Apoorva Sriram
Examining the Impact of Parent-Child Interactions on the Social Understanding of Children with Autism in India
Apoorva Sriram
PhD Student
School of Psychology
Profile
Apoorva is a full-time PhD student within the School of Psychology. She has extensively worked with neurodiverse children since 2012 in India, which has shaped her career decisions to date. Guided by her expertise as a Cognitive Trainer and Behaviour therapist, together with her research experience, Apoorva identified key discrepancies between the prevailing literature on autism and the realities she observed while working with autistic children, in India. During the pandemic, Apoorva had the opportunity to work closely with autistic children and their caregivers which completely transformed her outlook towards therapeutic support. With this passion, Apoorva has developed Project Manobhaava, which explores how parent-child interactions foster autistic children’s social understanding within the Indian context. Using an exploratory mixed-methods approach - incorporating neurodiversity-affirming and culturally relevant research practices, this thesis will significantly contribute to this underexplored domain within the Indian context. Project Manobhaava aims to develop effective solutions that promote positive parent-child interactions that strengthen caregiver-autistic child connections.
Qualifications
MSc Psychology – Montfort College (Affiliated to Bangalore North University), Bangalore, Karnataka, India
BSc Psychology – Madras School of Social Work (Affiliated to the University of Madras), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Research Interests
Autism, Social Cognition, Parent-Child Interactions, Theory of Mind, Neurodiversity affirming research, Evidence-based support programs impacting quality of life, Cross-cultural connotations of neurodiversity.
PhD topic
Project Manobhaava: Examining the Impact of Parent-Child Interactions on the Social Understanding of Children with Autism in India
Supervisors:
Dr Mele Taumoepeau – Primary supervisor, School of Psychology, Te Herenga Waka- Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Dr Sharanya Anil Bajaj – Honorary Supervisor – Founder-Director, Direct – Center for therapy across life-span, Chennai, India
Dr Hannah Waddington – Supervisor – School of Education, Te Herenga Waka- Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Publications
- Anil S., Sriram A. & Anwar A. (2021). Story Narratives and Theory of Mind: an Intervention for Children with High Functioning Autism. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 9(1), 118-136. DIP: 18.01.015/20210901, DOI: 10.25215/0901.015
- Bajaj S.A., Sriram A., Hari S. (2024). Anguish and Languish Experienced by Parents of Children with Special Needs through the Pandemic: Perspective and Recommendations. Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry 40(2): p 107-114, Apr–Jun 2024. | DOI: 10.4103/ijsp.ijsp_286_21
- Bajaj, S. A., Sriram, A., Hari, S., & Ramesh, R. (2024). Resilience as a key indicator of psychologists' success: A mixed-methods grounded theory (MM-GT) study. Indian Journal of Health and Well-being, 15(4), 498-504. https://iahrw.org/our-services/journals/indian-journal-of-health-wellbeing/