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{{Short description|German developmental psychologist (born 1941)}}
{{Short description|German developmental psychologist (born 1941)}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2017}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox academic
{{Infobox academic
| honorific_prefix = [[Dame]]
| honorific_prefix = [[Dame]]
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| death_date =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_place =
| nationality = German<br/> British (since 2019)
| citizenship = {{ubl|Germany|United Kingdom (since 2019)}}
| occupation =
| occupation =
| known_for =
| known_for =
| spouse = [[Chris Frith]]
| spouse = [[Chris Frith]]
| children = 2
| children = 2
| awards = {{ubl|[[European Latsis Prize]] (2009)|[[Mind & Brain Prize]] (2010)|[[William James Fellow Award]] (20130|[[Jean Nicod Prize]] (2014)}}
| awards = {{ubl|[[European Latsis Prize]] (2009)|[[Mind & Brain Prize]] (2010)|[[William James Fellow Award]] (2013)|[[Jean Nicod Prize]] (2014)}}
| website = {{url|sites.google.com/site/utafrith|Official website}}
| website = {{URL|sites.google.com/site/utafrith|Official website}}
| education = {{ubl|[[Saarland University]]|[[University of London]] ([[Institute of Psychiatry]])}}
| education = {{ubl|[[Saarland University]]|[[University of London]] ([[Institute of Psychiatry]])}}
| thesis_title = Pattern Detection in Normal and Autistic Children
| thesis_title = Pattern Detection in Normal and Autistic Children
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| main_interests = {{ubl|[[Autism]]|[[Dyslexia]]}}
| main_interests = {{ubl|[[Autism]]|[[Dyslexia]]}}
| notable_works =
| notable_works =
| notable_ideas =
| influenced =
| module = {{Listen |embed=yes |filename=Prof_Uta_Frith_BBC_Radio4_The_Life_Scientific_6_Dec_2011_b017w65r.flac |title=Uta Frith's voice |type=speech |description=from the BBC programme ''[[The Life Scientific]]'', 6 December 2011.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Uta Frith |series=The Life Scientific |series-link=The Life Scientific |url=http://bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017w65r|station=[[BBC Radio 4]] |date=6 December 2011 |access-date=18 January 2014}}</ref>}}
| module = {{Listen |embed=yes |filename=Prof_Uta_Frith_BBC_Radio4_The_Life_Scientific_6_Dec_2011_b017w65r.flac |title=Uta Frith's voice |type=speech |description=from the BBC programme ''[[The Life Scientific]]'', 6 December 2011.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Uta Frith |series=The Life Scientific |series-link=The Life Scientific |url=http://bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017w65r|station=[[BBC Radio 4]] |date=6 December 2011 |access-date=18 January 2014}}</ref>}}
}}
}}

