Introduction
Merve Meral İçilensu
Child Development Specialist · Neuroscientist
Istanbul, Türkiye
In brief
I am a child development specialist and researcher working at the intersection of child development, neurodevelopment and education. In my work I approach development not through the child’s individual characteristics alone, but within family relationships, caregivers, educational settings and the wider bioecological context. This approach aligns with the perspective of connectivity that Prof. Dr. Türker Kılıç also emphasises — understanding a system through the relationships and interactions between its parts rather than through the parts themselves.
After completing my first undergraduate degree at the University of London, I turned my academic direction towards child development. I completed the Child Development undergraduate programme at Istanbul University and a master’s degree in Child Development and Education. I deepened my work on neurodevelopmental processes through a second master’s degree in neuroscience. I am currently continuing my academic work in the Child Development doctoral programme at Istanbul Aydın University.
My research concentrates in particular on executive functions in childhood, on neurodevelopment, and on the familial and environmental factors that shape development. I carry this work alongside many years of teaching and educational coordination across different ages and levels of schooling, which followed the English language teaching programme I completed in Canada.
My aim is to evaluate scientific knowledge on child development and neurodevelopment through a critical, evidence-based lens; to narrow the distance between academic knowledge and practice; and to contribute to an understanding of children’s development within the dynamic connections between individual, relationships and environment.
Development: relationship, time, context.
I like spending time in nature and walking, skiing, listening to music, and painting.
Expertise
What I work on
Child Development & Neurodevelopment
The biological and experiential foundations of development: how the maturing brain and the child’s environment shape one another.
Executive Functions
Planning, inhibitory control and working memory — the shared subject of my master’s thesis and my neuroscience work.
Family, Relationships & Context
Approaching development not through the child alone, but within family relationships, caregivers and the wider bioecological context.
Learning & Development
The developmental ground beneath learning: what a child can learn and when, and what that means in an educational setting.
Developmental Assessment & Monitoring
Developmental inventories, attention and visual-motor perception assessments; ongoing monitoring and interpretation alongside the family.
Research & Current Literature
Evaluating scientific knowledge through a critical, evidence-based lens, and narrowing the distance between academic knowledge and practice.
Child development
What I work with
Assessment tools I use
- Developmental monitoring and support
- Ankara Developmental Screening Inventory (AGTE)
- Developmental screening (Gesell, Metropolitan)
- Attention assessment (D2, Frankfurter)
- Visual-motor perception assessment (Bender-Gestalt, Frostig)
- Performance assessment (Cattell, Porteus, Kent EGY)
- Beier Sentence Completion Test
- Assessment and support of executive functions
- School adjustment difficulties and school refusal
- Parent education and guidance
These headings cover developmental assessment and support; they do not constitute medical diagnosis or treatment.
Languages:English C1 · Spanish A1 · Norwegian A1
Curriculum vitae
Education and experience
Experience
English Teacher
KALEV Schools
2024 –
Present
Child Development Specialist
Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital
2024
Clinical placement
English Teacher
Artı Sonsuz College
2020 – 2024
Alongside coordinating English language teaching and serving as primary school vice principal
English Teacher
Amerikan Kültür Derneği Preschools, Çanakkale
2017 – 2019
Education
Child Development, PhD
Istanbul Aydın University
In progress
Neuroscience, MSc
Üsküdar University
2024 – 2026
Completed · Project: “The functional neuroanatomy of executive functions in childhood”
Child Development & Education, MA
Istanbul Okan University
2023 – 2026
Completed · Thesis: “An examination of the relationship between the executive functions of 60–72-month-old children and their mothers across several variables” · full text in the Turkish National Thesis Centre
Child Development, BA
Istanbul University
2019 – 2023
International Relations, BA
University of London
2006 – 2009
Talks & Publications
INGED (English Language Educators Association)
2022
Follow the title to watch the recording
“Research on executive functions in children and adolescents in Türkiye: a scoping review”
6th International Child Development Congress
2025
Oral presentation · published in the congress proceedings
“Migration, acculturation and adaptation from a lifespan development perspective”
6th International Child Development Congress
2025
Oral presentation · published in the congress proceedings
“Developing writing skills in young people through comics”
2024 Autumn Teachers’ Symposium (ATC)
2024
Seminar
Certificates
Oxford Professional Development
Oxford University Press
2022
Assessment for learning · global skills · wellbeing and mindfulness
Train the Trainers
Yeditepe University
2022
Child Development Tests
BS Psikoloji ve Akademi
2021
Gesell · Ankara Developmental · Metropolitan
Attention Tests for Children
BS Psikoloji ve Akademi
2021
Frankfurter · D2 · Bender-Gestalt · Frostig
Performance Tests for Children
BS Psikoloji ve Akademi
2021
Cattell · Porteus · Kent EGY
Child Development Scales and Short Forms
BS Psikoloji ve Akademi
2021
Student Coaching
International Coaching Federation (ICF), USA
2020
Education and Student Coaching
Yeditepe University
2020
Memory Techniques Instructor
Yeditepe University
2020
Education Consultancy
Yeditepe University
2020
TESOL
Global TESOL College, Canada
2020
Children’s Literature Editing
Karadankaçan Akademi
Child Development Summit
ELDA Sanat Akademi
Storytelling · music and movement · drama in development · the Reggio Emilia approach
Family and Child Development Conference
Gedik University
Drama therapy for children · health literacy · family counselling · understanding and preventing bullying
Connect
Where to find me
You can reach me on social platforms, or email me directly.