Dr Rebecca Ward is a Lecturer in Psychology in the Faculty of Life Sciences and Education at the University of South Wales. Her teaching and research interests are in the area of children’s communication development and neurodevelopmental disorders. She has a particular interest in bilingual language acquisition, especially children who are acquiring Welsh as a first/second language and in the language development of children with intellectual disabilities, such as Down syndrome.

In terms of teaching, Rebecca supports students on the BSc Psychology with Developmental Disorders course and the MSc Psychology Conversion programme. This includes supporting dissertation students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Rebecca is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She gained her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Swansea University, followed by a Master’s degree at Cardiff University where she begun to specialise in bilingualism, speech language and communication needs as she investigated parents’ experiences of bilingualism if their child was autistic. Dr Ward subsequently completed her PhD at Bangor University, exploring the developmental profiles of bilingual children with Down syndrome. She joined the Department of Psychology in 2019, initially as a Senior Research Assistant before returning in 2023 as a full-time Lecturer.

Since completing her doctorate, Rebecca continues to conduct research in the field of bilingualism and neurodevelopmental disorders, whilst expanding to understand more about neurodiversity more generally and exploring best practice in identifying speech, language and communication needs in bilingual children. Alongside this, Rebecca engages in training events and public engagement to enhance awareness of research in this field and frequently engages with media outlets to disseminate this research more widely.

Dr Ward has been awarded several research grants to continue researching this field, including funding from the British Academy, the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, and the ESRC. She regularly works with external partners such as the Mudiad Meithrin and the Down Syndrome Association.

Rebecca is an experienced peer reviewer, and she has served as a reviewer for journals including Behavioral Sciences, Frontiers in Psychology, International Journal of Bilingualism, Exceptional Children, Journal of Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, and the International Journal of Developmental Disabilities. Rebecca is also an elected member of the editorial board of Gwerddon, a Welsh peer-reviewed academic journal.

For further information, contact via email at: [email protected] or visit rebeccaward.uk