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Professor Rebecca Charlton

Staff details

Professor Rebecca Charlton

Position

Professor and co-Head of Department

Department

Psychology

Email

r.charlton (@gold.ac.uk)

Rebecca is a Professor in Psychology at Goldsmiths.

Prof Charlton's research focuses on changes in later-life and the factors that promote healthy ageing. Her research examines cognition, social-cognitionand mood in later-life. Her work also examines how ageing effects autistic and other neurodiverse people in terms of health, cognition and well-being. Rebecca works with charity partners to examine the factors that promote well-being in ageing and individuals with dementia. She leads the GoldAge Lab.

Academic qualifications

  • PhD in Psychology as it pertains to Medicine 2006

Teaching and supervision

Prof Charlton supervises projects examining cognitive and emotional changes in later life, and projects exploring the experiences of autistic adults.
Prof Charlton contributes to teaching undergraduate Biological Psychology and Developmental Psychology and postgraduate lectures on ageing and dementia.

Research interests

Rebecca’s research interests relate to factors that change in ageing and how understanding these factors can help promote healthy ageing. Her work investigates how cognition and social-cognition (especially understanding others) changes as we age; the risk factors for developing depression in later-life and the factors that may protect against depression; and how ageing impacts autistic adults. She is a member of the Cognition and Neuroscience Group and the Forensic and Clinical Science Group, as well as leading the GoldAge Lab www.goldagelab.co.uk/. Key areas of interest are listed below.

Ageing and age-related disorders Stroke and Vascular Dementia The effect of vascular damage in the brain on cognition and mood Associations between ill-health and cognition Late-life depression / Subclinical low mood in older adults Depression across the lifespan Neuroimaging Ageing in Autism Spectrum Disorder Using art and music to promote well-being in ageing and dementia

Featured publications

2021: "It feels like holding back something you need to say": Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults accounts of sensory experiences and stimming.
Qualitative study examining the relationship between sensory sensitivities and stimming for autistic and non-autistic adults.

2009: Theory of mind associations with other cognitive functions and brain imaging in normal aging.
The first paper to identify associaitons between white matter microstrucutre and social cognitive abilities.

2016: Demographic and Cognitive Profile of Individuals Seeking a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adulthood
Exploration of the cognitive profiles of people who do and do not receive a diagnosis of autism after referral to an adult diagnostic service

2006: White matter damage on diffusion tensor imaging correlates with age-related cognitive decline
One of the first papers to demonstrate a link between age-related decline in white matter microstrucutre and cogntiive abilities.

2010: Diffusion tensor imaging detects age related white matter change over a 2 year follow-up which is associated with working memory decline
The first longitudinal study of white matter changes with age and associated change in cognition.

Grants and awards

2020: Autism - Understanding Developmental trajectories, and Inequalities in diagnosis and Treatment in adults aged 50 and over (AUDIT-50).
Dunhill Medical Trust Research Grant

2021: Health and Social Care Needs of Older Autistic People
Autistica NIHR Development Awards

2023: Ensuring the Voices of Under-represented Groups (neurodivergent people and working class men) are Heard in Civic Society
Goldsmiths Civic Catalyst Grant

2023: CO-designing Autism Social worker Training (COAST Study)
This NIHR-funded project will co-design training for social workers by working with autistic older people, social workers and social care providers.

Publications and research outputs

Book Section

Geurts, Hilde M; Charlton, Rebecca A and Bishop, Lauren. 2021. Ageing when being Autistic. In: Michelle Putnam and Christine Bigby, eds. Handbook on Ageing with Disability. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 148-157. ISBN 9781138611498

Article

Nwaordu, Gabrielle and Charlton, Rebecca A. 2024. Repetitive behaviours in autistic and non-autistic adults: Associations with sensory sensitivity and impact on self-efficacy. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 54(11), pp. 4081-4090. ISSN 0162-3257

Torenvliet, C.; Groenman, A.P.; Van der Burg, E.; Charlton, Rebecca A; Hamilton, C.J. and Geurts, H.M.. 2024. Memory strategies in autistic and older adults. Autism Research, 17(10), pp. 2092-2104. ISSN 1939-3792

Charlton, Rebecca A; McQuaid, Goldie A and Wallace, Gregory L. 2024. Exploring the effects of age and sex on sensory sensitivities in middle and older aged autistic adults. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 117, 102460. ISSN 1750-9467

Professional projects

NIHR Funded Research Study
The COAST Study is an NIHR-funded project to co-design training for social workers so enable them to better work with autistic older people. We are working with autistic people (aged over 50), social workers, and social care providers to review existing training and design and evaluate new training resources.

Media engagements

2018: Understanding other gets worse with but is related to cognitive difficulties
Interview with BBC Radio London

2019: MRI technique predicts 5-year dementia risk in cerebral small vessel disease
Interview with Cardiology Today

2019: One image, one prediction: MRI may foretell cognitive decline after stroke
Interview with Physics World

2021: Interview about “It feels like holding back something you need to say”: Autistic & Non-Autistic Adults experiences of sensory experiences and stimming
Live streamed online interview with the London Autism Group

2022: Ageing and Autism
Live streamed online lecture for the Asperger London Area Group