Social feedback enhances learning in Williams syndrome (2023)
Journal Article
Kleberg, J., Willfors, C., Björlin Avdic, H., Riby, D., Galazka, M., Guath, M., …Strannegård, C. (2023). Social feedback enhances learning in Williams syndrome. Scientific Reports, 13, Article 164. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26055-8

Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic condition characterized by high social interest and approach motivation as well as intellectual disability and anxiety. Despite the fact that social stimuli are believed to have an increased intrinsic reward v... Read More about Social feedback enhances learning in Williams syndrome.

Friendships in children with Williams syndrome: Parent and child perspectives (2022)
Journal Article
Gillooly, A., Riby, D., Durkin, K., & Rhodes, S. (2022). Friendships in children with Williams syndrome: Parent and child perspectives. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05807-5

Although children with Williams syndrome (WS) are strongly socially motivated, many have friendship difficulties. The parents of 21 children with WS and 20 of the children themselves participated in a semi-structured interview about the children’s fr... Read More about Friendships in children with Williams syndrome: Parent and child perspectives.

The Quality of Everyday Eye Contact in Williams Syndrome: Insights from Cross-syndrome Comparisons (2022)
Journal Article
Ridley, E., Arnott, B., Riby, D., Burt, M., Hanley, M., & Leekam, S. (2022). The Quality of Everyday Eye Contact in Williams Syndrome: Insights from Cross-syndrome Comparisons. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 127(4), 293-312. https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-127.4.293

Past research shows that individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have heightened and prolonged eye contact. Using parent report measures, we examined not only the presence of eye contact but also its qualitative features. Study 1 included individuals... Read More about The Quality of Everyday Eye Contact in Williams Syndrome: Insights from Cross-syndrome Comparisons.

Williams syndrome: reduced orienting to other’s eyes in a hypersocial phenotype (2022)
Journal Article
Kleberg, J. L., Riby, D., Fawcett, C., Bjorlin Avdic, H., Frick, M. A., Brocki, K. C., …Willfors, C. (2023). Williams syndrome: reduced orienting to other’s eyes in a hypersocial phenotype. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53, 2786–2797. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05563-6

Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic condition associated with high sociability, intellectual disability, and social cognitive challenges. Attention to others’ eyes is crucial for social understanding. Orienting to, and from other’s eyes was stud... Read More about Williams syndrome: reduced orienting to other’s eyes in a hypersocial phenotype.

Williams syndrome: On the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety (2021)
Journal Article
Willfors, C., Riby, D., Van Der Poll, M., Ekholm, K., Avdic Björlin, H., Kleberg, J., & Nordgren, A. (2021). Williams syndrome: On the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, 16, Article 472. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13023-021-02098-4

Background: Individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have an elevated risk for anxiety disorders throughout the life span, making it a research priority to identify the individual factors associated with anxiety. Most of the existing literature is bas... Read More about Williams syndrome: On the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety.

‘Intolerance of Uncertainty’ mediates the relationship between social profile and anxiety in both Williams Syndrome and autism (2021)
Journal Article
South, M., Hanley, M., Normansell-Mossa, K., Russell, N., Cawthorne, T., & Riby, D. (2021). ‘Intolerance of Uncertainty’ mediates the relationship between social profile and anxiety in both Williams Syndrome and autism. Autism Research, 14(9), 1986-1995. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2554

Anxiety is the most significant mental health concern for both Williams syndrome (WS) and autism. Whilst WS and autism are characterised by some syndrome-specific social differences, less is known about cross-syndrome profiles of anxiety symptoms. Pr... Read More about ‘Intolerance of Uncertainty’ mediates the relationship between social profile and anxiety in both Williams Syndrome and autism.

An EEG investigation of alpha and beta activity during resting states in adults with Williams syndrome (2021)
Journal Article
Greer, J. M., Riby, D. M., McMullon, M. E., Hamilton, C., & Riby, L. M. (2021). An EEG investigation of alpha and beta activity during resting states in adults with Williams syndrome. BMC Psychology, 9(1), Article 72. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-021-00575-w

Background Williams syndrome (WS) is neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by executive deficits of attention and inhibitory processing. The current study examined the neural mechanisms during resting states in adults with WS in order to investig... Read More about An EEG investigation of alpha and beta activity during resting states in adults with Williams syndrome.

