Steffie van der Steen

Dr. Steffie van der Steen is an Associate Professor at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences within the Department of Special Needs Education, Learning and Development. Her work focuses on child development, particularly in children with developmental disabilities. She holds a Master’s from Harvard University and a PhD from the University of Groningen, where her research emphasized micro-developmental methods like time-serial analysis and cross-recurrence quantification.

Her research explores animal-assisted therapy mechanisms, child-animal interactions, and the psychosocial needs of foster care youth. Notably, her Veni grant-funded project investigates dog-assisted therapy for children with Down Syndrome and Autism, analyzing movement synchronization. She supervises multiple PhD candidates and collaborates with institutions like Hanze Applied University and the Open University's Anthrozoology Department.

Teaching responsibilities include special education, research methodologies, and ethics. Her awards include the 2018 NWO Veni Grant. Research highlights include studies on teacher-student interactions in autism, soccer talent development dynamics, and the efficacy of equine-assisted interventions.