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Ellen Backman
The Department of Social Work
Phone: 0708-274 627
Mail: ellen.backman@mchs.se
Field of work
Biographical sketch
Ellen Backman is a post-doctoral researcher at the department of social sciences at Marie Cederschiöld university in Stockholm, Sweden. She is also a certified specialist in Speech and Language Pathology with a specialization in Early Communication and Language Development. Since her graduation in 2005, she has worked within early intervention services with children with developmental disabilities and their families, most recently at a pediatric habilitation center in Region Halland. This center provides early intervention services for children with physical impairments, psychomotor developmental delays, intellectual disability, and autism combined with intellectual disability.
Ellen completed her PhD at Halmstad University, Sweden, within the field of health and lifestyle specializing in disability research. The dissertation was titled ” Ordinary mealtimes under extraordinary circumstances : Routines and rituals of nutrition, feeding and eating in children with a gastrostomy and their families (diva-portal.org) “. The thesis consists of four separate studies, and includes documentation from medical records, individual interviews with affected children as well as with their parents. Eco-cultural theory, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), and the concept of participation form the conceptual framework
of the thesis. The thesis extends previous research on feeding disorders in children by focusing on the context of the child in combination with a dimensional understanding of health. The findings shed light on measures taken by the families themselves to adjust to and handle their daily lives, as well as spell out areas where more support is needed. Furthermore, the thesis suggests that an expanded focus on children’s participation in everyday mealtimes, and in the healthcare follow-up of gastrostomy tube feeding, is important in enhancing intervention outcomes.
Current research
Ellen´s current research focuses on young adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and the transition to adulthood. She is particularly interested in exploring this transition for young adults with communication disorders, as present research on becoming an adult when having CP takes little account of commonly associated health conditions such as communication disorders (or visual and auditory impairment, and intellectual disability). The project includes three parts: one scoping review and two empirical studies involving participants from the CP-register of Western Sweden using the questionnaires “Rotterdam Transition Profile” and “Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire”.
In both previous and present research projects, Ellen’s aspiration has been to make the data collection process as accessible as possible, and by using alternative and augmentative communication (AAC), Talking Mats, as well as other physical and cognitive adjustments, she has made participation possible for persons otherwise not often included in research.
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Publications
Page information
- Last updated:
- 5 February 2025