'''Dame Uta Frith''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|commas=on|DBE|FRS|FBA|FMedSci}} ({{née}} '''Aurnhammer'''; born 25 May 1941<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who's Who 2023 |url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/search?q=Uta+Frith&searchBtn=Search&isQuickSearch=true}}</ref>) is a German-British [[developmental psychologist]] and Emeritus Professor in Cognitive Development at the [[UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience|Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience]] at [[University College London]] (UCL). She pioneered much of the current research into [[autism]]<ref>{{Cite book |author1=Houston, R. A. |author2=Frith, Uta |title=Autism in history: the case of Hugh Blair of Borgue [c. 1708–1765] |publisher=Blackwell Publishers |location=Cambridge, MA |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-631-22088-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=Gilles Trehin |title=Urville |publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers |location=London, UK |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-84310-419-3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author1=Elisabeth Hill |author2=Frith, Uta |title=Autism, mind, and brain |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford [Oxfordshire] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-19-852924-8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=Frith, Uta |title=Autism and Asperger syndrome |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-521-38608-1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Frith |first=Uta |title=Autism. A Very Short Introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j40SDAAAQBAJ |year=2008 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-1992-0756-5}}</ref> and [[dyslexia]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Frith |first=Uta |title=Cognitive Processes in Spelling |publisher=Academic Press |location=London, UK |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-12-268662-7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author1=Frith, Uta |author2=Sarah-Jayne Blakemore |title=The learning brain: lessons for education |publisher=Blackwell |location=Oxford |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4051-2401-0}}</ref> Her book ''[[Autism: Explaining the Enigma]]''<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Leekam |first=Susan R. |title=Book Review: Autism: Explaining the Enigma |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14640749108400972a |journal=[[Experimental Psychology Society|The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology]] |date=May 1991 |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=301–302 |doi=10.1080/14640749108400972|s2cid=149418391}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Book Reviews: Autism: Explaining the enigma By Uta Frith |journal=[[British Journal of Developmental Psychology]] |year=2003 |volume=21 |issue=3 |pages=465–468 |doi=10.1348/026151003322277801}}</ref> introduced the [[cognitive neuroscience]] of autism. She is credited with creating the [[Sally–Anne test]] along with fellow scientists [[Alan M. Leslie|Alan Leslie]] and [[Simon Baron-Cohen]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Korkiakangas |first1=Terhi |last2=Dindar |first2=Katja |last3=Laitila |first3=Aarno |last4=Kärnä |first4=Eija |date=November 2016 |title=The Sally-Anne test: an interactional analysis of a dyadic assessment |journal=International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders |volume=51 |issue=6 |pages=685–702 |doi=10.1111/1460-6984.12240 |issn=1460-6984 |pmid=27184176}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.acamh.org/freeview/professor-uta-frith/ |title=Professor Uta Frith - Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health |date=2017-12-13 |website=ACAMH |language=en-GB |access-date=2020-04-24}}</ref> Among students she has mentored are [[Tony Attwood]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tonyattwood.com.au |title=Tony Attwood personal website |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref> [[Maggie Snowling]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/discover/people/professor-maggie-snowling/ |title=Professor Maggie Snowling |website=St John's College}}</ref> [[Simon Baron-Cohen]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/directory/profile.php?sb205 |title=Simon Baron-Cohen University of Cambridge staff profile |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref> and [[Francesca Happé]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/staff/profile/default.aspx?go=10942 |title=Francesca Happé IOP staff profile |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref>
'''Dame Uta Frith''' ({{née}} '''Aurnhammer'''; born 25 May 1941<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who's Who 2023 |url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/search?q=Uta+Frith&searchBtn=Search&isQuickSearch=true}}</ref>) is a German-British [[developmental psychologist]] and emeritus professor in cognitive development at the [[UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience|Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience]] at [[University College London]] (UCL). She pioneered much of the current research into [[autism]]<ref>{{Cite book |author1=Houston, R. A. |author2=Frith, Uta |title=Autism in history: the case of Hugh Blair of Borgue [c. 1708–1765] |publisher=Blackwell Publishers |location=Cambridge, MA |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-631-22088-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=Gilles Trehin |title=Urville |publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers |location=London, UK |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-84310-419-3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author1=Elisabeth Hill |author2=Frith, Uta |title=Autism, mind, and brain |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford [Oxfordshire] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-19-852924-8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=Frith, Uta |title=Autism and Asperger syndrome |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-521-38608-1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Frith |first=Uta |title=Autism. A Very Short Introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j40SDAAAQBAJ |year=2008 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-1992-0756-5}}</ref> and [[dyslexia]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Frith |first=Uta |title=Cognitive Processes in Spelling |publisher=Academic Press |location=London, UK |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-12-268662-7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author1=Frith, Uta |author2=Sarah-Jayne Blakemore |title=The learning brain: lessons for education |publisher=Blackwell |location=Oxford |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4051-2401-0}}</ref> Her book ''[[Autism: Explaining the Enigma]]''<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Leekam |first=Susan R. |title=Book Review: Autism: Explaining the Enigma |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14640749108400972a |journal=[[Experimental Psychology Society|The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology]] |date=May 1991 |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=301–302 |doi=10.1080/14640749108400972|s2cid=149418391}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Book Reviews: Autism: Explaining the enigma By Uta Frith |journal=[[British Journal of Developmental Psychology]] |year=2003 |volume=21 |issue=3 |pages=465–468 |doi=10.1348/026151003322277801}}</ref> introduced the [[cognitive neuroscience]] of autism. She is credited with creating the [[Sally–Anne test]] along with fellow scientists [[Alan M. Leslie|Alan Leslie]] and [[Simon Baron-Cohen]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Korkiakangas |first1=Terhi |last2=Dindar |first2=Katja |last3=Laitila |first3=Aarno |last4=Kärnä |first4=Eija |date=November 2016 |title=The Sally-Anne test: an interactional analysis of a dyadic assessment |journal=International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders |volume=51 |issue=6 |pages=685–702 |doi=10.1111/1460-6984.12240 |issn=1460-6984 |pmid=27184176}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.acamh.org/freeview/professor-uta-frith/ |title=Professor Uta Frith - Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health |date=2017-12-13 |website=ACAMH|access-date=2020-04-24}}</ref> Among students she has mentored are [[Tony Attwood]], [[Maggie Snowling]], [[Simon Baron-Cohen]] and [[Francesca Happé]].


