Position & profile
Prof. Jenny Gibson is Professor of Neurodiversity and Developmental Psychology at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. Jenny leads the Play and Communication Lab research group. She is also a co-director of PEDAL the centre for research on Play in Education, Development and Learning, and a co-director of CHIA, the Centre for Human-Inspired Artificial Intelligence.
Jenny has long been fascinated by the connections between linguistic and social aspects of child development. Most of her research investigates this link, usually with neurodivergence, play and mental health as key topics. Jenny is also a qualified speech and language therapist, specialising in autism and developmental language disorder.
Research
The PacLab team investigates human development, flourishing and neurodiversity. We also conduct research about specific neurodivergent groups, specialising in autism and developmental language disorder. Our work is rooted in developmental psychology and we have many interdisciplinary influences including; disability studies, linguistics, computer science, psychiatry, literary studies and education.
Play is a major research focus in the PacLab group. We are investigating how this ubiquitous, yet often-overlooked, aspect of human experience is linked to mental health, wellbeing, social development and linguistic development. We are especially interested in over-turning deficit focused narratives concerning neurodivergence and play.
Participatory research is a guiding value in our team. We aim to include and amplify the voices and perspectives of under-represented groups.
Networks and Projects
Prospective PhD Applications - open for 2025 entry
I aim to admit 2 PhD students to join the Play and communication Lab research group in October 2025. I will consider applications from candidates who wish to conduct research that aligns with a neurodiversity-affirming ethos. I will prioritise applicants who can demonstrate how their proposed research topic fits with and builds upon the research from my group. Please visit the PacLab website to learn more about what we are working on. I will prioritise applications that align with following topics and methods:
- Autism
- Developmental Language Disorder
- Neurodiversity, especially in the early years
- Play in neurodivergent populations
- AI or data analytics applied to diagnosis, education, wellbeing or support for neurodivergent individuals
Applicants please note that most of our research is carried out from a developmental psychology perspective and previous study of psychology, while not essential, is likely to be an advantage.
I welcome applications from potential students with lived experience of neurodivergence.
Interested applicants should contact me by email <jlg53@cam.ac.uk> in September/October 2024 with an outline proposal of no more than one page. I will offer feedback, and if there is a potentially strong fit with my research group and priorities I may arrange a conversation to discuss your research ideas further.
All PhD applicants should apply using the University application system once we have discussed the research proposal. I will not consider applicants who have not contacted me as described above before applying via the University application system.
Membership of Professional Bodies
- Certified Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (Registration number: RC0019276)
- Health and Care Professions Council (Registration number: SL24189)
Qualifications
PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester
MSt, Healthcare Data: Informatics, Innovation and Commercialization, Wolfson College, University of Cambridge
MRes, School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester
BSc (Hons), School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester
Teaching
- Postgraduate
- PhD supervisor/advisor
- MPhil in Psychology and Education Route Co-ordinator
- MPhil / MEd supervisor
- MPhil/MEd (Psychology and Education) project supervision
- Undergraduate
- Education Tripos
- Education, Neuroscience and Society
- Social and emotional development
- Education Tripos
Principal and Recent Publications
Pritchard Rowe, E., de Lemos, C., Howard, K. (2024). Autistic adults’ perspectives and experiences of diagnostic assessments that include play across the lifespan. Autism.
Kanders, K., Stupple-Harris, L., Smith, L. and Gibson, J. L. (2024). Perspectives on the impact of generative AI on early-childhood development and education. Infant & Child Development (in press, preprint here).
Gibson, J. L. and Toseeb, U. (2024). Developmental Language Disorder and Social-Emotional Development. OUP: Oxford
Gibson, J. L. and McNally, S. (2024). Play in the Education and Care of Young Autistic Children. Pp 147-158 (11 pages). In Nikforidou, Z. (Ed.) Resilience and wellbeing: children, families and communities, Routledge: London.
Hobson, H., Toseeb, U. and Gibson, J. L. (2024). Developmental language disorder and neurodiversity: Surfacing contradictions, tensions and unanswered questions. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders. 1–12. (12 pages). https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.13009
Gréaux, M., Gibson, J.L. & Katsos, N. (2024) `It's not just linguistically, there's much more going on’: The experiences and practices of bilingual paediatric speech and language therapists in the UK. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.13027
Janik Blaskova, L. & Gibson, J. L. (2024). Exploring concepts of friendship formation in children with language disorder using a qualitative framework analysis. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 1–21. (21 pages). https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.13021
Howard, K. B. Gibson, J. L., Katsos, N. (2024). Exploring Different Stakeholder Perspectives on Bilingualism in Autism. Languages. 9, 66. (18 pages). https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9020066
Zhao, Y. V., & Gibson, J. L. (2023). Early home learning support and home mathematics environment as predictors of children's mathematical skills between age 4 and 6: A longitudinal analysis using video observations and survey data. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13971
Pritchard-Rowe, E., de Lemos, C., Howard, K., and Gibson, J. L. (2023). Diversity in Autistic Play: Autistic Adults' Experiences. Autism in Adulthood. http://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2023.0008
Sher, D.A., & Gibson, J.L. (2023). Pioneering, prodigious and perspicacious: Grunya Efimovna Sukhareva’s life and to conceptualising autism and schizophrenia. European Child Adolescent Psychiatry. 32, 475–490 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01875-7
St Clair, M., Horsham, J., Lloyd-Esenkaya, V., Jackson, E., Gibson, J., Leitão, S. et al. (2023) The Engage with Developmental Language Disorder (E-DLD) project: Cohort profile. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 58, 929–943. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12835
Friedman, S., Noble, R., Archer, S., Gibson, J., & Hughes, C. (2023). Respite and connection: Autistic adults’ reflections upon nature and well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic. Autism. (13 pages) https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231166462
Francis, G. A., & Gibson, J. L. (2023). A plausible role of imagination in pretend play, counterfactual reasoning, and executive functions. British Journal of Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12650
Goodacre, E. J., Fink, E., Ramchandani, P., & Gibson, J. L. (2023). Building connections through play: Influences on children's connected talk with peers. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 41, 203–226. (23 pages) https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12443
Blaskova, L. J., & Gibson, J. L. (2023). Children with language disorder as friends: Interviews with classroom peers to gather their perspectives. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 39(1), 39–57. (18 pages) https://doi.org/10.1177/02656590221139231
Zhao. V. Y. & Gibson, J. L. (2022). Evidence for protective effects of peer play in the early years: better peer play ability at age 3 predicts lower risks of externalising and internalising problems at age 7 in a longitudinal cohort analysis. Child Psychiatry & Human Development.
