Lorna Johnston (MSc, PGCert, BA) is a Senior Research Fellow, co-lead of the National Autism Implementation Team Research Programme in the Speech and Hearing Sciences Division and a member of Centre for Applied Social Sciences Research Centre.
- Overview
- Research Interests
- Research Publications
- Funded Projects
Lorna Johnston is an experienced Depute Head Teacher, local authority autism lead and researcher with over 25 years of experience in practice with autistic and neurodivergent children and young people, their families and multi-disciplinary support teams. Her research and work with the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) is focussed on understanding and implementing changes in education, health and employment to support evidence-informed neuro-affirming practice across the life span.
Affiliations/Memberships to Other Organisations:
- Registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (1996-present)
Lorna Johnston has used qualitative methods to support the development of new knowledge and evidence-based change in practice. As a researcher, she has engaged in productive partnerships with practitioners in education and health, and a range of researchers nationally and internationally.
Active Research Interests:
Current research is focused on the development and translation of evidence for multidisciplinary practice, which has an impact on neurodivergent children, adults, and approaches to support children and young people with additional support needs within home and education settings. This includes work on:
- Neuro-affirming practice and supports
- Neurodevelopmental pathways and approaches for assessment, diagnosis and support
- Professional learning and workforce development
- Experiences of neurodivergent professionals in Education, Health and Employment
Research Methods:
- Systematic Review
- Development of interventions/assessments
- Realist Synthesis
- Participatory research
- Scottish Government grant for the National Autism Implementation Team 2019-2025