==Education==
==Education==
Uta Frith was born Uta Aurnhammer in [[:de:Liste Rockenhausener Persönlichkeiten|Rockenhausen]], a small town in the hills between [[Luxembourg]] and [[Mannheim]] in Germany. She attended [[Saarland University]] in [[Saarbrücken]] with her initial plan for her education being in art history, but changed to experimental psychology after learning of its empirical nature.<ref name="ucl.ac.uk">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/histmed/audio/neuroscience/frith |title=Professor Uta Frith |publisher=University College London |date=25 May 1941 |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref> She was inspired by the work of psychologist, [[Hans Eysenck]] (who debunked [[psychoanalysis]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eysenck |first=Hans |title=Sense and Nonsense in Psychology |publisher=Pelican Books |year=1957 |isbn=9780140203851 |location=United Kingdom}}</ref>) and decided to train in [[clinical psychology]] at the [[Institute of Psychiatry]] in London.<ref name="forty-years"/> While at the Institute she was taught by [[Stanley Rachman|(Stanley) Jack Rachman]],<ref name="forty-years"/> one of the pioneers of behaviour therapy. She went on to complete her Doctor of Philosophy, on pattern detection in [[autistic]] children, in 1968.<ref name="frithphd">{{Cite thesis |degree=PhD |first=Uta |last=Frith |title=Pattern detection in children with and without autism |publisher=Institute of Psychiatry, London |year=1968 |url=http://catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk/record=b1607113 |oclc=728381460}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1037/h0020133 |last1=Frith |first1=Uta |title=Studies in pattern detection in normal and autistic children. I. Immediate recall of auditory sequences |journal=[[Journal of Abnormal Psychology]] |volume=76 |issue=3 |pages=413–420 |year=1970 |pmid=5490707}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frith |first=U. |title=Studies in pattern detection in normal and autistic children |journal=[[Journal of Experimental Child Psychology]] |year=1970 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=120–135 |doi=10.1016/0022-0965(70)90049-4 |pmid=5459646}}</ref><ref name="forty-years">{{Cite journal |last=Bishop |first=D. V. M. |title=Forty years on: Uta Frith's contribution to research on autism and dyslexia, 1966–2006 |journal=[[Experimental Psychology Society|The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology]] |year=2008 |volume=61 |issue=1 |pages=16–26 |doi=10.1080/17470210701508665 |pmid=18038335 |pmc=2409181}}</ref><ref>[http://www.ucl.ac.uk/histmed/audio/neuroscience/frith Profile], University College London. Retrieved 10 June 2015.</ref>
Uta Aurnhammer was born in [[:de:Liste Rockenhausener Persönlichkeiten|Rockenhausen]], a small town in the hills between [[Luxembourg]] and [[Mannheim]] in Germany. She attended [[Saarland University]] in [[Saarbrücken]] with her initial plan for her education being in art history, but changed to experimental psychology after learning of its empirical nature.<ref name="ucl.ac.uk">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/histmed/audio/neuroscience/frith |title=Professor Uta Frith |publisher=University College London |date=25 May 1941 |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref> She was inspired by the work of psychologist, [[Hans Eysenck]] (who debunked [[psychoanalysis]])<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eysenck |first=Hans |title=Sense and Nonsense in Psychology |publisher=Pelican Books |year=1957 |isbn=9780140203851 |location=United Kingdom}}</ref> and decided to train in [[clinical psychology]] at the [[Institute of Psychiatry]] in London.<ref name="forty-years"/> While at the institute, she was taught by [[Stanley Rachman|Jack Rachman]],<ref name="forty-years"/> one of the pioneers of behaviour therapy. She went on to complete her Doctor of Philosophy, on pattern detection in [[autistic]] children, in 1968.<ref name="frithphd">{{Cite thesis |degree=PhD |first=Uta |last=Frith |title=Pattern detection in children with and without autism |publisher=Institute of Psychiatry, London |year=1968 |url=http://catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk/record=b1607113 |oclc=728381460}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1037/h0020133 |last1=Frith |first1=Uta |title=Studies in pattern detection in normal and autistic children. I. Immediate recall of auditory sequences |journal=[[Journal of Abnormal Psychology]] |volume=76 |issue=3 |pages=413–420 |year=1970 |pmid=5490707}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frith |first=U. |title=Studies in pattern detection in normal and autistic children |journal=[[Journal of Experimental Child Psychology]] |year=1970 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=120–135 |doi=10.1016/0022-0965(70)90049-4 |pmid=5459646}}</ref><ref name="forty-years">{{Cite journal |last=Bishop |first=D. V. M. |title=Forty years on: Uta Frith's contribution to research on autism and dyslexia, 1966–2006 |journal=[[Experimental Psychology Society|The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology]] |year=2008 |volume=61 |issue=1 |pages=16–26 |doi=10.1080/17470210701508665 |pmid=18038335 |pmc=2409181}}</ref><ref>[http://www.ucl.ac.uk/histmed/audio/neuroscience/frith Profile], University College London. Retrieved 10 June 2015.</ref>


She was mentored, during her early career, by [[Neil O'Connor]] and [[Beate Hermelin]] and has described them as pioneers in the field of [[autism]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/site/utafrith/looking-back- |title=Looking back: My mentors Beate Hermelin and Neil O'Connor |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref>
Frith was mentored, during her early career, by [[Neil O'Connor]] and [[Beate Hermelin]] and has described them as pioneers in the field of [[autism]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/site/utafrith/looking-back- |title=Looking back: My mentors Beate Hermelin and Neil O'Connor |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref>


