Dr Fiona J Scott BSc (Hons) PhD C.Psychol CSci
Chartered Psychologist
SPECTRUM SPECIALIST CONSULTANCY LIMITED
Curriculum Vitae
Position:
Independent Autism Specialist in Private Practice
Independent ADOS and ADI-R Trainer for the Autism Research
Centre, University of Cambridge
Qualifications: Ph.D - Psychology: Autism, Institute of Psychiatry, London, 1996
BSc (Hons) 2:1 – Psychology, University of Bristol, 1992
Chartered Psychologist (No. 38987), with Practising Certificate
Chartered Scientist
Qualified Trainer for, and Trained in the use of the Autism
Diagnostic Interview - Revised (ADI-R), 2000
Qualified Trainer for, and Trained in the use of the Autism
Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), 2000
Research Interests:
Epidemiology of Aspergers and ASD in adults with psychiatric
conditions, and in the general population and LD population.
Early development of a screen for detecting Asperger’s Syndrome
and high-functioning autism in primary-school-age children.
Development and presentation of creativity and imagination in
autism spectrum disorders.
The cognitive development of children with autism spectrum
disorders and presentation of social and communication difficulties
in toddlers, and screening at an early age.
National and International Collaborations:
Consultant on the UK research project on screening for undiagnosed
ASD in adults in the general population, University of Leicester.
Consultant on a UK project screening for undiagnosed ASD in adults
with learning disabilities, University of Leicester.
Collaborator with colleagues from University of Hertfordshire on
developing research exploring links between creativity, imagination,
and autism traits.
Consultant for ADOS and ADI trainings for the Eden Centre for
Developmental Disabilities, Malta.
Consultant for screening project for ASD in children, GAUTENA
group, Spain.
Consultant on proposed development of Department of Health code
of practice for training in ASD, liaising with National Autistic
Society and BILD.
Trainer for MOE Singapore on ADOS and ADI-R, January 2008.
Trainer for MOH Singapore on ADOS, May 2009.
Publications:
Scott, F.J. & Baron-Cohen, S. (1996) Logical, Analogical, and
Psychological Reasoning in Autism: A Test of the Cosmides Theory.
Development and Psychopathology, 8, 235-245.
Scott, F.J. & Baron-Cohen, S. (1996) Imagining Real and
Unreal Things: Evidence of a Dissociation in Autism. Journal of
Cognitive Neuroscience, 8, 371-382.
Scott, F.J., Baron-Cohen, S., & Leslie, A.M. (1999) If Pigs Could
Fly: A Test of Counterfactual Reasoning and Pretence in Children
with Autism. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 17, 349362.
Scott, F.J. (2000) Review of Hale’s My World is not Your World.
Autism: International Journal of Research and Practice, 4, 212-213.
Craig, J.S., Baron-Cohen, S., & Scott, F.J. (2001) Drawing Ability in
Autism: A Window into the Imagination. Israel Journal of
Psychiatry, 38, 242-253.
Scott, F.J., Baron-Cohen, S., Bolton, P., & Brayne, C. (2002) The
CAST (Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test): Preliminary
development of a UK screen for mainstream primary-school-age
children. Autism: International Journal of Research and Practice, 6,
9-31.
Scott, F.J., Baron-Cohen, S., Bolton, P.B., & Brayne, C. (2002) Brief
Report: Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Conditions in Children aged
5-11 Years in Cambridgeshire, UK. Autism: International Journal of
Research and Practice, 6, 231-237.
Scott, F.J. (2003) Review of Gillberg’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome.
Psychological Medicine.
Brosnan, M., Scott, F.J., Fox, S., & Pye, J. (2004) Gestalt processing
in autism: Failure to process perceptual relationships and the
implication for understanding context. Journal of Child Psychology
and Psychiatry, 45, 454-469.
Scott, F.J. (2004) Review of Frith’s Autism: Explaining the Enigma,
2nd Edition. Psychological Medicine, 34, 1140.
