Professor Megan Freeth
BSc, MSc, PhD.
School of Psychology
Professor of Neurodevelopmental Psychology
Departmental Director of Research and Innovation
Full contact details
School of Psychology
Interdisciplinary Centre of the Social Sciences (ICOSS)
219 Portobello
Sheffield
S1 4DP
- Qualifications
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- PhD (University of Nottingham)
- MSc (University of Nottingham)
- BSc (University of Birmingham)
- Research interests
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Title: Reducing the societal barriers experienced by autistic people
Autistic people experience a broad range of challenges in their day to day lives. Via co-produced research, I aim to improve understanding of the lived experience of being autistic and to conduct research that tackles the barriers that stand in the way of optimal outcomes. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis I aim to facilitate understanding of the lived experiences of being autistic. Via research with a focus on health services I aim to improve provision for autistic people. Via research on employment, I aim to reduce employment challenges faced by autistic people.
Title: The expression of autism in rare genetic syndromes
Autism is an extremely heterogeneous condition. Some of this variability results from genetic heterogeneity. Some rare genetic conditions appear to have an increased prevalence of autism. I am currently investigating the phenotype of growth disorders with a known genetic cause, such as Sotos syndrome, Russell-Silver syndrome, Tatton-Brown Rahman syndrome, 16p11.2 duplication and deletion, SOX11 syndrome and MYT1L syndrome with the aim of improving understanding of both rare genetic conditions and autism.
Title: Social attention in the real world
I am interested in how people attend to the world around them. What grabs attention, and what impact does this have on other aspects of cognition? If we miss key information from our visual environments then our internal construct of the world will be less than optimal. My main interest lies in how people attend to others and use the verbal and non-verbal social cues they generate. I am interested in both how typically developing people attend to this information and how individuals with clinical and sub-clinical traits, such as autism and social anxiety, attend to this information. I use mobile and laboratory based eye-tracking technology to try to understand what guides attention.
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- How healthcare systems are experienced by autistic adults in the United Kingdom: A meta-ethnography. Autism, 13623613241235531.
- The Gestalt of functioning in autism revisited: First revision of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets. Autism, 13623613241228896.
- ‘I’m not just being difficult . . . I’m finding it difficult’: a qualitative approach to understanding experiences of autistic parents when interacting with statutory services regarding their autistic child. Autism. View this article in WRRO
- Short report: Behavioural characterisation of SOX11 syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 143. View this article in WRRO
- Impaired communication ability in SOX11 syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. View this article in WRRO
- Understanding the post-diagnostic support priorities of autistic adults in the United Kingdom: a co-produced modified Delphi study. Autism. View this article in WRRO
- Sensory processing in Sotos syndrome and Tatton-Brown–Rahman Syndrome.. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, 132(6), 768-778. View this article in WRRO
- The experience of seeking, receiving, and reflecting upon a diagnosis of autism in the UK: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies conducted with autistic individuals. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 103.
- I see you, you see me: the impact of social presence on social interaction processes in autistic and non-autistic people. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 378(1875). View this article in WRRO
- Intense connection and love: The experiences of autistic mothers. Autism.
