Stephanie is a doctoral student in the School and Applied Child Psychology Program at the University of Calgary. She previously completed her B.A. (Hons) in Psychology and her M.Sc. in School and Applied Child Psychology at the University of Calgary. In the past, Stephanie worked as the Lab Coordinator of the ENHANCE Lab (Enriching research in Neurodevelopment, Health, ANd Child Education) for two years, conducting research related to children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disabilities (e.g., autism, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder [FASD]) and co-occurring mental health concerns (e.g., anxiety, depression, and suicidality). She also held a position as the Health Coordinator of Special Olympics Alberta, working to provide free physical and mental health screenings to Special Olympics athletes. Stephanie’s master’s research explored camouflaging behaviour among autistic children and adolescents using a photo-elicitation approach, which allowed autistic youth to express their thoughts about camouflaging through art and photography. For Stephanie’s doctoral research, she plans to examine the association between camouflaging, mental health outcomes, and burnout among autistic adolescents.

has a PhD in Clinical-Developmental Psychology from York University (Toronto, Ontario). She completed her clinical internship at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids; Toronto, Ontario), and is a registered psychologist in Alberta (#4997). Dr. McMorris joined the Werklund School of Education in 2016 as an Assistant Professor in the School and Applied Child Psychology program.Dr. McMorris’ program of research focuses on how to improve the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), such as autism spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and cerebral palsy. She is particularly interested in understanding the risk/protective factors for the development of mental health issues in NDDs, as well as the underlying neuropsychological, social, neurological, and physiological mechanisms of mental health issues in NDDs and how such issues impact children and families. Additionally, she examines the service use patterns and needs, and barriers/facilitators to accessing services for families of individuals with NDDs and co-occurring mental health issues. Lastly, her research aims to determine the effectiveness of psychological (e.g., CBT) and pharmacological interventions for individuals with NDDs and mental health issues.

 is a project lead on a systematic review surrounding social camouflaging as well as a lead on the study focusing on the relationship between social camouflaging and cognition/mental health outcomes in autistic adolescents. She holds an undergraduate degree in psychology with a minor in applied ethics. Jessica works as an education assistant for elementary schools in the Saanich School District, and as a behaviour interventionist for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at FIVE Behaviour and Education Services. Additionally, Jessica is a crisis management volunteer at a youth chat line for suicide prevention. In the future, Jessica plans to pursue graduate studies in paediatric clinical psychology. In her spare time, Jess loves playing piano or guitar, painting, running or reading.

Tristan is a current psychology student at the University of Victoria. Within the lab, he is an RA helping out with the camouflaging project. Apart from the lab, Tristan spends his spare time rock climbing, snowboarding, and reading books.

Ellis Parsons (they/them) is a research assistant in the Child Neuropsychology Lab with lived experience as an autistic person. They are currently in the process of completing their Master of Science in Neuroscience in the Theoretical and Applied Neuroscience Lab, with a focus on learning, decision-making, and working memory in autism. Ellis previously completed their
Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Victoria during which they studied lifespan development and healthy ageing. They hope that their research will reflect the diverse experiences of the autistic community and help to combat existing stigmas around autism. In their free time, Ellis is an avid vinyl collector and film photographer.

Dr. Macoun is a Registered Psychologist and Pediatric Neuropsychologist, with a faculty appointment in the University of Victoria Psychology Department. Dr. Macoun has extensive experience working with children with neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly those with attention and self-regulation problems, including children with ASD, ADHD, FASD, and Learning Disorders. Prior to her appointment at the University of Victoria, Dr. Macoun worked as a practicing psychologist within schools and has over 15 years of practical experience working with children and their families, school teams, and community teams/agencies. She continues to engage in consultation with families, schools and community agencies/professionals, and is heavily involved in the training and supervision of new psychologists. As the primary investigator, Dr. Macoun is responsible for directly overseeing all aspects of the lab.