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
Contact details
- Email: s1711756@ed.ac.uk
PhD supervisors:
Background
Kyleigh Melville (she/her) is an ESRC-funded PhD Candidate supervised cross-institutionally at The University of Edinburgh and University of Birmingham. Her research explores school staff and neurodivergent students’ experiences with multi-sensory environments using mixed, community-informed and participatory approaches. Alongside her research, Kyleigh is the Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre’s Media and Communications Officer and an Early Career 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 coming from a mixed race and mixed neurotype family 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
Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA), University of Aberdeen, "Education: Open to All?" (In-Person | 19 November 2025)
NASEN Support for Learning Online Conference, "Looking Beyond: The benefits of learning from other settings and cultures" (Online | 17 October 2025)
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
SERA
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/m24x/overview
NASEN Support for Learning:
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/m24x/overview
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/um24x/overview
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)