Dr Laura Hrastelj
Health and Care Research Wales Faculty award:
Award: Advancing Researcher Scheme (2025 - 2026)
Research area: Develop and use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) intervention
Biography
Dr Laura Hrastelj is a clinical researcher specialising in research with children with minimal or no speech who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Her PhD explored child-led interactions between children who use power-based AAC systems, their peers and education staff as a means of empowering children to express their views.
She is the Research and Development Lead for the Therapies Directorate in Cardiff and Vale Health Board and the Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist for Special Schools. She is a member of the Centre for Speech, Hearing and Communication Research at Cardiff Metropolitan University and is an Honorary Fellow.
Her current Health and Care Research Wales funded project aims to develop a protocol for a video-interaction intervention in special education settings in collaboration with education staff and children who use AAC.
Her research interests include; participatory research with children, collaborative interdisciplinary practice, AAC intervention, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and clinical practice.
Read more about Laura and their work:
Health and Care Research Wales Announces Latest Round of Personal and Project Funding Awards