewed Journal

Year Publication
2023 Gormley, L.; Feeney, A.; McNally, S. (2023) 'A scoping review of research trends and future directions for research on the experiences of autistic students and staff in post-secondary education'. European Journal Of Higher Education, . [Link] [DOI]
2020 Gormley, L.; Penrose, H.; Bracken, M.; Barron, B. (2020) 'Training behavioural therapists in presession pairing skills to evaluate the impact on children’s life skill acquisition rates'. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 66 . [Link] [DOI]
2019 Gormley, L., Healy, O., O'Sullivan, B., O'Regan, D., Grey, I. & Bracken, M. (2019) 'The Impact of Behavioural Skills Training on the Knowledge, Skills and Well‐being of Front Line Staff in the Intellectual Disability Sector: A Clustered Randomised Control Trial'. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 63 (11):1291-1304. [DOI]
2018 Doherty, Amanda; Bracken, Maeve; Gormley, Laura (2018) 'Teaching Children with Autism to Initiate and Respond to Peer Mands Using Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)'. Behavior Analysis In Practice, 11 (4):279-288. [DOI]

Other Publication

Year Publication
2022 Gormley, L.; Belton, C.A.; Lunn, P.D.; Robertson, D.A. (2022) Interventions to increase physical activity: An analysis of candidate behavioural mechanisms. [Link] [DOI]
2020 Gormley, L.; Healy, O.; Doherty, A.; O’Regan, D.; Grey, I. (2020) Staff Training in Intellectual and Developmental Disability Settings: a Scoping Review. [Link] [DOI]
2019 Ramey, D.; Healy, O.; Lang, R.; Gormley, L.; Pullen, N. (2019) Mood as a Dependent Variable in Behavioral Interventions for Individuals with ASD: a Systematic Review. [Link] [DOI]

Conference Contribution

Year Publication
2019 Laura Gormley (2019) ABAI Annual Conference Dissemination of evidence-based practice to frontline staff working in the field on intellectual disability Chicago, USA, .
2019 Laura Gormley & Maeve Bracken (2019) ABAI Annual Conference Synthesizing research on staff training in intellectual and developmental disability settings Chicago, USA, .
2017 Laura Gormley (2017) ABAI International Conference Dissemination of evidence-based practice to frontline staff working in the field on intellectual disability: Results from a randomised control trial Paris, France, .

Published Report

Year Publication
2021 Kenny, N.; Doyle, A.; Horgan, F.; Gormley, L. (2021) An Evaluation of the Blossom Ireland Personal Empowerment Programme. Dublin City University, .
Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2023) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

Research Interests

Autism, Complex Learning Needs, Continuous Professional Development, Understanding of Evidence-Based Practice, Dissemination of Evidence-Based Practice, Evaluating Service Provision Outcomes, Lived Experiences of Autistic People

Teaching Interests

Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties
Supporting pupils with complex learning needs
Education of autistic pupils
Education of pupils with severe and profound general learning disability
Evidence-informed practice and its dissemination
Behaviour analysis
Positive Behaviour Support