PhD Project Proposal: Developing and Validating a Behaviour Checklist for Adults with Intellectual Disability

Key information

Start date: 2 March 2026
Duration: 4 years of registration, 3 years of stipend
Academic entry requirements: at least a high 2.1 Bachelor’s degree in Psychology or a related field, or on track to be awarded such a degree before 1 March 2026
Eligibility: the studentship is open to home/UK candidates

Deadline for applications: 21 November 2025

About the project

Background

This PhD aims to develop and validate an adult version of the Behaviour Checklist, a tool originally developed for children with intellectual disability. The project will address the current lack of suitable behavioural assessment tools for adults with intellectual disability by adapting and validating the checklist.

Aims & Methodology

The research will consist of four interlinked studies:

1. Systematic literature review with potential meta-analyses on the causes and contributing factors of behaviours of concern in people with intellectual disability, synthesising current evidence across biological, psychological, and environmental domains.
2. Mapping assessment practices and identifying implementation opportunities to understand current behavioural assessment approaches and pinpoint where the checklist can be effectively integrated within adult ID services. This will involve stakeholder interviews to understand existing tools, referral pathways, and factors affecting checklist integration.
3. Stakeholder-informed adaptation involving focus groups with carers and clinicians, and a cognitive interview study, guiding the development of an adult-appropriate version of the Behaviour Checklist.
4. Psychometric evaluation of the adapted checklist, testing its reliability and validity in diverse adult care settings.

Impact

This project will result in a validated, clinically useful assessment tool for adults with intellectual disability, grounded in current evidence and stakeholder experience. It will support more consistent understanding of behaviours of concern, ultimately improving care planning, service delivery, and outcomes.

Project summary

Applications are invited for a fully-funded PhD (fees + stipend) to begin March 2026 on a research project developing an adult version of the Behaviour Checklist, a tool originally developed for children with intellectual disability. The successful candidate will be based at University of Warwick and will be co-supervised by Dr Hayley Crawford (Warwick), Professor Caroline Richards, Professor Kylie Gray and Professor Peter Langdon (University of Birmingham).

Project description:

There are 1.5 million people with an intellectual disability (ID) in the UK and over half of these present with intellectual disability associated with either a rare genetic syndrome or a co-occurring condition such as autism. People with moderate-profound intellectual disability and complex needs are at high risk for poor behavioural outcomes. We previously co-designed a clinical checklist of common and critical causes of poor behavioural outcomes to improve identification, monitoring and intervention pathways for children with intellectual disability and complex needs. This fully-funded PhD will aim to revise this checklist for an adult population, identify implementation opportunities and examine psychometric properties.

With your application, please provide a two-page project proposal for the PhD, outlining a plan for your PhD research within this area. Within the two-page proposal, please include a 250 work lay-summary suitable for families of children with rare genetic syndromes, explaining the purpose and value of the research.

The candidate:

The successful applicant will use a mixed-methods approach to the research. They will conduct relevant systematic and/or meta-analytic reviews to describe the current literature and inform their research. They will undertake qualitative data collection and analysis, and use advanced statistical analyses to examine psychometric properties. They will undertake work with stakeholders to develop their research and ensure it is meaningful and acceptable to the communities the work benefits. They will communicate with families and stakeholders to ensure effective dissemination of the work. The successful applicant will join a team of post-doctoral researchers, PhD students, and undergraduate students at the University of Warwick and work closely with relevant networks including Cerebra Network and Midlands Mental Health and Neuroscience PhD Programme for Healthcare Professionals.

Required

• At least a high 2.1 bachelor’s degree in Psychology or a related field, or on track to be awarded such a degree before 1 March 2026
• At least a high 2.1 grade in a research-based dissertation conducted as part of an undergraduate degree, or equivalent research experience (e.g. through volunteering with a research team)
• A strong interest in research and a high level of motivation to develop research ideas
• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills
• Some knowledge of statistics and a willingness to learn more advanced methods
• Some knowledge of qualitative methods and a willingness to learn more
• English language proficiency
• Ability to work independently when required but to seek supervision appropriately
• Personal or professional experience working with individuals from vulnerable populations (e.g. children, individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders) and/or their families
• An understanding of how to work with stakeholder organisations to plan, develop or conduct useful research and demonstration of the skills necessary to do this well

Desirable (but not essential):

• A first class bachelor’s degree from a research intensive University in Psychology or a related field
• A Master’s (with at least Merit) in a relevant field
• Experience of conducting research with individuals from vulnerable populations and/or their families
• Experience of working with organisations that hold stakes in the lives of individuals from vulnerable groups, either in a research or other professional context
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Evidence of being able to disseminate research findings (e.g. via a seminar or conference presentation, or a journal publication)
  
  

Application procedure:

Prospective candidates are required to follow University of Warwick guidance. In order for the application to be processed, candidates should submit the research proposal as outlined above, CV, 2 references, and transcript of grades using the online portal: Applying for Postgraduate Study at Warwick.

Further Information:
Please contact Dr Hayley Crawford (Hayley.Crawford@warwick.ac.uk) for further information and informal enquiries.

Funding notes:

This award, funded by University of Warwick, provides annual funding to cover UK tuition fees, a tax-free stipend and a one-off research training grant of up to £5,000. The funding is provided as contribution to the Midlands Mental Health and Neuroscience PhD Programme for Healthcare Professionals.

The studentship will be awarded on the basis of merit for 3 years of full-time study to commence on 2 March 2026.

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