Emma is a child and adolescent psychiatrist, pursuing research in the area of autism and Asperger's syndrome. Her particular interests are in auditory perception in autism and Asperger's syndrome, studies of stress and psychiatric problems in thefamilies of autistic children, and the genetics of autism.
Children and adults with autistic spectrum disorders often have prominent problems hearing sounds, particularly speech, when there is background noise and are also often hypersensitive to sounds (hyperacusis). Emma is currently performing a number of psychophysical studies that investigate causes of these difficulties, and hopes to be able to make suggestions as to what might help, particularly in the classroom. Emma is planning a program of research systematically to investigate the mechanisms of these auditory difficulties at different levels in the auditory system.