Scott, F.J. (2005) No Looking Back. In C Ariel & R. Naseef (Eds)
Voices From the Spectrum. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Williams, J., Scott, F.J., Stott, C., Allison, C., Bolton, P., BaronCohen, S., & Brayne, C. (2005) The Childhood Asperger Syndrome
Test (CAST): Test Accuracy. Autism: International Journal of
Research and Practice, 9, 45-68.
Baron-Cohen, S., Scott, F.J., Wheelwright, S., Hill, J. & Griffin, R.
(2006) Absence of social orienting at 3 months of age predicts
autism: a family-genetic single case study. Journal of Child
Neurology
Baron-Cohen, S., Scott., F.J., Humphrey, A., Allison., C. (2006)
Asperger Syndrome: A Different Mind. DVD, Jessica Kingsley
Publishers.
Williams, J., Allison, C., Scott, F.J., Stott, C., Bolton, P., BaronCohen, S., & Brayne, C. (2006) The Childhood Asperger Syndrome
Test (CAST): Test-retest reliability. Autism: International Journal of
Research and Practice, 10, 415-427.
Scott, F.J. (2007) Entries in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A
Handbook for Parents and Educators. Smith-Myles et al., (Eds)
Prager Publishers.
Allison, C., Williams, J., Scott, F.J., Stott., C., Bolton, P., BaronCohen, S., & Brayne., C. (2007) The Childhood Asperger Syndrome
Test (CAST): Test-retest reliability in a high-scoring sample. Autism,
International Journal of Research and Practice, 11, 173-185.
Williams, J., Allison, C., Scott, F.J., Bolton, P.F., Baron-Cohen, S.,
Matthews, F.E., & Brayne, C. (2008) The Childhood Autism
Spectrum Test (CAST): Sex Differences. Journal of Autism and
Developmental Disorders, 38, 1731-9.
Baron-Cohen, S., Scott, F.J., Allison, C., Williams, J.G., Bolton, P.,
Matthews, F.E., & Brayne, C. (2009) Estimating autism spectrum
prevalence in the population: A school based study from the UK.,
British Journal of Psychiatry, 194, 500-9.
Brugha T, McManus S, Meltzer H, Purdon S, Scott F, Baron-Cohen
S, Wheelwright S, Bankart J. (2009) Development and testing of
methods for identifying cases of Autism Spectrum Disorder among
adults in the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007. NHS
Information Centre.
Scott, F.J. (in press) The Development of Imagination in Children
with Autism. In Taylor, M. (Ed) Development of Imagination, Oxford
University Press.
Curran, S., Dworzynski, K., Plomin, R., Happe, F., Ronald, A.,
Baron-Cohen, S., Brayne, C., Scott, F.J., Williams, J., Allison, C., &
Bolton, P. (submitted) Twinning Effects on Autistic Traits.
Brugha T, McManus S, Bankart J, Scott F, Purdon S, Baron-Cohen
S, Smith J, Meltzer H. (submitted) The epidemiology of autism
spectrum disorder in adults in the community in England. University
of Leicester.
Consulting & Clinical Experience:
Conducting independent specialist assessments of children and adults on the autism
spectrum (autism, atypical autism, Asperger Syndrome, other pervasive
developmental disorders) using ADI-R, ADOS and other standardised diagnostic
tools, plus other private consulting work, advice and information provision on the
autism spectrum.
Running professional training courses for paediatricians, psychiatrists,
clinical psychologists, speech and language therapists, and educational psychologists,
on diagnosing autism spectrum disorders and Asperger syndrome in children and
adults, both with and without learning disabilities.
Developing and implementing training courses for SENCO's and teachers working
with children on the autism spectrum and with associated learning difficulties.
Developing and running study days on autism spectrum disorders for clinicians.
Acting as an Expert Witness in the field of autism spectrum disorders including
Asperger syndrome. I have provided expert reports for the Courts in criminal cases,
family law cases, class actions, educational tribunals, and any other area where the
impact of an autism spectrum disorder may have relevance on the case. Over the past
10 years I have been instructed as an Expert Witness and provided expert reports in
around 70 cases, covering the range from criminal to educational as outlined above.
