Staff profile

Career

I joined the Department of Psychology at Durham University in 2013 having previously been a member of academic staff in the School of Psychology at Newcastle University and having completed my PhD at Stirling University (2008).

2013-2016 I was course director for the MSc Developmental Psychopathology, MA Research Methods (Dev Psy), and co-director for the MSc Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.

2016-2018 I was Director of Research for the Department of Psychology. 

2018-2023 Director of the NINE DTP - the North East of England and Northern Ireland doctoral training partnership for the social sciences (ESRC funded) - visit www.ninedtp.ac.uk for further information.

From 2023 I am Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Postgraduate Research Students at Durham University. 

Research Interests

I am a Professor of Developmental Psychology and Co-Director of the Centre for Neurodiversity & Development interested in neurotypical development, neurodevelopmental conditions, and neurodiversity. Please visit: Centre for Neurodiversity and Development - Durham University

My research predominantly focuses on Williams syndrome (WS) and Autism. I have used a variety of research approaches to understand areas of relative proficiency or challenge (exploring syndrome-specific signatures, cross-syndrome overlaps, and neurodiversity). 

Please view my publication list for an indication of my research areas and interests.

• Developmental Science

Chapter in book

• Riby, D M (2011). Face Processing and Social Interactions. In Developmental Disabilities across the Lifespan. Farran, E. & Karmiloff-Smith, A. Oxford University Press.
• Riby, D M, Bruce, V & Jawaid, A (2011). Everyone’s friend? The case of Williams syndrome. In Pathological Altruism. Oakley, B., Knafo, A., Madhavan, G. & Wilson, D. S. Ocford University Press.
• Riby, D M & Porter, M (2010). Williams syndrome. In ). Developmental Disorders & Interventions: Advances in Child Development and Behavior. Holmes, J. Academic Press.
• Brock, J, Einav, S & Riby, D M (2008). The other end of the spectrum? Social cognition in Williams syndrome. In Social cognition: Development, Neuroscience and Autism. Reid, V. & Striano, T Blackwell.

Edited book

• van Herwegen, J & Riby, D M (2014). Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Research Challenges and Solutions. Research Methods in Developmental Psychology: A Handbook Series. Psychology Press.

