Professor of Autism Research, and former CRAE Director (2017-2026)
Anna joined CRAE in 2013 and was our Director from 2017 through to 2026. She began working in the field of autism research in 2004 after receiving a BA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge.
She obtained a Masters in Human Communication Science and a Ph.D. in Developmental Science from University College London. Anna subsequently worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London and a Research Fellow at University College, Oxford before moving to CRAE.
Her findings have been published in the leading journals within the field, and she is regularly invited to present her research both nationally and internationally. In addition, Anna advises organisations regarding best practice for supporting autistic employees.
Research Summary: Her research looks at whether autistic people see, hear and feel things in a different way from others. In particular, she focuses on superior abilities in autism, specifically with respect to attention and perception within the condition, and how these might translate into practical benefits such as employment success.
Anna is committed to taking a participatory approach to research: working with autistic people, not on autistic people. She is also dedicated to ensuring that the findings of her research are translated into practical initiatives that can help improve the lives of autistic people. She has received a number of awards for her work, many that reflect this emphasis on research engagement and impact. These include an ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize for Outstanding Impact in Business and Enterprise (Finalist 2020) and a UCL Knowledge Exchange Champions Award (2016).
Current research and activities: Among others, Anna’s current research projects include, GCSE exam inequality for neurodivergent students, working with autistic people in the family justice system, investigating autistic people’s greater capacity to detect sound and ways to promote autistic employment.
Recent publications:
Journal articles
- Grace, K., Remington, A., & Crane, L. (2025). “Trapped in a No-Win Situation”: A Qualitative Exploration of Autistic Adults’ Experiences of Loneliness. Autism in Adulthood.
https://doi.org/10.1177/25739581251382389 - Masiero, B., Caldas-Correia, F., Underwood, S. H., Rosas-Pérez, C., Algargoosh, A., Bettarello, F., Caniato, M., Davies, W. J., Manley, D., Remington, A., Sivakumar, A., Wilson, W. J., Zaniboni, L., & Wang, L. M. (2025). Ten questions concerning autism and auditory accessibility in buildings. Building and Environment, 286, 113634–113634.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.113634 - Dexter, S., Remington, A., McAuley, R. J., Willans, A., Gross, J. B., Culmer, K., Littlebury, N., & Crane, L. (2025). Special school staff perspectives on how careers guidance is provided to their autistic young people. British Educational Research Journal, 51(4), 2036–2058.
https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.4169 - Ashworth, M., Heasman, B., Crane, L., & Remington, A. (2025). Tracking the long-term outcomes of a supported employment internship programme for autistic adults without a learning disability. Neurodiversity, 3.
https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330241311472 - Davies, J., Melinek, R., Livesey, A., Killick, E., Sam, E., Romualdez, A. M., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2024). ‘I did what I could to earn some money and be of use’: A qualitative exploration of autistic people’s journeys to career success and fulfilment. Autism, 29(4), 988–1004.
https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241292177 - Elise, F., Irvine, B., Brinkert, J., Hamilton, C., Farran, E. K., Milne, E., Scerif, G., & Remington, A. (2024). Perceptual Experiences of Autistic People With an Intellectual Disability and People With Williams Syndrome: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 38(1), e13326–e13326.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.13326 - Donald, S., Edwards, N., Remington, A., Henry, L. A., & Gaigg, S. (2024). Examining Language and Communication in Autistic People with Complex Support Needs – A Scoping Review of Procedural and Measurement Issues and Practice.
https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/s4wzp - Remington, A., White, H., Fairnie, J., Sideropoulos, V., Häll, L., & Johansson, P. (2024). Choice blindness in autistic and non-autistic people. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 36(4), 493–501.
https://doi.org/10.1080/20445911.2024.2356283 - Davies, J., Romualdez, A. M., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2024). Career progression for autistic people: A scoping review. Autism, 28(11), 2690–2706.
https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241236110 - Davies, J., Matthews, R., Romualdez, A. M., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2024). “Retirement Is One Hell of a Change”: Autistic People's Experiences of Retiring. Autism in Adulthood, 8(2), 162–174.
https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2023.0155 - Ashworth, M., Heasman, B., Crane, L., & Remington, A. (2024). Evaluating the impact of an online autism training on changing employers’ autism knowledge and commitment to inclusion in the workplace. Neurodiversity, 2.
https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330241249266 - Norris, J. E., Nicholson, J., Prosser, R., Farrell, J., Remington, A., Crane, L., Hull, L., & Maras, K. (2024). Perceptions of autistic and non-autistic adults in employment interviews: The role of impression management. Research in autism spectrum disorders, 112, 102333–102333.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2024.102333 - Kenny, L., Remington, A., & Pellicano, E. (2024). Everyday executive function issues from the perspectives of autistic adolescents and their parents: Theoretical and empirical implications. Autism, 28(9), 2204–2217.
https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231224093 - Buckley, E., Sideropoulos, V., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2024). Higher levels of neurodivergent traits associated with lower levels of self-efficacy and wellbeing for performing arts students. Neurodiversity, 2.
https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330241245354 - Irvine, B., Elise, F., Brinkert, J., Poole, D., Farran, E. K., Milne, E., Scerif, G., Crane, L., & Remington, A. (2024). ‘A storm of post-it notes’: Experiences of perceptual capacity in autism and ADHD. Neurodiversity, 2.
https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330241229004 - Grace, K., Remington, A., Davies, J., & Crane, L. (2023). Evaluating measures to assess loneliness in autistic adults. Autism, 28(8), 1959–1971.
https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231217056 - Ashworth, M., Heasman, B., Crane, L., & Remington, A. (2023). Evaluating a new supported employment internship programme for autistic young adults without intellectual disability. Autism, 28(8), 1934–1946.
https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231214834 - Norris, J. E., Prosser, R., Remington, A., Crane, L., & Maras, K. (2023). Disclosing an autism diagnosis improves ratings of candidate performance in employment interviews. Autism, 28(4), 1045–1050.
https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231203739