Currently the majority of cases relate to family courts (around 60%) with 20%
criminal cases and 20% educational. I am a member of the Society of Expert
Witnesses, and have attended training conferences on the role of the expert witness
and recently a workshop on expert witness evidence in family courts.
Running support groups for students with Asperger Syndrome with colleagues from
CLASS (Cambridge Lifespan Asperger Syndrome Service), 2000-2002.
Co-ordinating and running ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised) and ADOS
(Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) training courses at the University of
Cambridge, 2002-current.
Referee and reviewer for several academic journals, including Autism: International
Journal of Research and Practice, the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry,
Psychological Medicine, Development and Psychopathology, Infant and Child
Development, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, and the British Journal of
Developmental Psychology.
Presenting at many national and international conferences and training courses, for
academics, parents, and professionals, on the autism spectrum and Asperger
Syndrome.
Conferences at which I have spoken include:
2010
Keynote speaker – workshop on current research in ASD, and
the implications of proposed DSMV changes to ASD,
Worcester Royal Hospital.
2009
Keynote speaker – 2 day workshop on differential diagnosis in
ASD’s, Ministry of Health, Singapore.
Keynote speaker – 2 day workshop on adults with AS in
forensic settings, Nottingham.
Keynote speaker – study day on diagnosis and screening in
ASD, Hertfordshire.
2008
Keynote speaker – 2 day study days on diagnosis in adults with
AS, British Psychological Society Northern Ireland
Keynote Speaker – presentation on psychological theories in
autism, Sandwell Academy UK
Keynote speaker – 2 day study days on clinical consensus in
diagnosis using standardised instruments, Bridgend South
Wales
Keynote speaker- presentation at 1st Scientific Meeting for the
Autism Centers in the Arabic World, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Workshop and presentation on diagnosis and support in ASD,
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
2007
Conference on ASD, Northampton
Keynote speaker - 2 day study days on diagnosis of adults with
AS, Leicester
Workshops on identifying and supporting ASD in schools,
Norwich
Keynote speaker - Study day on early childhood identification,
Northampton
2006
Autism spectrum conference, Cambridge
Keynote speaker - Asperger syndrome conference, Norwich
Autism Spectrum conference, London
Keynote speaker – Professional training course on ASD
diagnosis, Cork
2005
Keynote speaker - Autism Spectrum Workshop, Winchester
Autism lecture, Royal Holloway, London
Keynote speaker - Professional training course on ASD
diagnosis, Budapest
Asperger Professionals training day, Birmingham
Keynote speaker - Asperger East Anglia AGM, Norwich
Autism International on-line conference
2004
NoRSACA Conference, Nottingham
Psychology teachers training course, Cambridge
Keynote speaker - Autism PCT training Day, Milton Keynes
Keynote speaker - PCT Conference on Autism, Hillingdon
International Autism Conference, Wales
Asperger syndrome NAS conference, London
Asperger syndrome NAS conference, Manchester
International Autism Conference, Denmark
2003
HAS autism conference, Southampton
Autism conference for GP’s, London
Keynote speaker - ATP Conference, Exeter
Asperger syndrome NAS conference, Edinburgh
Autism conference, Hillingdon, London
Conference on Autism and Asperger syndrome, Isle of Wight
Keynote speaker - SENCO Training day on the autism
spectrum, Essex
Autism Spectrum training day for Psychiatrists, Edinburgh
Psychology teachers training course, Cambridge
2002
Nordic Research Seminar on Autism, Gothenburg, Sweden
Keynote speaker - International Symposium on Autism,
Toronto, Canada
Keynote speaker - Hampshire Autistic Society Autism
presentation, Winchester
CoSSPA Conference on Autism, Birmingham
Paediatric Study Day Autism, High Wycombe
CoSSPA Training Day on Autism, Solihull
Keynote speaker - Teacher Training Course on Autism, Spa