Journal Article

• Kleberg, J. L. Willfors, C., Björlin Avdic, H., Riby, D. M. Galazka, M. A. Guath, M. Nordgren, N. & Strannegård, C. (2023). Social feedback enhances learning in Williams syndrome. Scientific Reports 13: 164.
• Gillooly, A. Riby, D. M. Durkin, K. & Rhodes, S. M. (2022). Friendships in children with Williams syndrome: Parent and child perspectives. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
• Ridley, E., Arnott, B., Riby, D. M., Burt, M. D., Hanley, M. & Leekam, S. R. (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.
• Kleberg, Johan Lundin, Riby, Deborah, Fawcett, Christine, Bjorlin Avdic, Hanna, Frick, Matilda A., Brocki, Karin C., Hogstrom, Jens, Serlachius, Eva, Nordgren, Ann & Willfors, Charlotte (2022). Williams syndrome: reduced orienting to other’s eyes in a hypersocial phenotype. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 1-12.
• Stanford, C.E., Hastings, R.P., Riby, D.M., Archer, H.J., Page, S.E. & Cebula, K. (2022). Psychological Distress and Positive Gain in Mothers of Children with Autism, With or Without Other Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities 68(4): 479-484.
• Willfors, C., Riby, D. M., Van Der Poll, M., Ekholm, K., Avdic Björlin, H., Kleberg, J. L. & Nordgren, A. (2021). Williams syndrome: On the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases 16: 472.
• Greer, Joanna M. H., Riby, Deborah M., McMullon, Mhairi E. G., Hamilton, Colin & Riby, Leigh M. (2021). An EEG investigation of alpha and beta activity during resting states in adults with Williams syndrome. BMC Psychology 9(1): 72.
• Grahame, V., Dixon, L., Fletcher-Watson, S., Garland, D., Glod, M., Goodwin, J., Grayson, Z. Heron, S., Honey, E., Iversen, R., Kasim, A. S., Kernohan, A., Kharatikoopaei, E., Le Couteur, A., Mackie, L., Mathias, A., Probert, H., Riby, D. M., Rob, P., Rogan, L., Thompson, S., Vale, L., Walls, E., Webb, E. I., Weetman, E., Wolstenhulme, F., Wood, R. & Rodgers, J. (2021). A clinical and cost effectiveness trial of a parent group intervention to manage challenging restricted and repetitive behaviours in young children with autism spectrum disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 22: 240.
• South, M., Hanley, M., Normansell-Mossa, K., Russell, N. C. C., Cawthorne, T. & Riby, D. M. (2021). ‘Intolerance of Uncertainty’ mediates the relationship between social profile and anxiety in both Williams Syndrome and autism. Autism Research 14(9): 1986-1995.
• Gillooly, A. E., Riby, D. M., Durkin, K. & Rhodes, S. M. (2021). Peer Relationships in Children with Williams Syndrome: Parent and Teacher Insights. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 51(1): 196-178.
• McDougal, E., Riby, D. M. & Hanley, E. (2020). Teacher insights into the barriers and facilitators of learning in autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 79: 101674.
• McDougal, E. Riby, D. M. & Hanley, M. (2020). Profiles of academic achievement and attention in children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research in Developmental Disabilities (Special edition) 106: 103749.
• Heaton, P., Ridley, E., Makhmood, S. & Riby, D.M. (2020). Hearing the feeling: Auditory emotion perception in Williams Syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities 103: 103660.
• Glod, M., Riby, D. M. & Rodgers, J. (2020). Sensory Processing Profiles and Autistic Symptoms as Predictive Factors in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Williams Syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 64(8): 657-665.
• Ridley, E., Riby, D. M. & Leekam, S. (2020). A cross-syndrome approach to the social phenotype of neurodevelopmental disorders: Focusing on social vulnerability and social interaction style. Research in Developmental Disabilities 100: 103604.
• Hanley, M., Riby, D. M., Derges, MJ., 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): e12942.
• Jones, E.K., Hanley, M. & Riby, D.M. (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: 101515.
• Cebula, K., Gillooly, A., Coulthard, L. K., Riby, D. M. & Hastings, R. P. (2019). Siblings of children with Williams syndrome: Correlates of psychosocial adjustment and sibling relationship quality. Research in Developmental Disabilities 94: 103496.
• Glod, M., Riby, D. M. & Rodgers, J. (2019). Sensory Processing in Williams Syndrome: A Narrative Review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 7: 32-45.