==Research==
==Research==
Frith's research paved the way for the recognition of a [[theory of mind]] deficit in autism.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Askham, A. V. |date=2022 |title=‘Theory of mind’ in autism: A research field reborn. |url=https://www.spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/theory-of-mind-in-autism-a-research-field-reborn/}}</ref> In 1985, while she was a member of the Medical Research Council's Cognitive Development Unit (MRC-CDU) in London, she published with [[Alan M. Leslie]] and [[Simon Baron-Cohen]] the article "Does the autistic child have a 'theory of mind'?",<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Baron-Cohen |first1=Simon |last2=Leslie |first2=Alan M. |last3=Frith |first3=Uta |author-link1=Simon Baron-Cohen |author-link2=Alan M. Leslie |title=Does the autistic child have a "theory of mind"? |journal=[[Cognition (journal)|Cognition]] |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=37–46 |doi=10.1016/0010-0277(85)90022-8 |pmid=2934210 |date=October 1985 |s2cid=14955234}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20170928145836/http://ruccs.rutgers.edu/images/personal-alan-leslie/publications/Baron-Cohen%20Leslie%20%26%20Frith%201985.pdf Pdf].</ref> which proposed that people with autism have specific difficulties understanding other people's [[beliefs]] and desires. Frith, and her colleagues,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Uta Frith |url=https://www.psychologicalscience.org/publications/observer/25at25/uta-frith.html |access-date=2020-04-24 |website=Association for Psychological Science - APS |language=en-US}}</ref> created two theories of autism. The first is "lack of implicit mentalizing",<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frith, U. |date=2012 |title=Why we need cognitive explanations of autism. |url= |journal=[[Experimental Psychology Society|Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology]] |volume=65 |pages=2073–2092}}</ref> a lack of the ability to track others' mental state with a basis in the brain.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frith, C.D. and Frith, U |date=2006 |title=The neural basis of mentalizing. |journal=[[Neuron (journal)|Neuron]] |volume=50 |pages=531–534}}</ref> The second is "weak central coherence"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frith |first=Uta |title=Autism. A Very Short Introduction |publisher=OUP Oxford |year=2008 |isbn=9780199207565 |chapter=Weak central coherence (p. 90 ff.) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j40SDAAAQBAJ&q=%22weak+central+coherence%22&pg=PA90}}</ref> by which she suggested that individuals with autism are better than neurotypical people at processing details, but worse at integrating information from many different sources.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Happé |first1=F. |last2=Frith |first2=U. |author-link1=Francesca Happé |doi=10.1007/s10803-005-0039-0 |title=The Weak Coherence Account: Detail-focused Cognitive Style in Autism Spectrum Disorders |journal=[[Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders]] |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=5–25 |year=2006 |pmid=16450045|s2cid=14999943}}</ref> Frith was one of the first neuroscientists to recognize autism "as a condition of the brain rather than the result of cold parenting."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kellaway |first=Kate |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/feb/24/uta-frith-autism-neuroscience-rational |title=Uta Frith: 'The brain is not a pudding; it is an engine' |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |date=17 February 2013 |access-date=5 April 2013}}</ref>
Frith's research paved the way for the recognition of a [[theory of mind]] deficit in autism.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Askham, A. V. |date=2022 |title='Theory of mind' in autism: A research field reborn. |url=https://www.spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/theory-of-mind-in-autism-a-research-field-reborn/}}</ref> In 1985, while she was a member of the Medical Research Council's Cognitive Development Unit (MRC-CDU) in London, she published with [[Alan M. Leslie]] and [[Simon Baron-Cohen]] the article "Does the autistic child have a 'theory of mind'?",<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Baron-Cohen |first1=Simon |last2=Leslie |first2=Alan M. |last3=Frith |first3=Uta |author-link1=Simon Baron-Cohen |author-link2=Alan M. Leslie |title=Does the autistic child have a "theory of mind"? |journal=[[Cognition (journal)|Cognition]] |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=37–46 |doi=10.1016/0010-0277(85)90022-8 |pmid=2934210 |date=October 1985 |s2cid=14955234}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20170928145836/http://ruccs.rutgers.edu/images/personal-alan-leslie/publications/Baron-Cohen%20Leslie%20%26%20Frith%201985.pdf Pdf].</ref> which proposed that people with autism have specific difficulties understanding other people's [[beliefs]] and desires. This paper used a [[theory of mind#False-belief task|false-belief]] task invented by Joseph Perner in 1983. Frith, and her colleagues,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Uta Frith |url=https://www.psychologicalscience.org/publications/observer/25at25/uta-frith.html |access-date=2020-04-24 |website=Association for Psychological Science - APS}}</ref> created two theories of autism. The first is "lack of implicit mentalizing",<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frith, U. |date=2012 |title=Why we need cognitive explanations of autism. |journal=[[Experimental Psychology Society|Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology]] |volume=65 |issue=11 |pages=2073–2092|doi=10.1080/17470218.2012.697178 |pmid=22906000 |s2cid=46644086 }}</ref> a lack of the ability to track others' mental state with a basis in the brain.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frith, C.D. and Frith, U |date=2006 |title=The neural basis of mentalizing. |journal=[[Neuron (journal)|Neuron]] |volume=50 |issue=4 |pages=531–534|doi=10.1016/j.neuron.2006.05.001 |pmid=16701204 |s2cid=16198411 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The second is "weak central coherence"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frith |first=Uta |title=Autism. A Very Short Introduction |publisher=OUP Oxford |year=2008 |isbn=9780199207565 |chapter=Weak central coherence (p. 90 ff.) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j40SDAAAQBAJ&q=%22weak+central+coherence%22&pg=PA90}}</ref> by which she suggested that individuals with autism are better than neurotypical people at processing details, but worse at integrating information from many different sources.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Happé |first1=F. |last2=Frith |first2=U. |author-link1=Francesca Happé |doi=10.1007/s10803-005-0039-0 |title=The Weak Coherence Account: Detail-focused Cognitive Style in Autism Spectrum Disorders |journal=[[Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders]] |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=5–25 |year=2006 |pmid=16450045|s2cid=14999943}}</ref> Frith was one of the first neuroscientists to recognize autism "as a condition of the brain rather than the result of cold parenting."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kellaway |first=Kate |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/feb/24/uta-frith-autism-neuroscience-rational |title=Uta Frith: 'The brain is not a pudding; it is an engine' |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |date=17 February 2013 |access-date=5 April 2013}}</ref>


