Professor Caroline Richards PhD, ClinPsyD

Professor Caroline Richards

School of Psychology
Professor of Neurodevelopmental Conditions
Deputy Head of Education

Contact details

Address
School of Psychology
缅北轮奸
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

The aim of Professor Richards’ research is to reduce negative clinical outcomes for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. Her work with children with autism and children with rare genetic syndromes has thus far focused on reducing self-injury, improving sleep disorders and understanding the impact of premature birth. Her research uses experimental, epidemiological, single case and meta-analytic techniques to delineate risk markers, improve precision in models of mechanism and develop novel, proactive interventions.

Professor Richards collaborates with colleagues at the .

Website:  

Qualifications

  • BSc (Hons) Psychology, 2007, 缅北轮奸
  • PhD Psychology, 2012, 缅北轮奸
  • ClinPsyD, 2015, 缅北轮奸

Biography

Professor Richards completed her BSc in Psychology at the 缅北轮奸 in 2007 and completed her PhD in 2012, supervised by Professor Chris Oliver. Her PhD was in self-injurious behaviour in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder and combined large epidemiological surveys of risk markers, with single case experimental designs using fine grained behavioural observations. In 2010, alongside the completion of her PhD, Professor Richards undertook training as a Clinical Psychologist at the 缅北轮奸. She completed this training in 2015, which included specialist placements conducting assessments of children ‘at risk’ of autism and a seminal meta-analytic study of autism characteristics in rare genetic syndromes.

In 2015 she began her post-doctoral fellowship at the Cerebra Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, leading work assessing sleep problems in children with rare genetic syndromes. In June 2017 she was appointed as Lecturer in Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the 缅北轮奸 and promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2020.

Teaching

Professor Richards is Module Lead for ‘Atypical development and early intervention’.

Postgraduate supervision

  • Georgie Agar, PhD candidate – 缅北轮奸
  • Lucy Licence, PhD candidate – 缅北轮奸
  • Catherine Laverty, PhD candidate – 缅北轮奸
  • Andrea Thomas, PhD candidate – 缅北轮奸
  • Alice Winsor, PhD candidate – 缅北轮奸 (co-supervisor)
  • Connor Keating, PhD candidate – 缅北轮奸 (co-supervisor)
  • Kaysha Lucas, ClinPsyD candidate – 缅北轮奸
  • Natalie Hallett, ClinPsyD candidate – 缅北轮奸
  • Elizabeth Hawkins, ClinPsyD candidate – 缅北轮奸

Professor Richards welcomes applications from talented and enthusiastic students who are interested in the study of neurodevelopmental disorders. For informal enquiries about potential projects please email c.r.richards@bham.ac.uk.

Research

Scopus Author ID, 7201655991,

Research interests

Self-injury/Self-harm
Identifying risk markers for self-injury in neurodevelopmental groups to understanding mechanisms underpinning aetiology and maintenance. This includes work on physical health and pain, and impulsivity. Developing and delivering robust, preventative early interventions to reduce self-injury and other behaviour disorders. Contrasting development of self-harm in children with neurodevelopmental disorders and self-harm in typically developing children and adolescents. 

Sleep Disorders
Using direct (actigraphy) and informant report measures to delineate sleep difficulties in autism and rare genetic syndromes (e.g., Angelman syndrome, Smith-Magenis syndrome, Tuberous Sclerosis Complex). 

Social Development and Autism in ‘At Risk’ Populations
Understanding social cognition and social functioning in individuals with rare genetic syndromes (e.g., Phelan-McDermid syndrome) and in children born prematurely.

Other activities

Professor Richards is Associate Editor for Research in Developmental Disabilities and Secretary for the Autism Spectrum Disorder Special Interest Research Group, International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Publications

Highlight publications

Richards, C, Jones, C, Groves, L, Moss, J & Oliver, C 2015, '', The Lancet Psychiatry, vol. 2, no. 10, pp. 909鈥916.

Richards, C, Oliver, C, Nelson, L & Moss, J 2012, '', Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 476鈥489.

Oliver, C & Richards, C 2015, '', Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, vol. 56, no. 10, pp. 1042-1054.

Agar, G, Brown, C, Sutherland, D, Coulborn, S, Oliver, C & Richards, C 2021, '', Molecular Autism, vol. 12, no. 1, 18.

Agar, G, Oliver, C & Richards, C 2022, '', Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

Recent publications

Article

Newell, V, Richards, C & Cassidy, S 2025, '', Autism.

Gillespie鈥怱mith, K, Goodall, K, McConachie, D, Van Herwegen, J, Crawford, H, Ballantyne, C, Richards, C, Gallagher鈥怣itchell, T, Moss, J, Khawam, G, Outhwaite, L, Marriott, E, Steindorsdottir, F & Christie, H 2024, '', JCPP Advances.

Steindorsdottir, F, Goodall, K, Christie, H, McConachie, D, Van Herwegen, J, Ballantyne, C, Richards, C, Crawford, H, Outhwaite, L, Gallagher-Mitchell, T, Moss, J, Khawam, G & Gillespie-Smith, K 2024, '', International Journal of Developmental Disabilities.

O鈥橲ullivan, R, Bissell, S, Agar, G, Spiller, J, Surtees, A, Heald, M, Clarkson, E, Khan, A, Oliver, C, Bagshaw, AP & Richards, C 2024, '', Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, vol. 16, no. 1, 18.

Laverty, C, Surtees, A, Sutherland, D & Richards, C 2024, '', BMJ open, vol. 14, no. 7, e076057.

Winsor, AA, Richards, C, Seri, S, Liew, A & Bagshaw, AP 2024, '', Epilepsy & Behavior, vol. 158, 109941.

Junges, L, Galvis, D, Winsor, A, Treadwell, G, Richards, C, Seri, S, Johnson, S, Terry, JR & Bagshaw, AP 2024, '', PLOS One, vol. 19, no. 8, e0309243.

Shelley, L, Waite, J, Tarver, J, Oliver, C, Crawford, H, Richards, C & Bissell, S 2023, '', Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

O'Sullivan, R, Bissell, S, Hamilton, A, Bagshaw, A & Richards, C 2023, '', Sleep Medicine Reviews, vol. 71, 101814.

Martin, JA, Robertson, K, Richards, C, Scerif, G, Baker, K & Tye, C 2023, '', BMC psychology, vol. 11, no. 1, 179.

Comment/debate

Richards, C 2025, '', Psychologist, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 20-22. <>

Review article

Newell, V, Townsend, E, Richards, C & Cassidy, S 2024, '', Clinical Psychology Review, vol. 109, 102412.

Shelley, L, Jones, C, Pearson, E, Richards, C, Crawford, H, Paricos, A, Greenhill, C, Woodhead, A, Tarver, J & Waite, J 2024, '', Clinical Psychology Review, vol. 110, 102434.

Marlow, K, Agar, G, Jones, C, Devine, RT & Richards, C 2024, '', Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Newell, V, Phillips, L, Jones, C, Townsend, E, Richards, C & Cassidy, S 2023, '', Molecular Autism, vol. 14, no. 1, 12.