A clinical and cost effectiveness trial of a parent group intervention to manage challenging restricted and repetitive behaviours in young children with autism spectrum disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (2021)
Journal Article
Grahame, V., Dixon, L., Fletcher-Watson, S., Garland, D., Glod, M., Goodwin, J., …Rodgers, J. (2021). A clinical and cost effectiveness trial of a parent group intervention to manage challenging restricted and repetitive behaviours in young children with autism spectrum disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 22, Article 240. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-021-05175-y

Background Restricted and repetitive behaviours vary greatly across the autism spectrum, and although not all are problematic some can cause distress and interfere with learning and social opportunities. We have, alongside parents, developed a parent... Read More about A clinical and cost effectiveness trial of a parent group intervention to manage challenging restricted and repetitive behaviours in young children with autism spectrum disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Teacher insights into the barriers and facilitators of learning in autism (2020)
Journal Article
McDougal, E., Riby, D., & Hanley, E. (2020). Teacher insights into the barriers and facilitators of learning in autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 79, Article 101674. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101674

Background: Little is known about the factors impacting on learning for autistic pupils, even though academic outcomes are highly heterogeneous. The aim of the current study was to qualitatively explore factors that are perceived to impact positively... Read More about Teacher insights into the barriers and facilitators of learning in autism.

Psychological Distress and Positive Gain in Mothers of Children with Autism, With or Without Other Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (2020)
Journal Article
Stanford, C., Hastings, R., Riby, D., Archer, H., Page, S., & Cebula, K. (2022). Psychological Distress and Positive Gain in Mothers of Children with Autism, With or Without Other Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 68(4), 479-484. https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2020.1812347

Although a wealth of literature has focused on the parenting experiences of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is a lack of research about mothers who are parenting a child with ASD, and who have other children with neurod... Read More about Psychological Distress and Positive Gain in Mothers of Children with Autism, With or Without Other Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Profiles of academic achievement and attention in children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (2020)
Journal Article
McDougal, E., Riby, D., & Hanley, M. (2020). Profiles of academic achievement and attention in children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 106, Article 103749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103749

Background: Academic outcomes for autistic individuals are heterogeneous, but the reasons for this are unknown. Attention is known to predict learning in typical development, but there is less evidence about this relationship in Autism Spectrum Disor... Read More about Profiles of academic achievement and attention in children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Hearing the feeling: Auditory emotion perception in Williams Syndrome (2020)
Journal Article
Heaton, P., Ridley, E., Makhmood, S., & Riby, D. (2020). Hearing the feeling: Auditory emotion perception in Williams Syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities, Article 103660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103660

Background Studies investigating recognition of facial expressions of emotions in Williams syndrome (WS) have reported difficulties in recognising negative expressions of emotion and a reliance on atypically developing underlying processes during tas... Read More about Hearing the feeling: Auditory emotion perception in Williams Syndrome.

Sensory Processing Profiles and Autistic Symptoms as Predictive Factors in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Williams Syndrome (2020)
Journal Article
Glod, M., Riby, D., & Rodgers, J. (2020). Sensory Processing Profiles and Autistic Symptoms as Predictive Factors in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Williams Syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 64(8), 657-665. https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12738

Background: Unusual sensory responses were included in the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet they are also common among individuals with other neurodevelopmental disorders, including Williams syndrome (WS). Cross‐syndrome co... Read More about Sensory Processing Profiles and Autistic Symptoms as Predictive Factors in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Williams Syndrome.

Peer Relationships in Children with Williams Syndrome: Parent and Teacher Insights (2020)
Journal Article
Gillooly, A., Riby, D., Durkin, K., & Rhodes, S. (2021). Peer Relationships in Children with Williams Syndrome: Parent and Teacher Insights. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51(1), 169-178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04503-6

Although children with Williams syndrome (WS) are reported to show a strong motivation towards social interaction, evidence suggests many experience difficulties with peer relations. Less is known regarding the characteristics of such difficulties. P... Read More about Peer Relationships in Children with Williams Syndrome: Parent and Teacher Insights.

