Visiting lecturer
Visiting lecturer
Visiting lecturer
Info
Course
Term
Autumn 2025

Complex approaches to understanding typical and neurodivergent development

Hana d'Souza, Ph.D.  

Centre for Human Developmental Science, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, UK

 Annotation

Development is a complex process involving interactions between multiple domains across levels of description. In recent years, large consortia have been established to better understand both typical and neurodivergent development. The lecture will present data from a large-scale study of Down syndrome with a focus on individual differences in infants and toddlers. The following discussion will address the methodological limitations of traditional developmental paradigms that attempt to isolate single domains. Instead, it will emphasize the need to embrace development through complex interactions among processes (e.g., motor skills, attention allocation, and the actions of social partners) and within the contexts in which these processes unfold. This approach provides new insights into both typical and neurodivergent development and has the potential to fundamentally reconceptualize our understanding of neurodevelopmental conditions.
The course will be taught in English.


Learning outcomes

Upon completing the module, students will be able to: 
• explain the principles of a process-based approach to developmental psychology, 
• critically evaluate the limitations of traditional developmental paradigms and approaches, 
• describe key findings from current studies on Down syndrome in early childhood, 
• discuss the implications of this approach for understanding neurodivergent development, 
• apply the concept of complex interactions across developmental domains to their own research questions. 
 

Required reading

Students are expected to read D'Souza and D'Souza (2024) before the course to be able to meaningfully contribute to the discussion.

D’Souza, H., & D’Souza, D. (2024). Stop trying to carve nature at its joints! The importance of a process-based developmental science for understanding neurodiversity. In Y. Chen & J. J. Lockman (Eds.), Advances in Child Development and Behavior (Vol. 66, pp. 233–268). JAI. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acdb.2024.06.004 


Recommended reading

Karmiloff-Smith, A., Al-Janabi, T., D'souza, H., Groet, J., Massand, E., Mok, K., ... & Strydom, A. (2016). The importance of understanding individual differences in Down syndrome. F1000Research, 5, F1000-Faculty.
D’Souza, H., & D’Souza, D. (2022). The emerging phenotype in infants with Down syndrome: adaptations to atypical constraints. The Oxford handbook of Down syndrome and development, 153-196.


Course completion 

The course credit (2 ECTS) is awarded for (1) active participation in the lectures and discussion and (2) submission of an infographic.

(1) Two lecture blocks + discussion on Thursday, October 30, at 14:00 and 16:30 and one on Friday, October 31, from 9:30 to 12:00; both days in lecture room U34.

(2)  The infographic should address the question ‘How could this approach change our understanding of X,’ where X can represent any topic in developmental psychology chosen by the student. The infographic must be submitted through the university information system (IS). The course credit will be granted by Assoc. Prof. Lenka Lacinová. 

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