Kyleigh Melville
Thesis title: Neurodivergent students' experiences with multi-sensory environments in schools - A participatory action research approach
PhD Education (with Internship)
Year of study: 2
- Moray House School of Education and Sport
- IOE - UCL's Faculty of Education and Society
Contact details
- Email: s1711756@ed.ac.uk
PhD supervisors:
Background
Kyleigh Melville (she/her) is an ESRC-funded PhD Candidate at The University of Edinburgh. Her research explores school staff and neurodivergent students’ experiences with multi-sensory environments using community-informed and participatory approaches. Kyleigh is also a Research Associate for the Engage with Developmental Language Disorder (E-DLD) Project (University of Bath, City St George University of London, Curtin University and University of Cambridge). Prior to her PhD, Kyleigh worked as a Special Education Needs (SEND) educator in England for the past 8 years in public and private education and the third sector, specialising in working with autistic children and young people with co-occurring ADHD, dyslexia, socio-emotional mental health needs, profound and multiple learning disabilities, speech and language needs, and Down Syndrome. Her experience of teaching neurodivergent students, and her lived experience as a relative and friend to neurodivergent individuals motivates her passion in conducting research with and for neurodivergent communities. Kyleigh has further supported research projects as a Research Assistant and Research Coordinator on children's rights legislation, attitudes towards ethnic diversity, the impact of Covid-19 on adult mental and physical health, play and children’s socio-emotional wellbeing during Covid-19, and widening participation in higher education. You can follow along Kyleigh’s journey as a PhD researcher at her blog: Multi-Sensory Environments & Neurodiversity – A PhD Researcher's Blog
Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Psychology with Education | University College London (UCL), Institute of Education | 2017 - 2020
MEd Psychology and Education | University of Cambridge, Homerton College | 2020 - 2022
Responsibilities & affiliations
Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the British Psychological Society
Undergraduate teaching
Teaching Assistant | UCL Institute of Education, 2018 - 2020
- Assisted first and second year BSc students with using the SPSS software package to conduct exploratory data analysis and writing up quantitative and qualitative psychology reports
- Facilitated group sessions on Cognitive Psychology in the Royal Free Hospital UCL Pathology Museum
Research summary
- School staff and neurodivergent students' experiences with multi-sensory environments (MSEs) in schools
- Community-informed and participatory methods
- Supporting mental health, learning and wellbeing in neurodivergent communities
Current research interests
Autism, Neurodiversity, Sensory Environments, Universal Design, Co-production and Creative Methods, School-based Interventions (e.g. Lego-Based Therapy, Zones of Regulation, Sensory Circuits), Widening Participation in Higher EducationKnowledge exchange
Multi-Sensory Environments & Neurodiversity – A PhD Researcher's Blog
Affiliated research centres
Conference details
British Psychological Society, Psychology of Education Section (PES) Annual Conference (In-Person | 10-11 September 2025)
City St George's, University of London: Neurodevelopmental Annual Seminar (NDAS) (In-Person | 25-26 June 2025)
University of Stirling, Faculty of Arts and Humanities Postgraduate Conference: PLAY AND IMAGINATION (In-Person | 23 May 2025)
University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education, 19th Annual Kaleidoscope Conference: The Power of Storytelling in Education: Perspectives and Positionality (Online | 26 - 27 May 2022)
Papers delivered
BPS PES:
Melville, K. M. K. L., Gillespie-Smith, K., Manning, C., and Cebula, K. A mixed methods exploration of school staffs' experiences of multi-sensory environment use with neurodivergent students. Retrieved from https://osf.io/x4swe/
Melville, K.M.K.L., Katsapi, E., and Theissl, E. Stepping Stones to Higher Education for Widening Participation Studies in the IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society.
NDAS: Melville, K. M. K. L., Gillespie-Smith, K., Manning, C., and Cebula, K. A mixed methods exploration of school staffs' experiences of multi-sensory environment use with neurodivergent students. Retrieved from https://osf.io/x4swe/
PLAY AND IMAGINATION: Melville, K. M. K.-L. (2024). "Talk to me about the LEGO!" A qualitative exploration of autistic students' experiences with LEGO-Based Therapy. Cambridge Educational Research e-Journal, 11, 109-128. https://doi.org./10.17863/CAM.114525
Kaleidoscope: Wong, K. K. Y., Loke, K., & Melville, K. M. K.-L. (2022). Reflections, resilience and recovery: a qualitative study of Covid-19’s impact on an international adult population’s mental health and priorities for support. UCL Open Eviron. Vol. 4. https://doi.org/10.14324/111.444/ucloe.000041
More video
- Enabling Environments: A Human Rights Approach - Spotlight on Learning Disability
- Brick by Brick: Autistic Students' Experiences with LEGO-Based Therapy
- Get A Grip! Podcast: Dr Christie Talks with Kyleigh Melville - Effective Use of Multi-Sensory Spaces in Schools
In the press
Play Included CIC Neurodiversity Webinar Series (April 3 2025) - Webinar: "Talk to me about the LEGO!" A qualitative exploration of autistic students' experiences with LEGO-Based Therapy
Enabling Environments: A Human Rights Approach - Spotlight on Learning Disability (Oct 24th 2024) - Presentation: Designing multi-sensory environments in schools: what does this mean for neurodivergent students? (Enabling Environments — Scottish Ecological Design Association)