She was one of the first people in the UK to study [[Asperger's syndrome]],<ref>Uta Frith (1991),[https://web.archive.org/web/20181027092042/http://4gp.me/bbtc/1540631889207.pdf "Asperger and his syndrome"]. Uta Frith, ed., ''Autism and Asperger syndrome'', pp. 1–36. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9780521386081}}</ref> at MRC-CDU London. Her work also focused on reading development, spelling and dyslexia.<ref name="forty-years"/> Frith attacked the theory that dyslexia was linked to lack of intelligence<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Frith, U. |date=1999 |title=Paradoxes in the definition of dyslexia . |journal=Dyslexia: An International Journal of Research and Practice. |volume=5 |pages=192–214}}</ref> or caused by sensorimotor impairments.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=White, S., Milne, E., Rosen., Hansen,P., Swettenham, J., Frith, U. and Ramus, F. |date=2006 |title=Thr role of sensorimotor impairments in dyslexia: a multiple case study of dyslexic children |journal=[[Developmental Science]] |volume=9 |pages=237–255}}</ref> In her book on spelling,<ref name=":6" /> she pointed out that some people can be perfectly competent readers, but extremely poor spellers, a group of dyslexics not recognised before.<ref name="forty-years"/> Her research, along with that of [[Maggie Snowling]], showed that people with dyslexia tend to struggle with phonological processing.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Frith |first1=Uta |last2=Snowling |first2=Maggie |date=23 November 2007 |title=Reading for meaning and reading for sound in autistic and dyslexic children |journal=[[British Journal of Developmental Psychology]] |volume=1 |issue=4 |pages=329–342 |doi=10.1111/j.2044-835x.1983.tb00906.x |issn=0261-510X}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> In 1995 Frith, Paulesu, Snowling and colleagues conducted one of the first brain imaging studies with dyslexic adults showing that, while completing tasks requiring phonological processing, people with dyslexia show a lack of functional connectivity within the language network of the brain.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Paulesu, E., Frith, U., Snowling, M., Gallagher, A., Morris, J., Frackowiak, R. and Frith, C.D. |date=1995 |title=Is developmental dyslexia a disconnection syndrome? Evidence from PET scanning. |journal=Brain |volume=119 |pages=143–158.}}</ref>
She was one of the first people in the UK to study [[Asperger's syndrome]],<ref>Uta Frith (1991),[https://web.archive.org/web/20181027092042/http://4gp.me/bbtc/1540631889207.pdf "Asperger and his syndrome"]. Uta Frith, ed., ''Autism and Asperger syndrome'', pp. 1–36. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9780521386081}}</ref> at MRC-CDU London. Her work also focused on reading development, spelling and dyslexia.<ref name="forty-years"/> Frith attacked the theory that dyslexia was linked to lack of intelligence<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Frith, U. |date=1999 |title=Paradoxes in the definition of dyslexia . |journal=Dyslexia|volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=192–214|doi=10.1002/(SICI)1099-0909(199912)5:4<192::AID-DYS144>3.0.CO;2-N }}</ref> or caused by sensorimotor impairments.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=White, S., Milne, E., Rosen., Hansen,P., Swettenham, J., Frith, U. and Ramus, F. |date=2006 |title=The role of sensorimotor impairments in dyslexia: a multiple case study of dyslexic children |journal=[[Developmental Science]] |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=237–255|doi=10.1111/j.1467-7687.2006.00483.x |pmid=16669791 }}</ref> In her book on spelling,<ref name=":6" /> she pointed out that some people can be perfectly competent readers, but extremely poor spellers, a group of dyslexics not recognised before.<ref name="forty-years"/> Her research, along with that of [[Maggie Snowling]], showed that people with dyslexia tend to struggle with phonological processing.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Frith |first1=Uta |last2=Snowling |first2=Maggie |date=23 November 2007 |title=Reading for meaning and reading for sound in autistic and dyslexic children |journal=[[British Journal of Developmental Psychology]] |volume=1 |issue=4 |pages=329–342 |doi=10.1111/j.2044-835x.1983.tb00906.x |issn=0261-510X}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> In 1995 Frith, Paulesu, Snowling and colleagues conducted one of the first brain imaging studies with dyslexic adults showing that, while completing tasks requiring phonological processing, people with dyslexia show a lack of functional connectivity within the language network of the brain.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Paulesu, E., Frith, U., Snowling, M., Gallagher, A., Morris, J., Frackowiak, R. and Frith, C.D. |date=1995 |title=Is developmental dyslexia a disconnection syndrome? Evidence from PET scanning. |journal=[[Brain (journal)|Brain]] |volume=119 |pages=143–158|doi=10.1093/brain/119.1.143 |pmid=8624677 }}</ref>


