Melissa Brunner | Research projects & activities

(she/her)

Senior Lecturer in Speech Pathology

Faculty of Medicine and Health

Orcid identifier0000-0001-6823-5189 (opens in a new tab)⁠

Senior Lecturer in Speech Pathology
Faculty of Medicine and Health

melissa.brunner@sydney.edu.au (opens in a new tab)

social-ABI-lity - development of online social media communication assessment tool and intervention programs to support people with acquired brain injury, dementia, and intellectual disability to use social media safely and enjoyably.

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PROJECT
social-ABI-lity
6 Jan 2020
Project leaders:
Collaborators:
- Stacey S,
- Howard S,
- Bransby-Bell J
People with acquired brain injury (ABI) often experience social isolation, and social media can be a helpful way to stay connected and maintain relationships. However, using social media can sometimes be challenging because ABI can affect thinking and judgment, which may increase the risk of issues like feeling overwhelmed or encountering online bullying. Many people with ABI have shared that they want to use social media but need strategies to do so safely and confidently. Rehabilitation professionals also recognize these challenges but often feel unsure about how to support social media use because of potential risks. While there is a guide to help clinicians discuss social media goals, there are currently no dedicated tools or programs designed to assess or build social media skills for people with ABI. This project aims to change that by creating practical resources that support safe and meaningful online participation.
Tint SF, Amon K, Brunner M (2025). Healing is a community: an exploratory study of #TraumaticBrainInjury content on Instagram. Disability & Rehabilitation. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R, Southwell K, Baker J, Cooper S, Avramovic P, Brassel S, Power E, Rushworth N, Togher L (2025). The peer effect is “utterly profound”: A pilot study of a multi-component, peer-moderated social media skills intervention for people with acquired brain injury. AJSLP (Invited paper for a Special Issue of select papers from the 2024 International Cognitive-Communication Disorders Conference). (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R, Avramovic P, Brassel S, Southwell K, Togher L. (2025). “Can be challenging but usually worth it!”: Survey of rehabilitation professionals' experiences of social media use after acquired brain injury (ABI). IJLCD. (opens in a new tab)Cruse N, Sabo H, Brunner M (2025). Social support after TBI: An investigation of Facebook posts in open access support groups. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 35 (8), 1599-1621. (opens in a new tab)Talbot C, Roe D, Brunner M (2025). Navigating who I was and who I am online: How people with dementia use social media platforms to support identity. Dementia; 24 (4), 647-665. (opens in a new tab)Lo CC, Amon K, Brunner M (2025). “Stay tuned”: An exploratory content and thematic analysis of brain injury videos on YouTube. Disability and Rehabilitation, 47 (10), 2523-2534. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R (Co-first author), Summers K, Southwell K, Avramovic P, Power E, Rushworth N, Togher L (2024) ‘It gives you encouragement because you're not alone’: A pilot study of a multi-component social media skills intervention for people with acquired brain injury. IJLCD (Invited paper for a Special Issue on SLT/P clinical management of traumatic brain injury across the lifespan), 59, 543–558. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R (Co-first author), Avramovic P, Power E, Miao M, Rushworth N, MacLean L, Brookes AM, Togher L (2023). Developing social-ABI-lity: an online course to support safe use of social media for connection after acquired brain injury. AJSLP (Invited paper for a Special Issue of Select Papers From the International Cognitive-Communication Disorders Conference), 32(2S), 924-940. (opens in a new tab)social-ABI-lity self-directed online course (opens in a new tab)social-ABI-lity YouTube playlist (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R, Togher L (2022). Training resources targeting social media skills: A scoping review to inform rehabilitation for people who have an acquired brain injury. JMIR, 24(4), e35595. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Hemsley B, Togher L, Dann S, Palmer S (2021). Social Media and People with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Meta-Synthesis of Research Informing a Framework for Rehabilitation Clinical Practice, Policy, and Training. AJSLP, 30(1), 19-33. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M (2020). #TwitterMind ‐ Social Media Use by People with Communication Difficulties after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Doctoral Thesis, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia (opens in a new tab)
Tint SF, Amon K, Brunner M (2025). Healing is a community: an exploratory study of #TraumaticBrainInjury content on Instagram. Disability & Rehabilitation. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R, Southwell K, Baker J, Cooper S, Avramovic P, Brassel S, Power E, Rushworth N, Togher L (2025). The peer effect is “utterly profound”: A pilot study of a multi-component, peer-moderated social media skills intervention for people with acquired brain injury. AJSLP (Invited paper for a Special Issue of select papers from the 2024 International Cognitive-Communication Disorders Conference). (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R, Avramovic P, Brassel S, Southwell K, Togher L. (2025). “Can be challenging but usually worth it!”: Survey of rehabilitation professionals' experiences of social media use after acquired brain injury (ABI). IJLCD. (opens in a new tab)Cruse N, Sabo H, Brunner M (2025). Social support after TBI: An investigation of Facebook posts in open access support groups. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 35 (8), 1599-1621. (opens in a new tab)Talbot C, Roe D, Brunner M (2025). Navigating who I was and who I am online: How people with dementia use social media platforms to support identity. Dementia; 24 (4), 647-665. (opens in a new tab)Lo CC, Amon K, Brunner M (2025). “Stay tuned”: An exploratory content and thematic analysis of brain injury videos on YouTube. Disability and Rehabilitation, 47 (10), 2523-2534. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R (Co-first author), Summers K, Southwell K, Avramovic P, Power E, Rushworth N, Togher L (2024) ‘It gives you encouragement because you're not alone’: A pilot study of a multi-component social media skills intervention for people with acquired brain injury. IJLCD (Invited paper for a Special Issue on SLT/P clinical management of traumatic brain injury across the lifespan), 59, 543–558. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R (Co-first author), Avramovic P, Power E, Miao M, Rushworth N, MacLean L, Brookes AM, Togher L (2023). Developing social-ABI-lity: an online course to support safe use of social media for connection after acquired brain injury. AJSLP (Invited paper for a Special Issue of Select Papers From the International Cognitive-Communication Disorders Conference), 32(2S), 924-940. (opens in a new tab)social-ABI-lity self-directed online course (opens in a new tab)social-ABI-lity YouTube playlist (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R, Togher L (2022). Training resources targeting social media skills: A scoping review to inform rehabilitation for people who have an acquired brain injury. JMIR, 24(4), e35595. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Hemsley B, Togher L, Dann S, Palmer S (2021). Social Media and People with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Meta-Synthesis of Research Informing a Framework for Rehabilitation Clinical Practice, Policy, and Training. AJSLP, 30(1), 19-33. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M (2020). #TwitterMind ‐ Social Media Use by People with Communication Difficulties after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Doctoral Thesis, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia (opens in a new tab)
RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISION
Exploring a novel co-designed treatment program for adolescents with cognitive communication impairment following a moderate-severe acquired brain injury.
RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISION
Investigating social media use for health communication within speech pathology
RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISION
Using Virtual Reality in Rehabilitation for Cognitive-Communication Disorders Following Traumatic Brain Injury

DrMelissa Brunner

Research projects & supervision summary

RESEARCH PROJECTS & ACTIVITIES