Biography

Monica Cuskelly is a Professor in the School of Education. She originally trained as a psychologist and has experience in both hospital and educational settings. Her first academic appointment was a staff member of the Fred and Eleanor Schonell Special Education Centre at The University of Queensland .  After the closure of the Centre, she joined the Faculty of Education at UQ. During her time at The University of Queensland, she took on the role of Interim Director of the Centre of Excellence for Behaviour Support, a joint initiative between the Queensland Department of Communities and Disability Services and The University of Queensland. This Centre was established in response to the enquiry by Justice W.J. Carter into developing a service response for adults with intellectual disability who exhibited severely challenging behaviour. She joined the University of Tasmania in 2016.

Professor Cuskelly’s research interests focus on those with an intellectual or developmental disability and their families. She has been successful in winning a number of research grants from the Australian Research Council and was a member of the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts 2019-2021. She has published more than 115 peer referred papers, 29 chapters, one monograph, and three edited books.

Career summary

Qualifications

• PhD (1993), 'Psychological adjustment of the siblings of children with Down syndrome', University of Queensland, Australia
• MAppPsych (1988), 'The perception of behaviour disorders in Down syndrome children and their siblings', University of Queensland, Australia
• GradDipEd (1986), Armidale CAE, Australia
• MEdStud (1982), University of Queensland, Australia
• BA (Hons) (1978), 'The method of loci and imagery skills', University of Queensland, Australia

Memberships

Professional practice

• Registered Psychologist (#PSY0001366604)
• International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disability
• Australasian Society for Intellectual Disability
• American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
• Australian Psychological Society
• Asia Pacific Down Syndrome Federation

Teaching

Human development; Intellectual disability; Developmental disability; Research methods

Research Appointments

• Interim Director, Centre of Excellence for Challenging Behaviour
• Vice Chair, Down Syndrome IASSIDD SIRG
• Executive member, Down Syndrome International

Research Invitations

• Invited address. Constructing futures: Roles of family. World Down Syndrome Day Conference. United Nations, New York. (2015)
• Keynote address. Motivation in children with intellectual disability. 2014 Dalian International Summit Forum on Personality Development and Education of Children, Dalian, China. (2014)
• Keynote address. Challenging the myths and redressing the missteps in family research. The second Asia-Pacific International Association of the Study of Intellectual Disability, Singapore.  (2009)
• Invited speaker. Brothers and sisters: Their role in the life of a person with a disability. What is the research telling us? Centre for Disability Studies, The University of Sydney, Sydney. (2009)