Neurodevelopmental conditions and neurodiversity

This research area consists of projects relating to neurodevelopmental conditions and neurodiversity, including autism, ADHD, intellectual disability, and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

We conduct a range of projects into the experiences of individuals, the cognitive neuroscience of these conditions, and supportive interventions. We aim to include individuals with lived experiences in the design and creation of our research wherever relevant. Ultimately, we hope for our research to provide better support to these populations to improve their lives. 

Main contact: Carla Startin, Senior Lecturer

Research staff 

Warren Bakay, Lecturer

Warren’s research focuses on how common levels of noise exposure, such as found in nightclubs, affects the brain’s ability to process speech and music. His current research aims to study how neurodivergent conditions, such as autism and schizophrenia, interact with the damage caused by noise exposure. 

Mick Cooper, Professor in Counselling

Mick has worked on humanistic counselling interventions for young people with neurodiversity. More broadly, he is interested in all aspects of supporting neurodiverse young people’s mental health. 

Maria Gudbrandsen, Senior Lecturer

Maria’s main research area primarily involves children and young people with a specific genetic condition called 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q). Neurodevelopmental conditions are highly prevalent in this population alongside significant challenges related to wellbeing and mental health. While Maria's early research focused on the neuroanatomical underpinnings of autism, particularly in relation to 22q and broader neurodevelopmental conditions, her current work has evolved to centre more on the lived experiences, educational inclusion, and mental health support needs of individuals with 22q and their families. This shift reflects her commitment to participatory, applied research that can directly inform practice and policy. 

Michelle Jayman, Senior Lecturer

Michelle’s main research interests include children’s and young people’s (CYP) socio-emotional development, and interventions to improve learner outcomes and to improve wellbeing for the whole learning community. She has worked extensively with schools and in other education settings, primarily in evaluation research. She is passionate about co-production in research and her most recent work focuses on inclusive practice and supporting the wellbeing needs of pupils with SEND. She is currently working on a participatory action research project with young people with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q) and their families to develop a toolkit for schools to help staff and CYP better understand and support pupils with 22q. 

Noosheen Lotfi, Counselling Psychology Doctorate Research Student 

Noosheen’s current research explores the intersection of autism, gender identity, and mental health, with a particular focus on the lived experiences of individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB) with autism. She is especially interested in how gender identity is understood, expressed, and shaped within this population, and how these experiences influence psychological wellbeing. Through qualitative analysis of online narratives such as blogs and YouTube videos, her research aims to generate insight into the experiences of this underrepresented population to help inform more inclusive and responsive psychological support. 

Ming Lui, Senior Lecturer

Ming's current research aims to develop evidence-based practices supporting children with autism and other special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Early identification of children with disabilities is crucial for timely intervention. Ming’s primary research focus is on identifying behavioural and neural characteristics of autism to facilitate early detection. Her secondary research line involves developing interventions that enhance emotional processing skills among children with autism. Leveraging her background in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, she conducts quantitative and experimental studies, drawing evidence from behavioural and physiological data. Her interdisciplinary research spans collaborations with physicists, computer scientists, and special education researchers. Together, they address questions of theoretical significance and aim to optimise support systems for children with SEND. 

Carla Startin, Senior Lecturer

Carla’s current research is focussing on how to best support neurodiverse students (specifically those with autism and/or ADHD) as they transition to university and throughout their degree. She has previously worked on a large study exploring individual differences in people with Down syndrome in relation to the development of dementia (people with Down syndrome have an exceptionally high risk of dementia), and in relation to differences in pre-dementia cognitive abilities. 

Staci Weiss, Lecturer 

Staci’s research unravels the development of the "body schema" from conception to childhood. While theory articles detail how cells specialise from embryonic precursors to organ-level organisation and track how this might differ for people with different developmental destinies, research collects data on higher levels of organisation: babies use what they know about their own bodies (even in the womb!) to explore their new, different world right after they are born. Staci studies how the movements of babies, children, and adults reflect their recognition that body parts have distinct sensory and motor functions (e.g. the mouth vs. the eyes), with a special interest in implications for neurodiversity and other conditions with sensory processing differences (e.g. developmental coordination disorder, Williams Syndrome, and other genetic conditions). 

