Meet Herbert Roeyers: Laureate of the 2026 Takto Lifetime Achievement Award

We are delighted to introduce you to the winner of the tenth Takto Lifetime Achievement Award (formerly the Passwerk Lifetime Achievement Award).

Herbert Roeyers is a professor of clinical psychology at Ghent University, where he leads the Developmental Diversity research group. He is also closely affiliated with the Centre for Developmental Disorders and the Reference Centre for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Ghent. In addition, he serves as co-promoter of the Academic Collaborative Centre for Autism.

Herbert can look back on a long and multifaceted academic career. In 1989, during his civic service, he had to write a PhD grant application for what was then the National Fund for Scientific Research. Several research topics were possible, but he consciously chose the least obvious path: he responded to a clear call from the field for more academic attention to autism in Flanders. At the time, he could not have guessed how defining that choice would be for his life and career.

Once his grant was approved, he wanted to immerse himself as thoroughly as possible in the lived experience of autistic people. He gained practical experience in an “auti-class,” helped organise social skills weekends for adults, and participated in diagnostic assessments. To this day, Herbert considers it essential to stay grounded in practice, and he carves out time for it in his busy schedule.

In those early years, he had to look to the Netherlands for academic support. He found it at Leiden University, with Professor Ina van Berckelaer-Onnes, who turned out to be a dream mentor. He maintains a special bond with her to this day. He earned his PhD in 1994, and autism has never let him go since.

Herbert has played a key role in several national and European research consortia, supervised dozens of Flemish and international PhD students, and is author or co-author of numerous articles in international journals. At the same time, he has remained critical of a purely academic approach. Building a bridge between science and practice is very important to him. His popular book Autisme: alles op een rijtje (Autism: Everything in One Place), first published in 2008 and revised twice since, is a prime example. Every year, Herbert also gives many lectures to professionals, parents, and autistic people, and he makes himself available to the media.

A commitment to quality runs like a theme throughout his career. Quality in research and education, but above all, quality of life for autistic people and those around them. Herbert has consistently worked to strengthen diagnostic quality, optimize support, and deepen society’s understanding of autism. In doing so, he has always advocated for nuance, scientific grounding, and respect for individual differences.

With this unwavering dedication, Herbert Roeyers has built a career that has influenced generations of students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. He hopes his work has contributed to a more evidence-based, human-centered, and autism-friendly environment in Flanders and beyond, while recognising that continued commitment and further progress remain essential.