Melissa Cleary
PhD Candidate
BSc(Hons)
melissa.cleary@thekids.org.au
Melissa Cleary is a PhD candidate with the Centre for Sleep Science at the University of Western Australia, and The Kids Research Institute Australia. Her research primarily focuses on sleep in young people with autism. Her PhD is looking at insomnia in adolescent on the autism spectrum, where she will be co-designing a new sleep app alongside adolescents on the autism spectrum.
Melissa has presented her research at multiple conferences and was awarded the Emerging Sleep Hero award for 2022 from the Sleep Health Foundation.
Published research
The perspectives of autistic adolescents and their parents on sleep strategies for insomnia
Autistic adolescents are vulnerable to sleep difficulties, with up to 80 % experiencing sleep problems, most commonly insomnia. Little is known about how autistic adolescents are involved in their own sleep treatment, and their depth of knowledge about their sleep difficulties. The aims of this study were to investigate autistic adolescent and parent perspectives of experiencing and managing insomnia, and what factors influence the development of these perspectives on insomnia and treatment.
Effectiveness of current digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia interventions for adolescents with insomnia symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Sleep problems occur in up to 20%-45% of adolescents. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of digital sleep interventions, based on cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, for adolescents with insomnia symptoms. The objective was to synthesise and quantify, through meta-analyses, changes in sleep following completion of a digital sleep-based intervention.
Education and Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science (Anatomy and Human Biology) – University of Western Australia
- Upper First Class Honours (Human Sciences) – University of Western Australia
Awards/Honours
- RTP Scholarship – 2021
- Emerging Sleep Hero Award - 2022