- How accurate are autistic adults and those high in autistic traits at making face-to-face line-of-sight judgements?. Autism, 24(6), 1482-1493. View this article in WRRO
- Views of adults with 22q11 deletion syndrome on reproductive choices. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A. View this article in WRRO
- A thematic synthesis of siblings' lived experiences of autism : distress, responsibilities, compassion and connection. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 97. View this article in WRRO
- Autistic traits and cognitive abilities associated with two molecular causes of Silver-Russell syndrome. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. View this article in WRRO
- Understanding visual engagement with urban street edges along non-pedestrianised and pedestrianised streets using mobile eye-tracking. Sustainability, 11(15). View this article in WRRO
- The cognitive profile of Sotos syndrome. Journal of Neuropsychology, 13(2), 240-252. View this article in WRRO
- ‘I was exhausted trying to figure it out’: The experiences of females receiving an autism diagnosis in middle to late adulthood. Autism. View this article in WRRO
- The Understanding of Communicative Intentions in Children with Severe-to-Profound Hearing Loss. The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. View this article in WRRO
- Exploring the approximate number system in Sotos syndrome: insights from a dot comparison task. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. View this article in WRRO
- Parent-Reported Communication Abilities of Children with Sotos Syndrome: Evidence from the Children’s Communication Checklist-2. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. View this article in WRRO
- Visual engagement with urban street edges: insights using mobile eye-tracking. Journal of Urbanism: international research on placemaking and urban sustainability, 12(3), 259-278. View this article in WRRO
- Autistic people’s perspectives on stereotypes: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Autism: the international journal of research and practice. View this article in WRRO
- Mental State Attributions Mediate the Gaze Cueing Effect. Vision, 2(1). View this article in WRRO
- Social partner gaze direction and conversational phase; factors affecting social attention during face-to-face conversations in autistic adults?. Autism. View this article in WRRO
- Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Sotos Syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(1), 135-143. View this article in WRRO
- Students’ Stereotypes of Autism. Journal of Educational Issues, 2(2), 131-140. View this article in WRRO
- Electrophysiological Evidence of Atypical Spatial Attention in Those with a High Level of Self-reported Autistic Traits. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(6), 2199-2210. View this article in WRRO
- Reduced visual exploration when viewing photographic scenes in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 125(3), 399-411. View this article in WRRO
- Cognition and Behaviour in Sotos Syndrome: A Systematic Review. PLoS ONE, 11(2). View this article in WRRO
- Patterns of Eye Movements in Face to Face Conversation are Associated with Autistic Traits:Evidence from a Student Sample. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(1), 305-314. View this article in WRRO
- A cross-cultural comparison of autistic traits in the UK, India and Malaysia.. J Autism Dev Disord, 43(11), 2569-2583.
- Visual search performance is predicted by the degree to which selective attention to features modulates the ERP between 350 and 600ms.. Neuropsychologia, 51(6), 1109-1118.
- What affects social attention? Social presence, eye contact and autistic traits.. PLoS One, 8(1), e53286. View this article in WRRO
- The distribution of and relationship between autistic traits and social anxiety in a UK student population.. Autism, 17(5), 571-581.
- Social attention with real versus reel stimuli: toward an empirical approach to concerns about ecological validity.. Front Hum Neurosci, 6, 143. View this article in WRRO
- The influence of visual saliency on fixation patterns in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Neuropsychologia, 49, 156-160. View this article in WRRO
- Brief Report: How Adolescents with ASD Process Social Information in Complex Scenes. Combining Evidence from Eye Movements and Verbal Descriptions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(3), 364-371. View this article in WRRO
- Do gaze cues in complex scenes capture and direct the attention of high functioning adolescents with ASD? Evidence from eye-tracking.. J Autism Dev Disord, 40(5), 534-547. View this article in WRRO
- The eye gaze direction of an observed person can bias perception, memory, and attention in adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorder.. J Exp Child Psychol, 105(1-2), 20-37. View this article in WRRO
- Can children resist making interpretations when uncertain?. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 99(4), 252-270.
- Social attention patterns of autistic and non-autistic adults when viewing real versus reel people. Autism. View this article in WRRO
- Sensitivity to Social Agency in Autistic Adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Chapters
- Sotos syndrome, Chromatin Signaling and Neurological Disorders (pp. 219-234). Elsevier
Conference proceedings papers
- View this article in WRRO Temporal dynamics of social attention in face-to-face situations. PERCEPTION, Vol. 44 (pp 78-79)
- ERP evidence of reduced spatial selectivity in those with high levels of self-reported autistic traits. PERCEPTION, Vol. 44 (pp 294-295)
All publications
Journal articles
- How healthcare systems are experienced by autistic adults in the United Kingdom: A meta-ethnography. Autism, 13623613241235531.
