Biography
Name: Vanessa Cieplinska
University: UCL
Title of research: School attendance problems and educational attainment in children with neurodevelopmental conditions (intellectual disability and/or autism)
Flagship datasets using: Growing Up in England (GUiE)
Supervisor: Prof. Vaso Totsika & Dr Gemma Lewis
Please tell us about your PhD project
Children with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as intellectual disability and autism, are highly vulnerable to persistent school absence (missing 10% or more of school days in an academic year). My project aims to explore the prevalence, risk factors, and long-term consequences of persistent absenteeism in this population using the Growing Up in England (GUiE) dataset through a series of descriptive statistics and mixed-effects models. The findings aims to inform educational policies, focusing on improving school attendance and educational outcomes for children with intellectual disabilities and autism.
What are your key takeaways from the ADR UK PhD Annual Gathering 2025?
Some of the key takeaways from the ADR UK PhD Annual Gathering 2025 were:
- Form your Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) group early;
- Start small, because small change can demonstrate impact in the long run;
- Predictive modelling studies are becoming more important.
Are there any speakers, session or presentation that particularly resonated with you? And why?
Dr Alice Wickersham’s presentation stood out to me the most because the nature of her research was similar to what I plan on doing. As well as this, it was useful to get advice from her regarding how to form a PPI group and engage with stakeholders.
How has the event impacted your perspective on your research?
It has emphasised the importance of forming a PPI group and gaining perspectives on my work from outside of academia in order to really make an impact.
Did the event inspire any new ideas for your current or future research? Can you please share with us your next steps for your research following the event?
Yes, the next steps for my research following the event are to engage with stakeholders and form a PPI group. I aim to engage with charities, such as ImpactEd, and with parents and teachers of children with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. Also, I would like to make a website with my research to make it more accessible to the public.