Staff profile

Research Interests

My research is focused on understanding strengths and difficulties for neurodiverse groups, mostly autism and Williams syndrome. In my research I have been particularly interested in social behaviour (and relevant socio-cognitive and perceptual skills) and more recently I have been focused on ‘Triple-A’ issues – these are difficulties with attention, arousal (sensory processing) and anxiety. I am especially interested to understand the ways that attention, arousal and anxiety interact with each other (and with social behaviour), and in particular how they impact on learning and school life for neurodivergent pupils.

Through the Centre for Neurodiversity and Development (for which I am the Associate Director), I work to ensure that my research has impact with the people, organisations and families for whom it is most relevant. For example, by delivering parent workshops on anxiety and producing (as part of a team) booklets on ‘Anxiety in Williams Syndrome’ which have been distributed throughout the UK, Ireland, the USA, France and Germany. Most recently, we have been developing an online training tool aimed at educators, to help raise awareness and understanding Triple-A issues at school for neurodivergent pupils (see Centre for Neurodiversity & Development website for further information). 

• Autism
• William Syndrome
• Neurodiversity
• Arousal/Sensory Processing
• Attention
• Anxiety
• Eye-tracking
• Social Vulnerability

• 2018: Seattle Club Conference: Co-organiser:
• 2014: Conference Co-organiser: Neurodevelopmental Disorders Annual Seminar:
• 2000: External Examiner MSc Child Psychology, Kingston University:
• 2000: Invited Seminar, Kingston University:
• 2000: Invited Talk, Japanese Society for Williams Syndrome:
• 2000: Invited Seminar, Department of Experimental Psychology Oxford University:

Chapter in book

• Hanley, M. (2014). Eye-tracking and neurodevelopmental disorders: evidence from cross-syndrome comparisons. In D. Riby, & J. Van Herwegen (Eds.), Neurodevelopmental disorders: Research issues and solutions. Psychology Press

Journal Article

• Riby, D., Ridley, E., Lough, E., & Hanley, M. (online). Social vulnerability in Williams syndrome: A tendency to approach strangers. International review of research in developmental disabilities, 175-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.irrdd.2017.05.001
• Gurbuz, E., Riby, D. M., South, M., & Hanley, M. (2024). Associations between autistic traits, depression, social anxiety and social rejection in autistic and non-autistic adults. Scientific Reports, 14(1), Article 9065. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-59532-3
• 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
• Sideropoulos, V., Dukes, D., Hanley, M., Palikara, O., Rhodes, S., Riby, D., Samson, A., & Van Herwegen, J. (2022). The Impact of COVID-19 on Anxiety and Worries for Families of Individuals with Special Education Needs and Disabilities in the UK. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(6), 2656-2669. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05168-5
• 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
• 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
• Hanley, M., Riby, D., Derges, M., Douligeri, A., Philyaw, Z., Ikeda, T., Monden, Y., Shimoizumi, H., Yamagata, 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
• 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
• Remington, A., Hanley, M., O’Brien, S., Riby, D., & Swettenham, J. (2019). Implications of capacity in the classroom: Simplifying tasks for autistic children may not be the answer. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 85, 197-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2018.12.006
• Gurbuz, E., Hanley, M., & Riby, D. (2019). University Students with Autism: The Social and Academic Experiences of University in the UK. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(2), 617-631. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3741-4
• Ng-Cordell, E., Hanley, M., Alyssa, K., & Riby, D. M. (2018). Anxiety in Williams Syndrome: The role of social behaviour, executive functions and change over time. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 796-808. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3357-0
• Hanley, M., Khairat, M., Taylor, K., Wilson, R., Cole-Fletcher, R., & Riby, D. M. (2017). Classroom displays - Attraction or Distraction? Evidence of impact on attention and learning from children with and without autism. Developmental Psychology, 53(7), 1265-1275. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000271
• Lough, E., Hanley, M., Rodgers, J., South, M., Kirk, H., Kennedy, D., & Riby, D. (2015). Violations of Personal Space in Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Williams Syndrome: Insights from the Social Responsiveness Scale. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(12), 4101-4108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2536-0
• Hanley, M., Riby, D., Carty, C., Melaugh McAteer, A., Kennedy, A., & McPhillips, M. (2015). The use of eye-tracking to explore social difficulties in cognitively able students with autism spectrum disorder: A pilot investigation. Autism, 19(7), 868-873. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361315580767
• McPhillips, M., Finlay, J., Bejerot, S., & Hanley, M. (2014). Motor deficits in children with autism spectrum disorder: a cross-syndrome study. Autism Research, 7(6), 664-676. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1408
• Hanley, M., Riby, D., McCormack, T., Carty, C., Coyle, L., Crozier, N., Robinson, J., & McPhillips, M. (2014). Attention during social interaction in children with autism: Comparison to specific language impairment, typical development, and links to social cognition. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 8(7), 908-924. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2014.03.020
• Riby, D., Kirk, H., Hanley, M., & Riby, L. (2014). Stranger Danger Awareness in Williams Syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 58(6), 572-582. https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12055
• Riby, D., Hanley, M., Kirk, H., Clark, F., Little, K., Fleck, R., Janes, E., Kelso, L., O’Kane, F., Cole-Fletcher, R., Allday, M., Hocking, D., Cornish, K., & Rodgers, J. (2014). The Interplay Between Anxiety and Social Functioning in Williams Syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(5), 1220-1229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1984-7
• Hanley, M., Riby, D., Caswell, S., Rooney, S., & Back, E. (2013). Looking and Thinking: How individuals with Williams syndrome make judgements about mental states. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 34(12), 4466-4476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2013.09.026
• Hanley, M., McPhillips, M., Mulhern, G., & Riby, D. (2013). Spontaneous attention to faces in Asperger Syndrome using ecologically valid static stimuli. Autism, 17(6), 754-761. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361312456746
• Riby, D., Hancock, P., Jones, N., & Hanley, M. (2013). Spontaneous and cued gaze-following in autism and Williams syndrome. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 5(1), Article 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/1866-1955-5-13
• Riby, D., Brown, P., Jones, N., & Hanley, M. (2012). Faces cause less distraction in Autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(4), 634-639. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1266-1
• McCormack, T., & Hanley, M. (2011). Children’s reasoning about the temporal order of past and future events. Cognitive Development, 26(4), 299-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2011.10.001