- The Gestalt of functioning in autism revisited: First revision of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets. Autism, 13623613241228896.
- ‘I’m not just being difficult . . . I’m finding it difficult’: a qualitative approach to understanding experiences of autistic parents when interacting with statutory services regarding their autistic child. Autism. View this article in WRRO
- Short report: Behavioural characterisation of SOX11 syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 143. View this article in WRRO
- Impaired communication ability in SOX11 syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. View this article in WRRO
- Understanding the post-diagnostic support priorities of autistic adults in the United Kingdom: a co-produced modified Delphi study. Autism. View this article in WRRO
- Sensory processing in Sotos syndrome and Tatton-Brown–Rahman Syndrome.. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, 132(6), 768-778. View this article in WRRO
- The experience of seeking, receiving, and reflecting upon a diagnosis of autism in the UK: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies conducted with autistic individuals. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 103.
- I see you, you see me: the impact of social presence on social interaction processes in autistic and non-autistic people. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 378(1875). View this article in WRRO
- Sensory processing in 16p11.2 deletion and 16p11.2 duplication. Autism Research.
- The Effect of Social Presence on Mentalizing Behavior. Cognitive Science, 46(4).
- SOX11 variants cause a neurodevelopmental disorder with infrequent ocular malformations and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and with distinct DNA methylation profile. Genetics in Medicine, 24(6), 1261-1273. View this article in WRRO
- Street edge subdivision : structuring ground floor interfaces to stimulate pedestrian visual engagement. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science. View this article in WRRO
- Investigating neural dynamics in autism spectrum conditions outside of the laboratory using mobile electroencephalography. Psychophysiology, 59(4).
- Gaze cueing, mental states, and the effect of autistic traits. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics. View this article in WRRO
- Speech, language and communication phenotyping in rare genetic syndromes: Commentary on Speech and language deficits are central to SETBP1 haploinsufficiency disorder. European Journal of Human Genetics, 29(8), 1166-1167. View this article in WRRO
- Intense connection and love: The experiences of autistic mothers. Autism.
- How accurate are autistic adults and those high in autistic traits at making face-to-face line-of-sight judgements?. Autism, 24(6), 1482-1493. View this article in WRRO
- Views of adults with 22q11 deletion syndrome on reproductive choices. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A. View this article in WRRO
- A thematic synthesis of siblings' lived experiences of autism : distress, responsibilities, compassion and connection. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 97. View this article in WRRO
- Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome : cognitive and behavioural phenotypes. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. View this article in WRRO
- Autistic traits and cognitive abilities associated with two molecular causes of Silver-Russell syndrome. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. View this article in WRRO
- Understanding visual engagement with urban street edges along non-pedestrianised and pedestrianised streets using mobile eye-tracking. Sustainability, 11(15). View this article in WRRO
- The cognitive profile of Sotos syndrome. Journal of Neuropsychology, 13(2), 240-252. View this article in WRRO
- ‘I was exhausted trying to figure it out’: The experiences of females receiving an autism diagnosis in middle to late adulthood. Autism. View this article in WRRO
- The Understanding of Communicative Intentions in Children with Severe-to-Profound Hearing Loss. The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. View this article in WRRO
- Exploring the approximate number system in Sotos syndrome: insights from a dot comparison task. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. View this article in WRRO
- Parent-Reported Communication Abilities of Children with Sotos Syndrome: Evidence from the Children’s Communication Checklist-2. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. View this article in WRRO
- Visual engagement with urban street edges: insights using mobile eye-tracking. Journal of Urbanism: international research on placemaking and urban sustainability, 12(3), 259-278. View this article in WRRO
- Autistic people’s perspectives on stereotypes: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Autism: the international journal of research and practice. View this article in WRRO
- Mental State Attributions Mediate the Gaze Cueing Effect. Vision, 2(1). View this article in WRRO
- Social partner gaze direction and conversational phase; factors affecting social attention during face-to-face conversations in autistic adults?. Autism. View this article in WRRO
- Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Sotos Syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(1), 135-143. View this article in WRRO
- Students’ Stereotypes of Autism. Journal of Educational Issues, 2(2), 131-140. View this article in WRRO
- Electrophysiological Evidence of Atypical Spatial Attention in Those with a High Level of Self-reported Autistic Traits. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(6), 2199-2210. View this article in WRRO
- Reduced visual exploration when viewing photographic scenes in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 125(3), 399-411. View this article in WRRO
- Cognition and Behaviour in Sotos Syndrome: A Systematic Review. PLoS ONE, 11(2). View this article in WRRO
- Patterns of Eye Movements in Face to Face Conversation are Associated with Autistic Traits:Evidence from a Student Sample. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(1), 305-314. View this article in WRRO
- A cross-cultural comparison of autistic traits in the UK, India and Malaysia.. J Autism Dev Disord, 43(11), 2569-2583.