Funding 

An intervention to improve empathic communication in children with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Ming Lui. Funded by RGC Hong Kong, HKD $836,600 / £78,790.99 

Exploring how neurodiverse students can be best supported as they transition to university and throughout their degree. Carla Startin. Funded by Southlands Methodist Trust (2024), £4,000. Click here for further information 

Key papers 

  • Bakay, W.M.H., Anderson, L.A., Garcia-Lazaro, J.A., McAlpine, D., & Schaette R. (2018). Hidden hearing loss selectively impairs neural adaptation to loud sound environments. Nat Commun, 9, 4298. 10.1038/s41467-018-06777-y 
  • Bakay, W.M.H., Cervantes, B., Lao-Rodríguez, A.B., Johannesen, P.T., Lopez-Poveda, E.A., Furness, D.N., & Malmierca, M.S. (2024). How ‘hidden hearing loss’ noise exposure affects neural coding in the inferior colliculus of rats. Hear Res, 443, 108963, 10.1016/j.heares.2024.108963 
  • Gudbrandsen, M., Daly, E., Murphy, C.M., Wichers, R.H., Stoencheva, V., Perry, E., Andrews, D., Blackmore, C.E., Rogdaki, M., Kushan, L., Bearden, C.E., Murphy, D.G.M., Craig, M.C., & Ecker, C. (2018). The neuroanatomy of autism spectrum disorder symptomatology in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Cereb Cortex, 29(8), 3655-3665. 10.1093/cercor/bhy239 
  • Gudbrandsen, M., Bletsch, A., Mann, C., Daly, E., Murphy, C.M., Stoencheva, V., Blackmore, C.E., Rogdaki, M., Kushan, L., Bearden, C.E., Murphy, D.G.M., Craig, M.C., & Ecker, C. (2020). Neuroanatomical underpinnings of autism symptomatology in carriers and non-carriers of the 22q11.2 microdeletion. Mol Autism, 11(1), 46. 10.1186/s13229-020-00356-z 
  • Gudbrandsen, M., Mann, C., Bletsch, A., Daly, E., Murphy, C.M., Stoencheva, V., Blackmore, C.E., Rogdaki, M., Kushan, L., Bearden, C.E., Murphy, D.G.M., Craig, M.C., & Ecker, C. (2020). Patterns of cortical folding associated with autistic symptoms in carriers and noncarriers of the 22q11.2 microdeletion. Cereb Cortex, 30(10), 5281-5292. 10.1093/cercor/bhaa108 
  • Hamburg, S., Bush, D., Strydom, A., & Startin, C.M. (2021). Comparison of resting-state EEG between adults with Down syndrome and typically-developing controls. J Neurodev Disord, 13(1), 48. 10.1186/s11689-021-09392-z 
  • Jayman M., Ayliffe, J., & Essau, C. (2023). Adaptation, innovation and co-production: Meeting the mental wellbeing needs of a digital generation. Youth, 3(1), 447-464. 10.3390/youth3010031 
  • Jayman, M., & Gudbrandsen, M. (2024). Beyond awareness: Championing disability-related justice and inclusion in education and research – A response to Dr Jones. Psychol Educ Rev, 48(1), 20-24. 10.53841/bpsper.2024.48.1.20 
  • Jayman, M., Edmonds, S., & Gudbrandsen, M. (2025). Driving innovation to support pupils with SEND through co-production in education and research: Participatory action research with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome families in England. Behav Sci, 15(1), 22. 10.3390/bs15010022 
  • Lau, G.K.B., Lui, M., Hildebrandt, A., Sommer, W., & Zhou, C. (2024). Higher autism trait severity in children associates with diminished integration of angry prosody in semantic processing. Res Autism Spectr Disord, 111, 102325. 10.1016/j.rasd.2023.102325 
  • Li Hesse, L., Bakay, W., Ong, H.-C., Anderson, L., Ashmore, J., McAlpine, D., Linden, J., & Schaette R. (2016). Non-monotonic relation between noise exposure severity and neuronal hyperactivity in the auditory midbrain. Front Neurol, 7. 10.3389/fneur.2016.00133 
