Lana De Clercq obtained her Master's degree in Educational Sciences, master in Special Needs Education at Ghent University in 2015. She completed her studies with a master's thesis on the relationship between phenotypic and genotypic characteristics in children with an autism spectrum disorder. After graduating, she worked as a personal assistant and team coordinator at the Ambulant Rehabilitation Center Sint-Lievenspoort for children with a hearing disability. Since 2016, she works at the Department of Special Needs Education. First, as a researcher on projects concerning substance abuse and forensic care (i.e., GEN-STAR study, PROSPER study, implementation and integration of the 'What Works' and 'Good Lives Model').
Second, since February 2017, she started as a PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Sarah De Pauw. From a transactional perspective on development, her research focuses on the mutual influences of child and parental factors on the psychosocial development of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD), more specifically children with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. The research aims to better understand the behavioral variation in children with a NDD and to identify general risk and protective factors as well as disability-specific sensitivities.
A complete list of publications and contact information can be foundhere.
