The Developmental Diversity Lab, based at UCL’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, is led by Dr Sarah White and Dr Katherine Ellis.

We aim to understand the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying autism, how these can be modulated, and how different social environments impact on social experiences and wellbeing, in order to increase understanding of autism and associated conditions, inform support services, and improve the lives of autistic people and their families.

We work with lots of different people:

• children, adolescents and adults
• autistic people and their families
• people with rare genetic syndromes associated with autism (e.g. Fragile X Syndrome, Cornelia de Lange Syndrome)
• people with a range of autistic traits

We use a wide range of techniques in our research:

• behavioural observation
• cognitive assessments
• neuropsychological tests
• eye-tracking
• brain imaging methods (fMRI, fNIRS)

Our research has received funding from:

• The Royal Society
• The Academy of Medical Sciences
• The Baily Thomas Charitable Fund
• The Experimental Psychology Society
• The Economic and Social Research Council
• The Medical Research Council