• Glod, Magdalena, Riby, Deborah M. & Rodgers, Jacqui (2019). Short Report: Relationships between Sensory Processing, Repetitive Behaviours, Anxiety, and Intolerance of Uncertainty in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Williams Syndrome. Autism Research 12(5): 759-765.
• Remington, A., Hanley, M., O’Brien, S., Riby, D. M. & 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.
• Gurbuz, E., Hanley, M. & Riby, D M. (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.
• Ng-Cordell, Elise, Hanley, Mary, Alyssa, Kelly & Riby, Deborah 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.
• Crawford, H., Moss, J., Oliver, C. & Riby, D.M. (2017). Differential effects of anxiety and autism on social scene scanning in males with fragile X syndrome. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders 9(1): 9.
• Riby, D. M., Ridley, E., Lough, E. & Hanley, M. (2017). Social vulnerability in Williams syndrome: A tendency to approach strangers. International Review of Research on Developmental Disabilities 52: 175-199.
• Hanley, Mary, Khairat, Mariam, Taylor, Korey, Wilson, Rachel, Cole-Fletcher, Rachel & Riby, Deborah 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.
• Greer, J.M.H., Hamilton, C., McMullon, M. E. G., Riby, D. M. & Riby, L. M. (2017). An Event Related Potential Study of Inhibitory and Attentional Control in Williams Syndrome Adults. Plos One 12(2): e0170180.
• Glod, M., Riby, D. M., Honey, E. & Rodgers, J. (2017). Sensory Atypicalities in Dyads of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Their Parents. Autism Research 10(3): 531-538.
• Fletcher, F. E., Foster-Owens, M., Conduit, R., Rinehart, N. J., Riby, D. M. & Cornish, K. M. (2017). The developmental trajectory of parent-report and objective sleep profiles in autism spectrum disorder: Associations with anxiety and bedtime routines. Autism 21(4): 493-503.
• Kirk, Hannah E., Gray, Kylie, Riby, Deborah M., Taffe, John & Cornish, Kim M. (2017). Visual attention and academic performance in children with developmental disabilities and behavioural attention deficits. Developmental Science 20(6): e12468.
• Watts, S. J., Rodgers, J. & Riby, D. M. (2016). A systematic review of the evidence for hyporesponsivity in ASD. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 3(4): 285-301.
• Lough, E., Flynn, E. & Riby, D. M. (2016). Personal space regulation in Williams syndrome: The effect of familiarity. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 46(10): 3207-3215.
• Lough, E., Rodgers, J., Janes, E., Little, K. & Riby, D. M. (2016). Parent insights into atypicalities of social approach behaviour in Williams syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 60(11): 1097-1108.
• Lough, E., Hanley, M., Rodgers, J., South, M., Kirk, H., Kennedy, D. & Riby, D. M. (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.
• Hanley, M., Riby, D.M., 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.
• Glod, M., Riby, D. M., Honey, E. & Rodgers, J. (2015). Psychological Correlates of Sensory Processing Patterns in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 2(2): 199-221.
• Kirk, H., Gray, K., Riby D. M. & Cornish, K. M. (2015). Cognitive training as a resolution for early executive function difficulties in children with intellectual disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities 38: 145-160.
• Lough, E., Flynn, E. & Riby, D. M. (2015). Mapping real-world to online vulnerability in young people with developmental disorders: Illustrations from autism and Williams syndrome. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 2(1): 1-7.
• Gillespie-Smith, K., Doherty-Sneddon, G., Hancock, P. J. B. & Riby, D. M. (2014). That looks familiar: attention allocation to familiar and unfamiliar faces in children with autism spectrum disorder. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry 19(6): 554-569.
• Hanley, M., Riby, D. M., 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.
• Greer, J., Hamilton, C., Riby, D. M. & Riby, L. M. (2014). Deeper processing is beneficial during episodic memory encoding for adults with Williams syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities 35(7): 1720-1726.
• Janes, E., Riby, D. M. & Rodgers, J. (2014). Exploring the prevalence and phenomenology of repetitive behaviours and abnormal sensory processing in children with Williams Syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 58(8): 746-757.
• Riby, D.M., Kirk, H., Hanley, M. & Riby, L.M. (2014). Stranger Danger Awareness in Williams Syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 58(6): 572-582.
