Our experts

Areas of expertise: 

• Neurodiversity 
• Autism  
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)   
• Intellectual Disability 
• Emotional wellbeing and behavioural difficulties 
• Adapting interventions for neurodiverse young people 
• Intersectionality and inequality 
• Sexual and gender diversity 

Biography 

Kirstie Stanworth (she/her) is a Specialist Clinical Psychologist in the Neuropsychiatry team as part of the Service for Complex Autism and Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorders (SCAAND).  

Kirstie has worked with neurotypical young people, autistic people and people with intellectual disabilities in a variety of community, residential and inpatient settings since 2012. Kirstie has also worked on several different research projects: one which explored how young people seek help for their mental health concerns; and another which investigated a theory of autistic cognition. Kirstie brings expertise from her own lived experience of neurodiversity and of using services. 

Kirstie aims to work together with young people, their families and their professional networks to provide compassionate, person-centred care which values their unique strengths and needs. Kirstie is committed to improving the wellbeing for young people and their families, listening to the voices of young people and their families and addressing the inequalities that people face in health, education and other settings.  

Education and Training 

• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Salomons Institute for Applied Psychology) - 2022 
• Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Practice in Psychological Wellbeing (University of Surrey) - 2018 
• MSc Foundations of Clinical Psychology and Mental Health (University of Sussex) - 2015 
• BSc (Hons) Psychology with Neuroscience (University of Sussex) - 2014 

Publications 

Maule, J., Stanworth, K., Pellicano, E., & Franklin, A. (2018). Color afterimages in autistic adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48, 1409-1421. 

Maule, J., Stanworth, K., Pellicano, E., & Franklin, A. (2017). Ensemble perception of color in autistic adults. Autism Research, 10(5), 839-851.