Vicky Lewis is Professor of Education at the Open University. She is a developmental psychologist who has been involved in research with children with disabilities for over 30 years. Her early research focused on children with Down's syndrome and more recently she has worked with blind children and children with autism. She is particularly interested in how children with disabilities represent different aspects of their environment. She was also involved in the development of the Test of Pretend Play (ToPP) which provides a way of assessing the underlying symbolic ability of children with communication difficulties.