Amanda Roestorf

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Head of Research at Autistica

Deception is a multi-faceted social behaviour that is pervasive in human communication. Due to differences in social communication and experiences, autistic and non-autistic adults may contrast in how they respond to situations that elicit deceptive decision-making. This study examined whether autistic and non-autistic adults differed in their gene...

Due to differences in social communication and cognitive functioning, autistic adults may have greater difficulty engaging in and detecting deception compared to neurotypical adults. Consequently, autistic adults may experience strained social relationships or face increased risk of victimization. It is therefore crucial that research investigates...

Background The positive psychology and neurodiversity movements both aim to promote and improve wellbeing through strengths-based approaches. However, little is known about how positive psychology can support the wellbeing of autistic people. The present study investigated character strengths profiles as a potential tool to identify strengths-based...

Background Poor mental health is known to adversely affect functional abilities, social isolation, and quality of life (QoL). It is, therefore, crucial to consider the long-term impacts of mental health conditions as autistic adults grow older. Objectives To explore, in a group of community-based autistic adults, the extent of: (i) autistic traits...

Previous research has indicated that autistic adults experience higher rates of co‐occurring mental health difficulties and poorer quality of life (QoL) than their non‐autistic peers. Little is known, however, about these aspects in older age or whether younger and older autistic adults experience similar patterns This cross‐sectional study investi...

Background: Poor mental health is known to adversely affect functional abilities, social isolation and quality of life (QoL). It is, therefore, crucial to consider the long-term impacts of mental health conditions as autistic adults grow older. Objectives: To explore, in a group of community-based autistic adults, the extent of: (i) autistic traits...

Background The positive psychology and neurodiversity movements both aim to promote and improve wellbeing through strengths-based approaches. However, little is known about how positive psychology can support the wellbeing of autistic people. The present used character strengths profiles and a humour-based positive psychology exercise as potential...

Background: Poor mental health is known to adversely affect functional abilities, social isolation and quality of life (QoL). It is, therefore, crucial to consider the long-term impacts of mental health conditions as autistic adults grow older. Objectives: To explore the extent of: (i) autistic traits, co-occurring physical and mental health condit...

Background: Poor mental health is known to adversely affect functional abilities, social isolation and quality of life (QoL). It is, therefore, crucial to consider the long-term impacts of mental health conditions as autistic adults grow older. Objectives: Our objectives were to understand the extent of: (i) autistic traits, co-occurring physical a...

Social Prescribing (SP) is the referral of patients to non-clinical services for practical, physical or psychosocial support. Recent guidelines from the National Health Service England mean that SP will become commonplace for people with complex healthcare needs. Autistic adults make up over 1% of the population and commonly have co-existing physic...

In the domain of memory, autism is characterized by difficulties in explicitly remembering the specific order of stimuli, whereas implicit serial order memory appears to be preserved. This pattern is of considerable interest because serial order memory is known to play a critical role in children's language development. Currently, however, few para...

Anxiety in autism is an important treatment target because of its consequences for quality of life and well-being. Growing evidence suggests that cognitive behaviour therapies and mindfulness-based therapies can ameliorate anxiety in autism but cost-effective delivery remains a challenge. This pilot randomised controlled trial examined whether onli...

Social Prescribing (SP) is the referral of patients to non-clinical services for practical, physical or psychosocial support. Recent guidelines from the National Health Service England mean that SP will become commonplace for people with complex healthcare needs. Autistic adults make up 1% of the population and commonly have co-existing physical an...

This short article provides a definition of Prospective Memory (remembering to remember) and an explanation of the cognitive process involved for autonomous everyday functioning. The article then goes on discuss what is know of prospective memory difficulties in autism.

Authors: Dermot M Bowler, Amanda Roestorf, Sarah Sherwood Our work as autism researchers often explores ways of understanding the differences in how autistic and non-autistic people process information, for learning and rememembering in everyday life. Because of these differences, some everyday activities - which non-autistic people can sometimes...

A special interest group (SIG) entitled "Older Adults with ASD: The Consequences of Aging" was held at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) annual meetings in 2016 and 2017. The SIG and subsequent meetings brought together, for the first time, international delegates who were members of the autistic community, researchers, practiti...

Few studies to date have included older autistic adults, meaning that lifespan outcomes for autistic adults are poorly understood. In this thesis, findings are presented from a four-year programme of research, which followed-up younger and older adults (aged 18-80 years) with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and comparison groups of younger...

From an early age, most children choose to play with toys typed to their own gender. In order to identify variables that predict toy preference, we conducted a meta‐analysis of observational studies of the free selection of toys by boys and girls aged between 1 and 8 years. From an initial pool of 1788 papers, 16 studies (787 boys and 813 girls) me...

Background: It is well-established that the patterning of cognitive function in individuals with autism is quantitatively and qualitatively different from neurotypical individuals. Previous research has focused on the early life diagnosis and developmental trajectory of children and adolescents. However, little is known about the way in which peopl...