- Visual search performance is predicted by the degree to which selective attention to features modulates the ERP between 350 and 600ms.. Neuropsychologia, 51(6), 1109-1118.
- What affects social attention? Social presence, eye contact and autistic traits.. PLoS One, 8(1), e53286. View this article in WRRO
- The distribution of and relationship between autistic traits and social anxiety in a UK student population.. Autism, 17(5), 571-581.
- Social attention with real versus reel stimuli: toward an empirical approach to concerns about ecological validity.. Front Hum Neurosci, 6, 143. View this article in WRRO
- The influence of visual saliency on fixation patterns in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Neuropsychologia, 49, 156-160. View this article in WRRO
- Brief Report: How Adolescents with ASD Process Social Information in Complex Scenes. Combining Evidence from Eye Movements and Verbal Descriptions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(3), 364-371. View this article in WRRO
- Do gaze cues in complex scenes capture and direct the attention of high functioning adolescents with ASD? Evidence from eye-tracking.. J Autism Dev Disord, 40(5), 534-547. View this article in WRRO
- The eye gaze direction of an observed person can bias perception, memory, and attention in adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorder.. J Exp Child Psychol, 105(1-2), 20-37. View this article in WRRO
- Can children resist making interpretations when uncertain?. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 99(4), 252-270.
- “A Wild and Inaccessible Place”: The Lived Experiences of Autistic Pregnancy and Birth. Autism in Adulthood.
- “I’ve Absolutely Reached Rock Bottom and Have No Energy”: The Lived Experience of Unemployed and Underemployed Autistic Adults. Autism in Adulthood.
- Social attention patterns of autistic and non-autistic adults when viewing real versus reel people. Autism. View this article in WRRO
- Autistic women’s experiences of self-compassion after receiving their diagnosis in adulthood. Autism, 136236132211367-136236132211367.
- Sensitivity to Social Agency in Autistic Adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Chapters
- Sotos syndrome, Chromatin Signaling and Neurological Disorders (pp. 219-234). Elsevier
- Sotos syndrome In Binda O (Ed.), Chromatin Signaling and Neurological Disorders
- Sotos Syndrome and ASD, Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders (pp. 1-5). Springer New York
- Autism Across Cultures: Perspectives From Non-Western Cultures and Implications for Research John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Conference proceedings papers
- Views of adults with 22q11 deletion syndrome on reproductive medicine options. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS, Vol. 28(SUPPL 1) (pp 1009-1009)
- View this article in WRRO Temporal dynamics of social attention in face-to-face situations. PERCEPTION, Vol. 44 (pp 78-79)
- ERP evidence of reduced spatial selectivity in those with high levels of self-reported autistic traits. PERCEPTION, Vol. 44 (pp 294-295)
Preprints
- Understanding the Post-Diagnostic Support Priorities of Autistic Adults in the UK: A Modified Delphi Study, Center for Open Science.
