Staff Profile

I am a Clinical Research Associate on the 'Making Health Checks Better' study. This study aims to identify the factors important in making annual health checks work better for people with a learning disability and autistic people and use these to inform the co-production and evaluation of an evidence based annual health checks implementation framework for these groups.

I previously worked on the 'Health Checks for Autistic Adults' study from 2019-2025. This study designed a health check for autistic adults in partnership with key stakeholders and evaluated the health check in NHS Primary Care through a randomised controlled trial.

I previously worked on the 'Focus on Early Eating, Drinking and Swallowing' (FEEDS) study from 2017-2019. This study identified interventions that could be delivered at home by parents to improve eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties in children with neurodevelopmental difficulties and which were suitable for investigation in future research trials. Following on from this, we created the FEEDS Toolkit, an evidence-based resource that explains the background to the eating and drinking of children with neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions, and the interventions that can improve safe feeding.

Prior to working at Newcastle University, I worked as a Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist in Newcastle Gateshead Children and Young People's Service for 11 years specialising in neurodevelopmental disorders and anxiety disorders. I also continue to work clinically two days a week through Autism North East undertaking assessment and therapeutic interventions with neurodivergent young people and their families.

• Articles

  • Merrick H, Taylor H, Ingham B, Finch T, Al-Ashmori S, Herrington R, Scarlett C, Buckley C, Cooper S-A, Fernandez-Garcia C, Haining S, Lees R, Lennox N, Moss S, Nicholls T, Nicolaidis C, Osborne M, Raymaker DM, Robinson T, Urbanowicz A, Wason JMS, Wilson C, Parr JR. Acceptability and Implementation of a Primary Care Health Check for Autistic People: Findings From Evaluation Questionnaires and Interviews. Autism 2026, epub ahead of print.
  • Shaw E, Pennington L, Andrew M, Taylor H, Cadwgan J, Sellers D, Morris C, Garland D, Parr J. Informing creation of the FEEDS Toolkit to support parent-delivered interventions for eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties in young children with neurodisability: intervention use by neurodevelopmental diagnosis and healthcare professional role. BMJ Paediatrics Open 2024, 8(1), e002394.
  • Parr JR, Taylor H, Wilson C, Scarlett C, Al-Asmori S, Buckley C, Cooper SA, Fernandez-Garcia C, Finch T, Lees R, Lennox N, Merrick H, Moss S, Nicolaidis C, Osbourne M, Raymaker DM, Robinson T, Urbanowicz A, Wason JMS, Ingham B. Health checks for autistic adults: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial. Trials 2024, 25, 858.
  • Mason D, Taylor H, Ingham B, Finch T, Wilson C, Scarlett C, Urbanowicz A, Nicolaidis C, Lennox N, Moss S, Buckley C, Cooper SA, Osborne M, Garland D, Raymaker D, Parr JR. Views about primary care health checks for autistic adults: UK survey findings. BJGP Open 2022, 6(4), BJGPO.2022.0067.
  • Taylor H, Pennington L, Morris C, Craig D, McConachie H, Cadwgan J, Sellers D, Andrew M, Smith J, Garland D, McColl E, Buswell C, Thomas J, Colver A, Parr JR. Developing the FEEDS toolkit of parent-delivered interventions for eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties in young children with neurodisability: findings from a Delphi survey and stakeholder consultation workshops. BMJ Paediatrics Open 2022, 6(1), e001425.
  • Taylor H, Ingham B, Mason D, Finch T, Wilson C, Scarlett C, Moss S, Buckley C, Urbanowicz A, Raymaker D, Seiboth C, Lees R, Garland D, Osbourne M, Lennox N, Cooper S-A, Nicolaidis C, Parr JR. Co-design of an NHS primary care health check for autistic adults. Autism 2022, 27(4), 1079-1091.
  • Taylor H, Pennington L, Craig D, Morris C, McConachie H, Cadwgan J, Sellers D, Andrew M, Smith J, Garland D, McColl E, Buswell C, Thomas J, Colver A, Parr J. Children with neurodisability and feeding difficulties: A UK survey of parent-delivered interventions. BMJ Paediatrics Open 2021, 5(1), e001095.