School, Southwark
Keynote speaker - SENCO Training Course on the Autism
Spectrum, Cambridge
Asperger Syndrome Conference, Regents College London
PACT Autism Conference, Dagenham
Autism and Behaviour Conference, Manchester
2001
Autism and Behaviour, Imperial College London
Understanding Autism, Derby
Making It Clear: Understanding Autism, London
Asperger Syndrome: Challenges and Strategies, Glasgow
2000
Autism Conference, Derby
Communicating our Differences: 3 ways of thinking about
autism, Marlow
Keynote speaker - Theory of Mind and Autism, Bristol
Autism Conference, London
Aspergers Syndrome Across the Lifespan, London
Keynote speaker - Autism: Mindblindness and Perception,
Copenhagen, Denmark
1999
Aspergers Syndrome: The Challenge for Adult Services,
Winchester
Research into Autism, Huntingdon
Autism: Beyond Childhood, Hampshire
Keynote speaker - The Autistic Spectrum, Hillingdon Autistic
Care & Support, London
1998
Latest Research in Autism, Oxford
Keynote speaker - The Autistic Spectrum, HACS, London
Membership of many expert panels and groups, including:
Current &
Ongoing
2006-2008
Patron of Asperger East Anglia, Norwich.
Member of the Society for Expert Witnesses.
Associate Member of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Consultant to Eden Foundation Mediterranean Centre for
Developmental Disorders, Malta.
Member of the British Psychological Society.
.
Expert for IPSEA educational tribunal specialists.
Member of the Advisory Committee for the National Lottery
funded research project into early versus late detection of
autism.
Member of the South Cambridgeshire Autistic Spectrum
Project group, meeting to discuss autism provisions and
policies in Cambridgeshire
2002-2003
Invited specialist with the National Initiative for Autism
Screening and Assessment (NIASA).
Expert participant in All Party Parliamentary Group for Autism
(APPGA).
Member of the Review Group for the Medical Research
Council Review of Autism Research commissioned by the
Department of Health.
2001
Expert participant in All Party Parliamentary Group for Autism
(APPGA)
2000
Invited expert presenter at the launch of the All Party
Parliamentary Group on Autism, House of Commons, London.
1999
Invited consulting specialist on the Department of Health
commissioned workshop and policy drafting on "Asperger's
Syndrome: An overview of current issues surrounding the
diagnosis, management and treatment of children and adults
with this syndrome", Cambridge.
Media Experience:
2005-2008
Participant expert presenter in AWARES International Online
Conference.
Consultant and presenter for new teacher training video on
Asperger syndrome, to be published by Jessica Kingsley
Publishers.
2004
Expert participant on Action! Autism hour long debate, The
Community Channel.
2003
Consultant and presenter for documentary on Asperger
syndrome.
Expert on BBC Radio 4 ‘File on 4’ programme on Mercury in
vaccines and the autism epidemic.
Expert on BBC Radio 4 ‘More or Less’ programme on autism.
Expert presenter on BBC 5 documentary on adults with autism.
2002
Consultant and presenter for BBC 'Human Instinct' series.
Expert on live BBC Radio 4 ‘Today’ programme.
2001
Consultant and participant for BBC Panorama programme on
autism.
Expert presenter on live BBC Radio 4 Autism programme.
Expert presenter on BBC Radio 4 Autism Documentary.
Consultant and presenter on BBC Radio 4 'Human
Development' series.
2000
Expert presenter on live BBC Radio Cambridge autism
programme.
Consultant and presenter on BBC News 24 autism report.
Consultant and presenter on Sky News autism documentary.
1999
Consultant and presenter for BBC World Service autism
documentary.
Expert presenter on Anglia Television regional news report on
autism.
I also interview regularly for National newspapers in relation to several articles and
features on autism and Asperger syndrome between 1999 and present. These
newspapers include:
The Times
The Guardian
The Sunday Times
The Independent
The Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph
The Daily Mail
The Mail on Sunday
The International Herald Tribune
The Los Angeles Time
Cambridge Evening News