- Sensory Processing in 16p11.2 duplication and 16p11.2 deletion, PsyArXiv.
- Sensory Processing in Sotos Syndrome and Tatton-Brown Rahman Syndrome, Center for Open Science.
- Research group
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Neuroscience and Cognition
Psychological Health
Current postdoctoral researchers
- Dr Chloe Lane - Sensory profiles in genetic conditions associated with autism
Current research supervision
- PhD primary supervisor - Nazli Altin
- PhD co-supervisor - Aikaterini Giannadou; Louise Stokes; Jiayi Chen
- DClin supervisor - Rosie Wilson
Previous research supervision
- PhD primary supervisor - Chloe Lane; Caroline Treweek; Emma Morgan
- PhD co-supervisor - James Simpson; Ciara Kelly; Keelan Meade; Tom Hostler; Stephanie Dunn
- DClin supervisor - Alex Leedham; Amber-Sophie Dugdale
- Grants
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- NIHR RfPB (October 2024 - April 2026) Evaluating a Standardised Post-diagnostic Strengths and Needs Assessment for Autistic Adults: an Acceptability and Feasibility Study (PI) £249,883
- Colt Foundation (May 2023 - November 2024) Understanding and Tackling the Barriers to Employment Experienced by Autistic Adults (PI) £80,953
- SBRI Healthcare (November 2022 - May 2023) Co-development of Personalised Support Profiles for Autistic Adults using ICF CoreSets for Autism (PI) £99,972
- Baily Thomas (August 2022 - February 2024) Communication Profile of Genomic Disorders (co-I) £58,423
- Screen Industries Growth Network (June 2021 - September 2023) A3i Accessible Audio for Autism (co-I) £75,000
- Baily Thomas research grant (January 2021 – July 2022) The impact of impaired neurogenesis on cognition, behaviour and brain activity £55,574.00
- The Children's Hospital Charity (Sheffield Children's Hospital) and The University of Sheffield (May 2019 - October 2020). Sensory profiles in genetic syndromes associated with autism £32,112
- Baily Thomas research grant (July 2017 - April 2019). Cognition and Behaviour in Weaver syndrome and Tatton-Brown Rahman syndrome £53,718
- Child Growth Foundation (September 2017 - August 2018). Characteristics of Autism in Russell-Silver Syndrome £8,370
- Baily Thomas research grant (Dec 2016 - Nov 2017). Why do individuals with Sotos syndrome struggle with maths? £4,707
- Experimental Psychology Society Small Grant (April 2015- April 2016). Face to Face Social Attention in Autism. £2,500
- Experimental Psychology Society Small Grant (Jan 2013-Jan2014). Gaze following and the broad autism phenotype. £2,500
- Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (Mar 2011-Mar 2013). Social Attention in Autism. £177,351
- NCRM Training bursary – to attend EEGlab workshop, San Diego (Nov 2010). £985
- Wellcome Trust Value in People award (Oct 2010-Mar 2011). £15,000
- ESRC Post Doctoral Fellowship (Sept 2009-Sept 2010). Social Cognition in Typically Developing Individuals and those with Autism Spectrum Disorders using EEG and Eye-tracking Techniques. £72,426
- Teaching activities
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- PSY345 Conditions affecting Cognition and Behaviour Across the Lifespan (Module Organiser)
- PSY1002 Cognitive Psychology I
- PSY2002 Cognitive Psychology II
- PSY331 Extended essay supervisor
- PSY346 Project supervisor
- DClin supervision
- MSc supervision
- Professional activities and memberships
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Media Engagement:
- The Eyes Have it All Elements (science) article featuring my work
- Improving public perceptions of autism - Your Autism Magazine Spring 2016 (National Autistic Society)
- PhD Opportunities
I am happy to receive applications for PhD study in my area of research.
We advertise PhD opportunities (Funded or Self-Funded) on FindAPhD.com
For further information, please see the department PhD Opportunities page.