Alaa Ibrahim

Alaa Ibrahim will be starting her PhD in the Clinical-Developmental Psychology program at 91ŃÇÉ« in September. Her PhD research focuses on examining flourishing in autistic youth. Flourishing is the term used to describe individuals achieving wellness and is associated with high levels of positive mental health. Her study examines existing positive mental health interventions for autistic youth, in addition to understanding the experience of flourishing in a marginalized/racialized autistic community in Canada.

The important topic undertaken by Ibrahim will help gain an understanding of Canada’s marginalized groups in terms of their flourishing and well-being and inform intervention design for these populations. Additionally, this dynamic study can provide researchers, clinicians and policymakers with autistic experiences that can help ensure all youth with autism, including those from marginalized groups, are supported to flourish.

Outside of her cutting-edge research, Ibrahim has participated in international collaboration projects with the Word Health Organization as a therapist and a trainer of a parent-mediated intervention in Canada, Egypt and Jordan. She is also starting her clinical training at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

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Carly Magnacca

Carly Magnacca will enter her first year of the PhD program in the Clinical-Developmental Psychology program at 91ŃÇÉ« in the fall. She has worked with autistic individuals for several years in many different roles, including as a Research Analyst at the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Chair of the Kids Brain Health Network’s Policy Advocacy Research Training Committee.

Magnacca’s research aims to better understand the experiences of autistic youth who previously received Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) and explore the impact of these intensive interventions to better inform policy and families’ intervention decisions. IBI is an evidence-based, intensive behaviour analytic intervention designed to support young children with autism and has been demonstrated to improve cognitive functioning and adaptive behaviours.

Her work is split into two parts. Study A involves comparing the long-term outcomes of individuals who received IBI to those who received other intensive interventions or no intensive intervention. Study B involves interviewing a subset of individuals who participated in Study A regarding their experience of receiving (or not receiving) an intensive intervention.

Magnacca’s study can be essential to help families understand the long-term outcomes of intensive interventions and guide them to make the choice that would benefit them the most. Moreover, the results of the research can aid policymakers in education and social service systems when making decisions about interventions that should be funded and made widely accessible.

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Braxton Hartman, MA Psychology

Hartman’s project aims to use computational and statistical techniques to distinguish differences in how networks are organized in autistic brains and what ramifications this may have on the cognitive differences which characterize the condition. Previously, researchers would focus on individual brain regions thought to be responsible for performing specific functions which underlie the condition; however, Hartman’s research adds to the innovative work being performed by the community of autism scholars through focusing on neural systems which are broadly distributed throughout the brain. This research is ground-breaking in its identification of disruptions to the hierarchical organization of brain networks, which may underlie the core cognitive deficits in autism.

“Understanding the underlying neural basis of autism has the potential to open new avenues of research into therapeutics, inform clinical decision making in diagnoses, and elucidate the neural mechanisms of attention and executive control in both healthy and clinical populations,” says Hartman.

Outside of this proposed project, Hartman is an active member of the community, initiating positive change through his many endeavours. Hartman has passionately advocated for autism rights across various platforms, including interviewing with the Toronto Star's Autism Project, working to increase the understanding of autism at leading service providers and co-instructing a module for the Kerry’s Place Autism Services ASD Certificate Course. He is also an active member of the 91ŃÇÉ« community through serving as a panelist for ASD Transition Day, which aims to help integrate autistic students into the post-secondary environment.

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Nancy Marshall, PhD Education

Marshall’s research adopts a disability justice lens that directly centers on the needs and desires of autistic people. She will be investigating outcomes and lived experiences related to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which is currently the most recommended treatment and education approach for autistic people and their families in Ontario. Marshall’s research is the first of its kind in the province to examine mental health or well-being outcomes for autistic people who have received ABA. Her mixed-methods participatory analysis aims to fill a gap in research by revealing the impacts of ABA on the well-being and quality of life for autistic people.

Marshall’s research is vital in order for autism support services and community schools to better meet the needs of autistic people. Moreover, her analysis of lived experiences helps government and service providers to fulfill their goals of including autistic voices in policy, practice and research.

Outside of academia, Marshall has worked for 15 years with autistic and neurodivergent young people in a variety of school and community settings as a Child and Youth Worker. Throughout her career, she has aimed to support autistic young people with compassion and acceptance rather than to treat them as individuals in need of change.

Find out more about the ground-breaking work of the recipients on the .

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