  • Lui, M., Lau, G.K., Tam, V.C., Chiu, H.M., Li, S.S., & Sin, K.F. (2020). Parents’ impact on children’s school performance: Marital satisfaction, parental involvement, and mental health. J Child Fam Stud, 29, 1548-1560. 10.1007/s10826-019-01655-7 
  • Lui, M., Li, X., Sommer, W., Hildebrandt, A., Lau, G.K.B., & Zhou, C. (2020). Sex differences in behavioral and brain responses to incongruity in emotional speech controlling for autistic traits. Biol Psychol, 157, 107973. 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107973 
  • Lui, M., Lau, G.K.B., Han, Y.M.Y., Yuen, K.C.P., & Sommer, W. (2023). Strong relationship between rapid auditory processing and affective prosody recognition among adults with high autistic traits. J Autism and Dev Disord, 53(8), 3180-3193. 10.1007/s10803-022-05600-4 
  • Lui, M., Lau, G.K.B., & Wong, P.K.S. (2024). The associations among executive planning, self‐determination, and quality of life in adolescents with intellectual disability. J Intellect Disabil Res, 68(1), 53-63. 10.1111/jir.13091 
  • Shen, G., Weiss, S.M., Meltzoff, A.N., Allison, O.N., & Marshall, P.J. (2022). Exploring developmental changes in infant anticipation and perceptual processing: EEG responses to tactile stimulation. Infancy, 27(1), 97-114. 10.1111/infa.12438 
  • So, W.C., Wong, M.K.Y., Lui, M., & Yip, V. (2015). The development of co-speech gesture and its semantic integration with speech in 6-to 12-year-old children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism, 19(8), 956-968. 10.1177/1362361314556783 
  • So, W.C., Lui, M., Wong, T.K., & Sit, L.T. (2015). The use of hand gestures to communicate about nonpresent objects in mind among children with autism spectrum disorder. J Speech Lang Hear Res, 58(2), 373-382. 10.1044/2015_JSLHR-L-14-0213 
  • Startin, C.M., Hamburg, S., Hithersay, R., Al-Janabi, T., Mok, K.Y., Hardy, J., & Strydom, A. (2019). Cognitive markers of preclinical and prodromal Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome. Alzheimers Dement, 15(2), 245-257. 10.1016/j.jalz.2018.08.009 
  • Startin, C.M., D’Souza, H., Ball, G., Hamburg, S., Hithersay, R., Hughes, K.M.O., Massand, E., Karmiloff-Smith, A., Thomas, M.S.C., & Strydom, A. (2020). Health comorbidities and cognitive abilities across the lifespan in Down syndrome. J Neurodev Disord, 12, 4. 10.1186/s11689-019-9306-9 
  • Stone, J.P., Rivera, C.J., & Weiss, S.M. (2018). Literacy-rich environments for young students with significant developmental disabilities. Young Except Child, 21(4), 191-203. 10.1177/1096250616674330 
  • Weiss, S.M., Aydin, E., Lloyd-Fox, S., & Johnson, M.H. (2024). Trajectories of brain and behaviour development in the womb, at birth and through infancy. Nat Hum Behav, 8(7), 1251-1262. 10.1038/s41562-024-01896-7 

Other relevant links 

  • Jayman M., Glazzard, J., Rose, A., & Quickfall, A. (2024) (Eds). The BERA guide to mental health and wellbeing in schools: Exploring frontline support in educational research and practice. Emerald Group Publishing Ltd 
  • The World Education Summit video (Open Access):  Mental Wellbeing Support for Pupils with SEND: https://weslegacy.com/sessions/100834 
  • Educational toolkit to support pupils with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: Available soon