Elisabeth studied Psychology at Lancaster University where her long-term interest in individuals with developmental disorders was cemented academically. From there, she undertook her PhD at the MRC’s Applied Psychology Unit, University of Cambridge, investigating motor difficulties in developmental coordination disorder (DCD, often referred to as dyspraxia) and specific language impairment. Since then she has focused her work on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and DCD at the University of Cambridge, UCL and in her current post as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths (University of London).

Although Elisabeth and her research team are involved in a wide variety of projects, these now focus mostly on ASD and DCD, their causes and consequences. One example of Elisabeth’s work is the Autism & Employment Study (http://homepages.gold.ac.uk/autismandemployment) that she set up with Dr. Joanna Yarker at Goldsmiths. This study is evaluating the employment experiences of adults with ASD, as well as of parents of a child with ASD.