A cross-syndrome approach to the social phenotype of neurodevelopmental disorders: Focusing on social vulnerability and social interaction style (2020)
Journal Article
Ridley, E., Riby, D., & Leekam, S. (2020). A cross-syndrome approach to the social phenotype of neurodevelopmental disorders: Focusing on social vulnerability and social interaction style. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 100, Article 103604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103604

Background: Following Annette Karmiloff-Smith’s approach to cognitive research, this study applied a cross-syndrome approach to the social phenotype, focusing on social vulnerability (SV) and the factors that contribute to it. Aims: To (i) identify s... Read More about A cross-syndrome approach to the social phenotype of neurodevelopmental disorders: Focusing on social vulnerability and social interaction style.

Does culture shape face perception in autism? Cross-cultural evidence of the own-race advantage from the UK and Japan (2020)
Journal Article
Hanley, M., Riby, D., Derges, M., Douligeri, A., Philyaw, Z., Ikeda, T., …Hirai, M. (2020). Does culture shape face perception in autism? Cross-cultural evidence of the own-race advantage from the UK and Japan. Developmental Science, 23(5), Article e12942. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12942

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are associated with face perception atypicalities, and atypical experience with faces has been proposed as an underlying explanation. Studying the own‐race advantage (ORA) for face recognition can reveal the effect of... Read More about Does culture shape face perception in autism? Cross-cultural evidence of the own-race advantage from the UK and Japan.

Distraction, Distress and Diversity: Exploring the impact of sensory processing differences on learning and school life for pupils with autism spectrum disorders (2020)
Journal Article
Jones, E., Hanley, M., & Riby, D. (2020). Distraction, Distress and Diversity: Exploring the impact of sensory processing differences on learning and school life for pupils with autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 72, Article 101515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101515

Background: Many individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) experience sensory differences that impact daily functioning. This study aimed to capture parent and teacher perspectives on how sensory differences affect learning and life at school... Read More about Distraction, Distress and Diversity: Exploring the impact of sensory processing differences on learning and school life for pupils with autism spectrum disorders.

Siblings of children with Williams syndrome: Correlates of psychosocial adjustment and sibling relationship quality (2019)
Journal Article
Cebula, K., Gillooly, A., Coulthard, L., Riby, D., & Hastings, R. (2019). Siblings of children with Williams syndrome: Correlates of psychosocial adjustment and sibling relationship quality. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 94, Article 103496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2019.103496

Previous research has examined adjustment in parents of children with Williams syndrome (WS), but little is known about sibling outcomes. Aims: To explore sibling adjustment and relationship quality, and their demographic, psychological and behaviour... Read More about Siblings of children with Williams syndrome: Correlates of psychosocial adjustment and sibling relationship quality.

Sensory Processing in Williams Syndrome: A Narrative Review (2019)
Journal Article
Glod, M., Riby, D., & Rodgers, J. (2020). Sensory Processing in Williams Syndrome: A Narrative Review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 7, 32-45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-019-00174-x

To date, little is known about sensory processing in Williams syndrome (WS) and the similarities of the sensory profile in individuals with WS compared to people with other neurodevelopmental disorders. The current review aims to consolidate availabl... Read More about Sensory Processing in Williams Syndrome: A Narrative Review.

Short Report: Relationships between Sensory Processing, Repetitive Behaviours, Anxiety, and Intolerance of Uncertainty in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Williams Syndrome (2019)
Journal Article
Glod, M., Riby, D. M., & Rodgers, J. (2019). Short Report: Relationships between Sensory Processing, Repetitive Behaviours, Anxiety, and Intolerance of Uncertainty in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Williams Syndrome. Autism Research, 12(5), 759-765. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2096

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Williams syndrome (WS) share psychopathology relating to sensory processing and repetitive behaviors. The relationships between the sensory features and repetitive behaviors in both disorders, and the mechanisms und... Read More about Short Report: Relationships between Sensory Processing, Repetitive Behaviours, Anxiety, and Intolerance of Uncertainty in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Williams Syndrome.