Frith has been supported throughout her career by the [[Medical Research Council (United Kingdom)|Medical Research Council]] at [[University College London]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/staff/staff-news/10072013-spotlightonutafrith |title=Spotlight on Uta Frith |date=2013-07-10}}</ref> She was an active collaborator at the Interacting Minds Centre<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://interactingminds.au.dk/ |title=interactingminds.au.dk |website=interactingminds.au.dk}}</ref> at [[Aarhus University]] in Denmark. The goal of the centre is to provide a trans-disciplinary platform, upon which the many aspects of human interaction may be studied. The project is based in part on a paper written with [[Chris Frith]]: "Interacting Minds – a Biological Basis".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frith |first=C.D. |author2=Frith, U. |title=Interacting minds—a biological basis |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |date=26 November 1999 |volume=286 |issue=5445 |pages=1692–1695 |pmid=10576727 |doi=10.1126/science.286.5445.1692}}</ref>
Frith has been supported throughout her career by the [[Medical Research Council (United Kingdom)|Medical Research Council]] at [[University College London]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/staff/staff-news/10072013-spotlightonutafrith |title=Spotlight on Uta Frith |date=2013-07-10}}</ref> She was an active collaborator at the Interacting Minds Centre<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://interactingminds.au.dk/ |title=interactingminds.au.dk |website=interactingminds.au.dk}}</ref> at [[Aarhus University]] in Denmark. The goal of the centre is to provide a trans-disciplinary platform, upon which the many aspects of human interaction may be studied. The project is based in part on a paper written with [[Chris Frith]]: "Interacting Minds – a Biological Basis".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frith |first=C.D. |author2=Frith, U. |title=Interacting minds—a biological basis |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |date=26 November 1999 |volume=286 |issue=5445 |pages=1692–1695 |pmid=10576727 |doi=10.1126/science.286.5445.1692}}</ref>

Among students she has mentored are [[Tony Attwood]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tonyattwood.com.au |title=Tony Attwood personal website |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref> [[Maggie Snowling]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/discover/people/professor-maggie-snowling/ |title=Professor Maggie Snowling |website=St John's College}}</ref> [[Simon Baron-Cohen]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/directory/profile.php?sb205 |title=Simon Baron-Cohen University of Cambridge staff profile |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref> and [[Francesca Happé]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/staff/profile/default.aspx?go=10942 |title=Francesca Happé IOP staff profile |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref>


==Supporting women in science==
==Supporting women in science==
Frith has ebcouraged the advancement of [[women in science]], in part by developing a support network called Science & Shopping,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/site/scienceandshopping/ |title=Science&shopping |website=sites.google.com}}</ref> which she hopes will "encourage women to share ideas and information that are inspiring and fun."<ref>{{Cite podcast |url=http://tokenskeptic.org/2012/10/28/episode-one-hundred-and-forty-two-on-women-in-science-and-wikipedia-interview-with-professor-uta-frith |title=#142 – On Women in Science and Wikipedia |publisher=tokenskeptic.org |host=Kylie Sturgess |date=28 October 2012}}</ref> She also co-founded the UCL Women<ref>{{Cite web |title=Work at UCL |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/equality-networks-ucl}}</ref> network, "a grassroots networking and social organization for academic staff (postdocs and above) in [[STEM fields|STEM]] at UCL," in January 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://uclwomen.org |title=UCL Women |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref> In 2015 she was named chair of the [[Royal Society]]'s Diversity Committee,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/site/utafrith/ |title=Uta Frith |website=sites.google.com |access-date=2017-10-01}}</ref> during which time she wrote about unconscious bias and how it affects which scientists receive grants.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://blogs.royalsociety.org/in-verba/2015/11/17/implicit-and-unconscious-the-bias-in-us-all/ |title=Implicit and unconscious, the bias in us all {{!}} In Verba {{!}} Royal Society |website=blogs.royalsociety.org |language=en-US |access-date=2017-10-01}}</ref>
Frith has encouraged the advancement of [[women in science]], in part by developing a support network called Science & Shopping,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/site/scienceandshopping/ |title=Science&shopping |website=sites.google.com}}</ref> which she hopes will "encourage women to share ideas and information that are inspiring and fun."<ref>{{Cite podcast |url=http://tokenskeptic.org/2012/10/28/episode-one-hundred-and-forty-two-on-women-in-science-and-wikipedia-interview-with-professor-uta-frith |title=#142 – On Women in Science and Wikipedia |publisher=tokenskeptic.org |host=Kylie Sturgess |date=28 October 2012}}</ref> She also co-founded the UCL Women<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/equality-networks-ucl|title=Equality networks at UCL|date=21 August 2019|website=Work at UCL}}</ref> network, "a grassroots networking and social organization for academic staff (postdocs and above) in [[STEM fields|STEM]] at UCL", in January 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://uclwomen.org |title=UCL Women |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref> In 2015 she was named chair of the [[Royal Society]]'s Diversity Committee,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/site/utafrith/ |title=Uta Frith |website=sites.google.com |access-date=2017-10-01}}</ref> during which time she wrote about unconscious bias and how it affects which scientists receive grants.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://blogs.royalsociety.org/in-verba/2015/11/17/implicit-and-unconscious-the-bias-in-us-all/ |title=Implicit and unconscious, the bias in us all {{!}} In Verba {{!}} Royal Society |website=blogs.royalsociety.org|access-date=2017-10-01}}</ref>


