Karl Lundin Remnélius

Karl Lundin Remnélius

Postdoctoral Researcher
Visiting address: Gävlegatan 22B, plan 8, 11330 Stockholm
Postal address: K6 Kvinnors och barns hälsa, K6 Neuropsykiatri Bölte, 171 77 Stockholm

About me

  • I am a licensed psychologist and currently work as a postdoc at the Center of
    Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), and a researcher at Uppsala Universitet.

    My main  research interests are sex/gender differences in autism and autism
    manifestation in girls/women. Research shows that girls with autism are
    diagnosed later in life compared to boys, which means that support,
    adaptations and tolerance from the environment are also delayed. Recently
    published studies also suggest that delayed diagnosis can increase the risk
    of mental health problems. In addition, we know that the risk of suicidal
    behaviors is elevated among autistic people, and this risk appear to be
    particularly increased in autistic women.
    These research findings indicate the need for more knowledge regarding how
    autism and the experience of being autistic may differ for girls/women and
    boys/men, and whether risk factors for mental illness and other negative
    outcomes are different for autistic women and men.
    My PhD project includes several studies: in a qualitative study, we have
    explored professionals' perspectives on and experiences of gender differences
    in autism. The study is published in the journal Autism and can be
    found here. In another study, we investigate the relationship between
    autism and eating problems (such as selective eating, sensory sensitivity and
    inflexible routines at meals), and whether this relationship looks different
    for girls/women and boys/men. This study is part of the twin project entitled
    the Roots of Autism and ADHD Twin Study in Sweden (RATSS), was published
    in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and can be read here.

    Camouflaging
    Another research interest of mine is camouflaging, that is, strategies to
    mask or compensate for autistic traits in social situations. In a recently
    published study, we translated the self-assessment Camouflaging Autistic
    Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q) into Swedish and evaluated it in Swedish
    settings with the help of a sample of autistic and non-autistic participants.
    The study is published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
    and can be read here. We followed-up the findings in a co-twin control study which can be read here.

    We are currently investigating how camouflaging is linked to psychological and physiological stress. 

    The Swedish version of the CAT-Q can be found here: https://ki.se/kind/skattningar-och-bedomningsinstrument

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Swedish Research Council
    1 December 2025 - 31 December 2029
    Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social challenges. In Region Stockholm 4 to 5.8% of youth are diagnosed with autism. Reports highlight limited accessibility and quality of clinical services and care for autistic youth. Access to care is particularly problematic in remote areas and for those who refuse to leave home. We have previously developed and evaluated KONTAKT and SKOLKONTAKT, social skills group interventions for autism in clinical and educational contexts, well-received by service providers and users, showing robust moderate to higheffectiveness for improving social skills, quality of life, and educational participation. Building on our previous systematic research, this project evaluates the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of iKONTAKT, an online multimodal social skills group training for autistic youth, which combines self-guided elements, remote group meetings, and caregiver support. A 16-week mixed-methods open pilot study is conducted, recruiting 40 autistic youth and 40 of their caregivers from four Swedish Regions. Participation rates across the different elements of iKONTAKT, engagement, satisfaction, and side effects are assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. Measures of social skills, motivation, personal growth, social goal attainment, and life quality are collected pre- and post-intervention. We believe that iKONTAKT, the first digital training of its kind, has the potential to fill service gaps cost-effectively.

Employments

  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2027
  • Researcher, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, 2025-2026
  • PTP psychologist / licensed psychologist, Stockholms läns landsting, 2017-2018

Degrees and Education

  • Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2023

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