Larah van der Meer

Qualifications

PhD, Post-Grad Dip Ed (Special Education), BA

Profile

Dr Larah van der Meer received her PhD specialising in autism from Victoria University of Wellington in 2012 where she went on to be a lecturer until 2019. She currently has an adjunct position in the School of Education and is the Research and Advocacy Advisor for Autism New Zealand. Her role involves implementing, evaluating and recommending research to advocate for improved support systems for autistic people and their support networks in New Zealand. Larah has published in the areas of diagnosis and supports for people on the autism spectrum as well as related neurodevelopmental conditions.

Recent Publications

Drysdale, H. & van der Meer, L. (2020). Rates of autism spectrum disorder diagnoses for children and adolescents in the Hutt Valley Region of New Zealand between 2012 and 2016. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 73, 101547. doi. 10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101547.

Waddington, H., van der Meer, L., Sigafoos, J., & Bowden, C. (2020). Mothers’ perceptions of a home-based training programme based on the Early Start Denver Model.  Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. doi. 10.1007/s41252-019-00146-6

Tupou, J., Waddington, H., van der Meer, L., & Sigafoos, J. (2020) Effects of a Low-Intensity Early Start Denver Model-based Intervention Delivered in an Inclusive Preschool Setting. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities. doi. 10.1080/20473869.2019.1707434

van Noorden, L., van der Meer, L., & Waddington, H., & Tupou, J. (2020). Peer-mediated Early Start Denver Model “playdates” for a young child with autism spectrum disorder: Effectiveness and feasibility. Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. doi. 10.1080/23297018.2020.1727770

Kasilingam, N., Waddington, H., van der Meer, L. (2019). Early intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders in New Zealand: What children get and what parents want. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education. doi. 10.1080/1034912X.2019.1696949

Tupou, J., van der Meer, L., Waddington, H., & Sigafoos, J. (2019). Preschool interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder: a review of effectiveness studies. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi. 10.1007/s40489-019-00170-1

Waddington, H., van der Meer, L., & Sigafoos, J, (2019). Supporting Parents in the Use of the Early Start Denver Model for Their Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities. doi. 10.1080/20473869.2019.1585694

Waddington, H., van der Meer, L., Sigafoos, J., & Ogilvie, E. (2019). Evaluation of a low

intensity version of the early start Denver model with four preschool-aged boys with autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities. doi.10.1080/20473869.2019.1569360

Waddington, H., van der Meer, L., Sigafoos, J., & Whitehouse, A. (2019). Examining parent use of specific intervention techniques during a 12-week training program based on the Early Start Denver Model. Autism. doi. 10.1177/1362361319876495

Sigafoos, J., Roche, L., Stevens, M., Waddington, H., Carnett, A., van der Meer, L., O'Reilly, M., Lancioni, G., Schlosser, R., Marschik, P. (2018). Teaching two children with autism spectrum disorder to use a speech-generating device. Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. doi. 10.1080/23297018.2018.1447391

van der Meer, L., Matthews, T., Ogilvie, E., Berry, A., Waddington, H., Balandin, S., O'Reilly, M., Lancioni, G., & Sigafoos, J. (accepted June 2017). Training direct-care staff to provide communication intervention to adults with intellectual disability: A systematic review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology

van der Meer, L., Waddington, H., Balandin, S., Bravo, A., Ogilvie, E., Matthews, T., Sawchak, A., & Sigafoos, J. (accepted February 2017). Training direct-care staff to implement an iPad®-based communication intervention with adults with developmental disability. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities.

McLay, L., Schafer, M. C. M., van der Meer, L., Couper, L., McKenzie, E., O’Reilly, M. F., Lancioni, G. E., Marschik, P. B., Sigafoos, J., & Sutherland, D. (2017). Acquisition, preference, and follow-up comparison across three AAC modalities taught to two children with autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Disability, Development, & Education 64, 117-130. doi. 10.1080/1034912X.2016.1188892