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I am an assistant professor in the Psychology department at Wilfrid Laurier University. I received an Honours BSc from Laurier in 2010 and a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Laurier in 2015. I completed postdoctoral training in the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Lab at Simon Fraser University, as well as the Brain and Mind Institute at Western University.
In 2022, I returned to Laurier as an assistant professor. I have received research support from the Ontario Government, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF).
My research combines behavioural and electrophysiological techniques to investigate sensory processing in both typically and atypically developing people. Our senses are constantly bombarded with information as we navigate our daily environments. How we process this sensory information influences our ability to learn, move, and communicate, among other things. My research aims to further our understanding of the factors that influence sensory processing heterogeneity. I am particularly interested in how the abnormal processing of sensory information may have downstream effects on the development of higher cognitive processes such as speech communication and language, motor control, social competence, and emotion regulation. A major goal of my research is to bridge theory and application. By increasing our understanding of how sensory processing changes across the lifespan in healthy children and adults and comparing this typical development to that of children and adults with developmental disabilities, my research will help to identify targets for intervention when developing speech, language, motor, social, and emotional processing interventions and treatments.
Along with my sensory research I have been working to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion through community engagement and support. This has led me to develop projects that (1) examine the language preferences of autistic and non-autistic people (person-first “person with autism” vs. identity-first “autistic person”) and how these preferences relate to self-identity, internalized stigma, mental health, and camouflaging; (2) explore autism stigma by looking at cognitive biases; (3) examine the pathways and barriers to an autism diagnosis.
- 2021 and 2022 Post-Doctoral Three Minute Research (3MR) Competition Winner
- 2016 Canadian Psychological Association Certificate of Academic Excellence
- 2016 Governor General’s Academic Medal
- 2016 Wilfrid Laurier University Gold Medal of Academic Excellence
- 2015 Wilfrid Laurier University Graduate Teaching Assistant Award of Excellence
Volunteer and research assistantships are available for highly motivated undergraduate and graduate students. Contact me for more information.
The Department of Psychology at Laurier has both a MSc and a PhD program in Cognitive Neuroscience, and accepts new graduate students each year.
- Mylett, M.L., Boucher, T.Q., Scheerer, N.E., & Iarocci, G. (Under Review). Examining the Relations Between Social Competence, Autistic Traits, Anxiety and Depression in Autistic and Non-Autistic Children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. JADD-D-22-01028.
- Scheerer, N.E., Pourtousi, A., Yang, C., Ding, Z., Stojanoski, B., Anagnostou, E., Nicolson, R., Kelley, E., Georgiades, S., Crosbie, J., Schachar, R., Ayab, M., Stevenson, R.A. (Under Review). Transdiagnostic Patterns of Sensory Processing in Autism and ADHD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. http://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/pqdkx
- Aime, H., Scheerer, N.E., Boucher, T., & Iarocci, G. (Under Review). Camouflaging and social competence predict internalizing problems in non-autistic young adults. Plos one. http://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/s93c4
- Coughler, C., Oram Cardy, J., Purcell, D.W., & Scheerer, N.E. (Stage 1 Acceptance). Exploring the Development of Responses to Altered Auditory Feedback in Typically Developing Children. Infant and Child Development.
- Scheerer, N. E., Boucher, T. Q., Bahmei, B., Iarocci, G., Arzanpour, S., & Birmingham, E. (2022). Family experiences of decreased sound tolerance in ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(9), 4007-4021.
- McIntyre, C. L., Boucher, T. Q., Scheerer, N. E., Gurm, M., & Iarocci, G. (2022). Brief Report: Alexithymia Trait Severity, Not Autistic Trait Severity, Relates to Caregiver Reactions to Autistic Children’s Negative Emotions. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1-7.
- Scheerer, N. E., Boucher, T. Q., Sasson, N. J., & Iarocci, G. (2022). Effects of an Educational Presentation About Autism on High School Students' Perceptions of Autistic Adults. Autism in Adulthood.
- Scheerer, N. E., Curcin, K., Stojanoski, B., Anagnostou, E., Nicolson, R., Kelley, E., ... & Stevenson, R. A. (2021). Exploring sensory phenotypes in autism spectrum disorder. Molecular Autism, 12(1), 1-16.
- Scheerer, N. E., Aime, H., Boucher, T., & Iarocci, G. (2020). The association between self-reported camouflaging of autistic traits and social competence in nonautistic young adults. Autism in Adulthood, 2(4), 298-306.
- Scheerer, N. E., Jones, J. A., & Iarocci, G. (2020). Exploring the relationship between prosodic control and social competence in children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research, 13(11), 1880-1892.
- PS260: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
- PS262: Introduction to Perception
- PS365: Introduction to Neuropsychology
- CTV News London (2021): New study clarifies sensory processing in kids with autism
- News Today (2021): Sensory grouping possible key to helping kids with autism learn
Contact Info:
Office location: N2074F Science Building
Office hours: Monday, 4 to 5 p.m. or by appointment.