My name is Antonia Soldovieri and I am a second year PhD student in the School and Applied Child Psychology Program. I grew up in Toronto, Ontario, and completed my BSc degree in psychology and sociology at the University of Toronto. My early experiences supporting autistic children in the classroom and at home, as well as working in a child development research lab led me to discover my passion for finding creative ways to meet diverse learners’ needs. My undergraduate research focused on how parental praise shapes infants and toddlers’ persistence on difficult tasks. This interest in the impact of language (e.g., instruction and conversation) on children’s learning and wellbeing continues to imbue my research foci. My graduate-level experiences working with children and families in clinical and school settings continue to expand my understanding of supporting learning and inclusion.

My master’s thesis investigated the lived experiences of Kindergarten to Grade 3 educators’ training and day-to-day inclusion efforts in support of their neurodivergent students. Building on this qualitative study, my dissertation will employ an ecological systems lens to explore inclusion-perspectives of community members’, including neurodivergent students, parents, educators, and school-based professionals, within a local elementary school. A nested case study design will guide this work to explore the needs, perspectives, and experiences of shareholders related to school inclusion. Together, the research will aim to examine areas of uniqueness and similarity, avenues for collaboration between shareholders, and possible frameworks for positive change in school settings.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, drawing, being active, spending time outside, cooking to music, and exploring the city and surrounding areas. My graduate school advice would be to seek mentorship, develop good organization systems and routines, and to do something each week which is completely unrelated to your program, just for fun!