Laura May Dodd

Biography

I am a PhD student in Psychology, affiliated with the Essex Babylab and The Synapse Centre for Neurodevelopment. I completed my BSc (Hons) in Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Essex in 2023, which included a placement year in a Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision. My PhD is fully funded by the University of Essex and the ESNEFT Psychological Research Unit for Behavioural Health and Wellbeing (EEPRU). My research focuses on the development of multisensory integration, sensory processing, and spatial representations, such as peripersonal and interpersonal space in autistic adults and infants at an elevated likelihood for autism. I use behavioural, neural (fNIRS), and physiological (ECG) techniques to explore how touch, visual, auditory, and proprioceptive cues are integrated across development. I am deeply interested in how the brain develops a sense of the body, and the mechanisms that shape this process across development. Alongside my research, I work in an early years setting, where I support babies and toddlers in their early development and school readiness. I am passionate about supporting children with neurodevelopmental conditions and dedicated to advancing research in this area.

Qualifications

• BSc Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience University of Essex (2023)

Thesis