Profile

Dr Haris Karnezi had been working as a professional actress and drama facilitator for 10 years prior to her engagement in autism research. Her educational qualifications include a BA in theatre studies from the Athens School of Dramatic Art in Greece; an MA in Drama in Education (DIE) from the University of Central England in Birmingham, UK; and a PhD in Psychology from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Over the course of her PhD, Haris had the opportunity to work on a regular basis with over 50 children on the autism spectrum. This experience gave her an invaluable insight into their needs, and the impetus to develop an intervention model to address them.

Her commitment to the research of autism and the quality of her scholarly output is evidenced in the honours and awards she received throughout the duration of her studies. These include a three year scholarship from Trinity College Dublin (2004-07), funding from the Irish National Council for Special Education (2007), and a TCD Postgraduate Research Award (2007). Haris has presented her work in peer-reviewed conferences, nationally and internationally, and has also led workshops at the Education and Psychology departments of TCD. Her doctoral dissertation entitled: “A novel intervention devised to address the needs of High Functioning Children with Autism, based on the principles of Drama in Education Cognitive and Behavioural theories”, is now available at the TCD library. Following the success of the CBD model as evidenced in the research findings, parental reports and the participants’ enthusiasm to continue with the sessions after the completion of the research programme, Haris had set up collaborations with special schools and clinics in Dublin and in Melbourne. To date, over a hundred children have enjoyed the benefits of the CBD model.