Mellissa Prunty

Mellissa is a children's Occupational Therapist by background. She qualified from the MSc (pre-reg) programme at Glasgow Caledonian University in 2010. She previously completed a BSc (Hons) in Kinesiology at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, while on athletic scholarship for women’s basketball. She completed her PhD on handwriting difficulties in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), which she undertook at Oxford Brookes University under the supervision of Prof. Anna Barnett, Dr. Mandy Plumb and Dr. Kate Wilmut. Mellissa has worked in a variety of childrens' services and specialises in working with children with coordination difficulties.

Mellissa's previous position was at Brunel University of London where she was based for 11 years. She was the Divisional Lead for Occupational Therapy overseeing both the MSc and BSc Occupational Therapy programmes. Mellissa founded the KIDSPACE occupational therapy research clinic at the university which focused on investigating key skills and participation in childhood including handwriting, activities of daily living and cycling. The clinic continues to offer placements to occupational therapy students at the university. Separate to this Mellissa co-led the development of wheelchair basketball and disability sport on the London campus. She organised a series of inter-professional training days for health care students and incorporated wheelchair basketball into the occupational therapy curriculum. 

Mellissa's research interests include understanding how best to support children with acquiring key skills in childhood. Much of her work has focused and continues to focus on handwriting and typing difficulties alongside more active activities such as cycling and inclusive sport. 

Mellissa's research interests include understanding how best to support children with acquiring key skills in childhood. Much of her work has focused and continues to focus on handwriting and typing difficulties in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) alongside more active activities such as cycling and inclusive sport. 

Topics of Interest:

- Handwriting versus typing & scribing in children with handwriting difficulites

- Early detection and intervention for children with handwriting difficulties in schools

- Impactful assessment and intervention of children with motor impairment and literacy difficulties

- Physical activity and inclusive sport in children with movement difficulties

- Goal setting in children's occupational therapy services

- The role of pre-registration occupational therapy students in school based OT placements

- How key personnel such as Special Educational Needs Assistants, students, educators, health care professionals can build capacity to support children with motor and literacy difficulties in schools

- Early detection of Developmental Coordination Disorder in health care settings and schools

- Validation of internationally standardised assessment measures for use in the Irish context