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Autism & Psychosis Research project
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Autism and higher education Research project
How can we improve quality of life and study success in young, high-functioning adults with autism?

Special education and autism Research project
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XXY versus autism: evidence from neuroimaging Research project
Brain development in children with an extra X chromosome as compared to children with autism: evidence from MRI

Emotion regulation in young children with autism Research project
Children with autism spectrum disorder experience serious challenges in social functioning, which threatens their development in many areas of functioning.

Friends when you have autism; challenge or asset? Research output
Positive friendships are characterised by understanding mutual wishes and intentions, respect for each other’s boundaries and pro-social behaviour. Qualities that might be more challenging for autistic adolescents.

Emotion regulation in children and adolescents with an Autism Spectrum Disorder Research project
Why do children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulties with acquiring emotion regulation skills; and how is this related to their social impairments and comorbid psychopathology?

Many playgrounds unsuitable for children with autism News - 27 March 2025
Playgrounds often fail to accommodate children with autism, according to researchers Carolien Rieffe and colleagues. They have published an essay offering practical advice on how to make all children feel safe and welcome for Autism Week (Dutch) and World Autism Autism Awareness/ Acceptance Day on 2…

Attention for autism in girls News - 12 April 2017
Autism spectrum disorders are more often diagnosed in boys than in girls. For Developmental Psychology professor Carolien Rieffe this raises the question whether autism remains undiscovered in girls and women.

Cooperation is improving autism treatment News - 2 May 2018
There are effective treatments for people with autism, says Wouter Staal, professor of Autism Spectrum Disorders, in his inaugural lecture on 4 May. However, it is not yet clear which treatment is most effective for which individual.

Girls are better at masking autism than boys News - 1 April 2017
Girls with autism have relatively good social skills, which means that their autism is often not recognised. Autism manifests itself in girls differently from in boys. Psychologist Carolien Rieffe and colleagues from the Autism Centre and INTER-PSY (Groningen) report their findings in the Dutch Scientific…

Rumination leads to problems in boys with autism News - 3 April 2018
Boys with autism are more prone to develop physical complaints, depression and aggressive behaviour. Psychologists at Leiden University have discovered that this is mainly related to rumination. Publication in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

New impulse for autism research in collaboration with China News - 17 December 2015
Psychologists of Leiden University and Peking University will collaborate to investigate the deficiencies in emotion recognition in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The new collaboration fits very well in the policy of Leiden University in which intensified collaboration with China has…

Boys with autism respond more angrily to bullying News - 18 September 2018
Boys who are bullied develop more fear and shame; boys who bully develop more anger and less guilt, which makes it easier to justify more bullying. Boys with autism respond more angrily to bullying than others, and thus make for an easier target. Developmental psychologist Carolien Rieffe and her colleagues…

Wouter Staal Professor by Special Appointment of Autism spectrum disorders (ASD), with the focus on the neurobiology, neurocognition and treatment of autism
Social & Behavioural Sciences

Autism and loneliness at school: ‘I always have to stifle my feelings’ News - 3 April 2024
Echoing corridors, chaotic lessons and the obligatory chit-chat in the playground: for pupils with autism, an average day at school is exhausting. As a result, many of them feel lonely. Elijah, an expert from personal experience, says: ‘In the breaks, I’d sit on my own in a room.’

Pokémon Go new opportunity for children with autism News - 19 July 2016
'A great result for the effect of Pokémon Go on children with autism', says Carolien Rieffe in the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant. 'Although we do not know whether the game will lead to friendships in the long term.'

Are autistic youngsters less prosocial? News - 4 April 2020
A common notion is that autistic people feel no need for social contact, that they are socially clumsy and show little prosocial behavior. But is that image correct? According to developmental psychologist Carolien Rieffe, an important goal of Autism Awareness Week (March 28 - April 5) is to remove…

Education Clinical Neurodevelopmental Sciences
The group is involved in training in areas of diagnostic skills, treatment/prevention/intervention, neuropsychological assessment, behavioral observations, clinical interviewing, knowledge of intellectual disability, autism, ADHD, psychosis and aggression.

Improving the health of adults with autism and their caregivers Event - 26 June 2024
PhD defence