• Riby, D. M., Hanley, M., Kirk, H., Clark, F., Little, K., Fleck, R., Janes, E., Kelso, L., O’Kane, F., Cole-Fletcher, R., Allday, M. H., 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.
• Riby, D M, Hancock, P J B, Jones, N & Hanley, M (2013). Spontaneous and cued gaze-following in autism and Williams syndrome. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders 5(1): 13.
• Greer, J., Riby, D. M., Hamiliton, C. & Riby, L. M. (2013). Attentional Lapse and Inhibition Control in Adults with Williams Syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities 34(11): 4170-4177.
• Slessor, G., Riby, D. M. & Finnerty, A. N. (2013). Age-related Differences in Processing Face Configuration: The Importance of the Eye Region. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 68(2): 228-231.
• Gillespie-Smith, K., Riby, D.M., Hancock, P.J.B. & Doherty-Sneddon, G. (2013). Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) attend typically to faces and objects presented within their picture communication systems. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 58(5): 459-470.
• Kirk, H, Gilmour, A, Riby, D M & Dudley, R (2013). Paranoid Ideation and Assessments of Trust. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology 4(4): 360-367.
• Little, K., Riby, D. M., Janes, E., Fleck, R., Clark, F. & Rodgers, J. (2013). Heterogeneity of social approach behaviour in Williams syndrome: The role of response inhibition. Research in Developmental Disabilities 34(3): 959-967.
• Hanley, M., Riby, D. M., 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.
• Riby, D. M., Janes, E. & Rodgers, J. (2013). Brief report: Exploring the relationship between repetitive behaviours and sensory processing in Williams syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 43(2): 478-482.
• Kirk, H. E., Hocking, D. R., Riby, D. M. & Cornish, K. M. (2013). Linking social behaviour and anxiety to attention to emotional faces in Williams syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities 34(12): 4608-4616.
• Hanley, M., McPhillips, M., Mulhern, G. & Riby, D. M. (2013). Spontaneous attention to faces in Asperger Syndrome using ecologically valid static stimuli. Autism 17(6): 754-761.
• Doherty-Sneddon, G, Whittle, L & Riby, D M (2013). Gaze aversion during social style interactions in autism spectrum disorder and Williams syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities 34(1): 616-626.
• Riby, D M, Doherty-Sneddon, G & Whittle, L (2012). Face-to-Face Interference in Typical and Atypical Development. Developmental Science 15(2): 281-291.
• Rodgers, J, Riby, D M, Janes, E, Connolly, B & McConachie, H (2012). Anxiety and Repetitive Behaviours in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Williams syndrome: A Cross-syndrome Comparison. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 42(2): 175-180.
• Riby, D M, Brown, P H, Jones, N & Hanley, M (2012). Faces cause less distraction in Autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 42(4): 634-639.
• Riby, D M, Whittle, L & Doherty-Sneddon, G (2012). Physiological Reactivity to Faces via Live and Video Mediated Communication in Typical and Atypical Development. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology 34(4): 385-395.
• Doherty-Sneddon, G, Riby, D M & Whittle, L (2012). Gaze aversion as a cognitive load management strategy in autism spectrum disorder and Williams syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 53(4): 420-430.
• Jawaid, A, Riby, D M, Owens, J, White, S W, Tarar, T & Schulz, P. E (2012). ‘Too withdrawn’ or ‘too friendly’ considering social vulnerability in two neuro-developmental disorders. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 56(4): 335-350.
• Quinn, S, O’Hare, O & Riby, D M (2012). How comparable are children and adults in perceiving an optimal tempo for music? The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 131(5): 3595-3598.
• Rhodes, S, Riby, D M, Matthews, K & Coghill, D R (2011). ADHD and Williams syndrome: shared behavioural and neuropsychological profiles. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology 33(1): 147-156.
• Rhodes, S, Riby, D M, Fraser, E M & Campbell, L E (2011). The extent of working memory deficits associated with Williams syndrome: Exploration of verbal and spatial domains and executively controlled processes. Brain and Cognition 77(2): 208-214.
• Riby, D M, Jones, N, Brown, P H, Robinson, L, Langton, S R H, Bruce, V. & Riby, L. M (2011). Attention to faces in Williams syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 41(9): 1228-1239.
