Katie Cebula

Dr. Cebula took a degree in Psychology at the University of Edinburgh, then a PhD on the Son-Rise Program intervention for autism, focusing in particular on prerequisites for evaluation and family experiences. After completing her PhD, she worked for 3 years as a research fellow on an MRC-funded project studying socio-cognitive development in typically developing children and in children with developmental disabilities such as Down's syndrome and fragile X syndrome. This project focused on two areas in particular - children's developing understanding of emotional expressions and the use of collaborative learning for children with developmental disabilities. In 2004 she began a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship, researching the experiences and adjustment of siblings of children with autism in families using Applied Behavior Analysis home-based interventions. Since 2005 Dr. Cebula has been a lecturer in Developmental Psychology in the School of Education, lecturing in child development on undergraduate and postgraduate courses. With colleagues from other Scottish Universities she also co-organised the Scottish Autism Research Group - an interdisciplinary group of academic researchers, postgraduate students and practitioners involved in research into autism spectrum disorders.

Her principal interested include development of social cognition in children with developmental disabilities (Down's syndrome, fragile X syndrome and autism), development of emotion recognition ability in children with developmental disabilities, adjustment and experiences of siblings of children with autism, and home-based interventions for autism.