==In the media==
==In the media==
On 11 May 2012, Frith appeared as a guest on the American PBS [[Charlie Rose (talk show)|''Charlie Rose'']] television interview show.<ref name="IMDb">{{IMDb name|4470685}}.</ref>
On 11 May 2012 Frith appeared as a guest on the American PBS ''[[Charlie Rose (talk show)|Charlie Rose]]'' television interview show.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Autism - Charlie Rose |url=https://charlierose.com/videos/15078 |publisher=charlierose.com |date=11 May 2012 |access-date=26 November 2023}}</ref> On 4 December she appeared as a guest on the "Brain" episode of [[BBC Two]]'s ''[[Dara Ó Briain's Science Club]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0124k6t |title=Professor Uta Frith on BBC2 Dara O Briain's Science Club |publisher=[[BBC]] |year=2012 |access-date=4 December 2012}}</ref>


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On 1 March 2013, she was the guest on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[Desert Island Discs]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bps.org.uk/news/professor-uta-frith-bbc-radio-4s-desert-island |title=Professor Uta Frith on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs |publisher=bps.org.uk |year=2013 |access-date=5 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022020002/http://www.bps.org.uk/news/professor-uta-frith-bbc-radio-4s-desert-island |archive-date=22 October 2013}}</ref> In 2013 Frith wrote on the visibility of women in science, by promoting an exhibition on female scientist portraits at The Royal Society.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Frith |first1=Uta |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2013/jul/01/invisible-women-science-royal-society |title=Invisible women of science – now appearing at the Royal Society |date=1 July 2013 |work=The Guardian |access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref>
On 4 December she appeared as a guest on the "Brain" episode of [[BBC Two]]'s ''[[Dara Ó Briain's Science Club]]''.<ref name="IMDb" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0124k6t |title=Professor Uta Frith on BBC2 Dara O Briain's Science Club |publisher=[[BBC]] |year=2012 |access-date=4 December 2012}}</ref>


From 31 March to 4 April 2014, to coincide with [[World Autism Awareness Day]] on 2 April, she was the guest of [[Sarah Walker (music broadcaster)|Sarah Walker]] on [[BBC Radio 3]]'s ''Essential Classics''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03z9jxc |title=BBC Radio 3 – Essential Classics, Monday – Sarah Walker with Uta Frith |publisher=BBC |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref> On 1 April 2014, she featured in "Living with Autism", an episode of the [[BBC]] ''[[Horizon (UK TV series)|Horizon]]'' documentary series.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0404861 |title=Living with Autism |publisher=BBC |year=2014 |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref> On 26 August 2015, she presented the ''Horizon'' episode entitled "[[OCD]]: A Monster in my Mind".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06874cc |publisher=BBC |title=OCD: A Monster in my Mind}}</ref> On 29 August 2017, she presented the ''Horizon'' episode entitled "What Makes a Psychopath?".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b093tmt7 |publisher=BBC |title=What Makes a Psychopath?}}</ref>
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On 1 March 2013, she was the guest on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[Desert Island Discs]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bps.org.uk/news/professor-uta-frith-bbc-radio-4s-desert-island |title=Professor Uta Frith on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs |publisher=bps.org.uk |year=2013 |access-date=5 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022020002/http://www.bps.org.uk/news/professor-uta-frith-bbc-radio-4s-desert-island |archive-date=22 October 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>


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On 13 December 2017, she gave an interview to the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acamh.org/|title=The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH)|website=ACAMH}}</ref> in which she talked about her early life and her passion for autism research in children.<ref name=":1" />
In 2013 Frith wrote on the visibility of women in science, by promoting an exhibition on female scientist portraits at The Royal Society.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Frith |first1=Uta |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2013/jul/01/invisible-women-science-royal-society |title=Invisible women of science – now appearing at the Royal Society |date=1 July 2013 |work=The Guardian |access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref>


