My general research interests are in the typical and atypical development of language, literacy and communication. I have specific interests in disorders of language and cognition, and have focused on diagnostic issues, understanding of co-morbidity across developmental disorders, and in developing methods of assessing language processing in real time, using eye-movement technology. A question that fascinates me is why language ability is so variable within the autistic spectrum; my work has challenged long-standing assumptions about the causal origins of language impairment in autism, and the similarities of language profile across developmental disorders. I also aim to highlight the implications of language impairment for cognitive theories of atypical development and for the social and educational outcomes for individuals with developmental disorder.