• Riby, D M, Doherty-Sneddon, G & Bruce, V (2011). Exploring face perception in disorders of development: Evidence from Williams syndrome and autism. Journal of Neuropsychology 2(1): 47-64.
• Jawaid, A, Riby, D M, Egridere, S, Schmolck, H, Kass, J S & Schulz, P. E (2010). Approachability in Williams Syndrome. Neuropsychologia 48(5): 1521-1523.
• Riby, D M (2010). Show me your eyes: Evidence from Williams syndrome. Visual Cognition 18(6): 801-815.
• Rhodes, S, Riby, D M, Park, J, Fraser, E & Campbell, L (2010). Neuropsychological functioning and executive control in WS. Neuropsychologia 48(5): 1216-1226.
• Riby, D M & Back, E (2010). Can individuals with Williams syndrome interpret mental states from moving faces? Neuropsychologia 48(7): 1914-1922.
• Riby, D M, Doherty-Sneddon, G & Bruce, V (2009). The eyes or the mouth? Feature salience and unfamiliar face processing in Williams syndrome and autism. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 62(1): 189-203.
• Riby, D M, Riby, L M & Reay, J (2009). Differential sensitivity to rotations of facial features in the Thatcher illusion. Psychological Reports 105(3): 721-726.
• Riby, D M & Hancock, P J B (2009). Looking at Movies and Cartoons: Eye-tracking evidence from Williams syndrome and Autism. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 53(2): 169-181.
• Riby, D M & Doherty, M J (2009). Tracking eye movements proves informative for the study of gaze direction detection in autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 3(3): 723-733.
• Doherty-Sneddon, G, Riby, D M, Calderwood, L & Ainsworth, L (2009). Stuck on you: face –to- face arousal and gaze aversion in Williams syndrome. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry 14(6): 510-523.
• Riby, D M & Hancock, P J B (2009). Do faces capture the attention of individuals with Williams syndrome or Autism? Evidence from tracking eye movements. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 39(3): 421-431.
• Riby, D M, Doherty-Sneddon, G & Bruce, V (2008). Atypical unfamiliar face processing in Williams syndrome: What can it tell us about typical familiarity effects? Cognitive Neuropsychiatry 13(1): 47-58.
• Riby, L M, McLaughlin, J & Riby, D M (2008). Lifestyle, glucose regulation and cognitive enhancing properties of glucose load in middle-aged adults. British Journal of Nutrition 100(05): 1128-1134.
• Riby, D M & Hancock, P J B (2008). Viewing it differently: Social scene perception in Williams syndrome and Autism. Neuropsychologia 46(11): 2855-2860.
• Brock, J, Jarrold, C, Farran, E K, Laws, G & Riby, D M (2007). Do children with Williams syndrome really have good vocabulary knowledge? Methods for comparing cognitive and linguistic abilities in developmental disorders. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics 21(9): 673-688.
• Langton, S R H, O'Donnell, C, Riby, D M & Ballantyne, C (2006). Gaze cues influence the allocation of attention in natural scene viewing. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 59(12): 2056-2064.
• Bayliss, D M, Jarrold, C, Baddeley, A D, Gunn, D M & Leigh, E (2005). Mapping the developmental constraints on working memory span performance. Developmental Psychology 41(4): 579-597.
• Laws, G & Gunn, D M (2004). ). Phonological memory as a predictor of language development in Down Syndrome: A five-year follow up study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 45(2): 326-337.
• Jarrold, C, Cowan, N, Hewes, A K & Riby, D M (2004). Speech timing and verbal short-term memory in Down syndrome and Williams syndrome: Evidence for comparable yet contrasting deficits. Journal of Memory and Language 51(3): 365-381.
• Gunn, D M & Jarrold, C (2004). Raven's matrices performance in Down Syndrome: Evidence of unusual errors. Research in Developmental Disabilities 25(5): 443-457.
• Bayliss, D, Jarrold, C, Gunn, D M & Baddeley, A D (2003). The complexities of complex span: Explaining individual differences in working memory in children and adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 132(1): 71-92.
• Bayliss, D M, Jarrold, C, Baddeley, A D & Gunn, D M (2003). The relationship between short-term memory and working memory: Complex span made simple? Memory 13(3-4): 414-421.
• Laws, G & Gunn, D M (2002). Relationships between reading, phonological skills and language development in individuals with Down syndrome: A five year follow-up study. Reading and Writing 15(5/6): 527-548.