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==Fellowships and awards==
From 31 March to 4 April 2014, to coincide with [[World Autism Awareness Day]] on 2 April, she was the guest of [[Sarah Walker (music broadcaster)|Sarah Walker]] on [[BBC Radio 3]]'s ''Essential Classics''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03z9jxc |title=BBC Radio 3 – Essential Classics, Monday – Sarah Walker with Uta Frith |publisher=BBC |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref>
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Frith was elected a [[List of fellows of the British Academy elected in the 2000s|Fellow of the British Academy in 2001]], a [[:Category:Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom)|Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2001]], [[List of Fellows of the Royal Society elected in 2005|a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005]], an [[British Psychological Society|Honorary Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 2006]], an Honorary Fellow of University College London in 2007, a member of the German [[Academy of Sciences Leopoldina]] in 2008, an [[List of Honorary Fellows of Newnham College, Cambridge|Honorary Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge in 2008]], a [[List of members of the National Academy of Sciences (Psychology)|Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences in 2012]], and a member of the [[European Molecular Biology Organization|European Molecular Biology Organisation]] in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cfin.au.dk/da/news-events/news/translate-to-dansk-show/artikel/uta-frith-elected-member-of-embo|title=Uta Frith elected member of EMBO|date=14 May 2014|website=cfin.au.dk}}</ref> She was President of the [[Experimental Psychology Society]] in 2006 and 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eps.ac.uk/previous-committee-members/|title=Previous Committee Officers|date=17 October 2017|website=Experimental Psychology Society}}</ref> Frith also received a honorary doctorate from the [[University of Bath]].


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In 2009, Frith and her husband, Chris, jointly received the [[European Latsis Prize]]<ref name=":3" /> for their contribution to understanding the human mind and brain,<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0911/09111901 |title=Professors Chris and Uta Frith win European Latsis Prize |access-date=10 June 2015 |date=2009-11-19}}</ref> and in 2010 she was awarded the [[Mind & Brain Prize]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mentecervello.it/home/node/53 |title=Mind & Brain Prize - Mente e Cervello |website=mentecervello.it |access-date=1 June 2018}}</ref> She received a [[William James Fellow Award]] in 2013.<ref name=":0" /> In 2014, she and her husband won the [[Jean Nicod Prize]], for their work on social cognition.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |url=http://www.institutnicod.org/seminaires-colloques/conferences-et-prix-jean-nicod/conferences-jean-nicod-2014/article/prix-et-conferences-jean-nicod-1169?lang=en |title=2014 Jean Nicod Prize |publisher=Institut Nicod}}</ref>
On 1 April 2014, she featured in "Living with Autism", an episode of the [[BBC]] [[Horizon (UK TV series)|''Horizon'']] documentary series.<ref name="IMDb" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0404861 |title=Living with Autism |publisher=BBC |year=2014 |access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref>


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In 2012, Frith became an [[List of current honorary Knights and Dames of the Order of the British Empire|Honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)]], which was made substantive on 4 April 2019<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/3895449 |title=Honours and Awards &#124; The Gazette |website=thegazette.co.uk}}</ref> after the German Government permitted dual British/German nationality.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uk.diplo.de/uk-en/02/citizenship/retention-of-citizenship/2451414|title=Retention of German citizenship upon naturalisation in another country|first=Auswärtiges|last=Amt|website=uk.diplo.de}}</ref> This allowed her to be called Dame Uta. In 2015, she was listed as one of BBC's ''[[100 Women (BBC)|100 Women]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-34745739 |title=BBC 100 Women 2015: Who is on the list? |date=17 November 2015 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=3 August 2019}}</ref>
On 26 August 2015, she presented the ''[[BBC]] [[Horizon (British TV series)|Horizon]]'' episode entitled "[[OCD]]: A Monster in my Mind".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06874cc |publisher=BBC |title=OCD: A Monster in my Mind}}</ref>

On 29 August 2017, she presented the ''BBC Horizon'' episode entitled "What Makes a Psychopath?".<ref name="IMDb" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b093tmt7 |publisher=BBC |title=What Makes a Psychopath?}}</ref>

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On 13 December 2017, she gave an interview to the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health |url=https://www.acamh.org/}}</ref> in which she talked about her early life and her passion for autism research in children.<ref name=":1" />

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==Fellowships and Awards==
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Frith was elected a [[List of fellows of the British Academy elected in the 2000s|Fellow of the British Academy in 2001]], a [[:Category:Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom)|Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2001]], [[List of Fellows of the Royal Society elected in 2005|a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005]], an [[British Psychological Society|Honorary Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 2006]], an [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/governance-compliance/honorary-awards/list-honorary-fellows#2007 Honorary Fellow of University College London in 2007,] a member of the German [[Academy of Sciences Leopoldina]] in 2008, an [[List of Honorary Fellows of Newnham College, Cambridge|Honorary Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge in 2008]], a [[List of members of the National Academy of Sciences (Psychology)|Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences in 2012]], and a member of the [[European Molecular Biology Organization|European Molecular Biology Organisation]] in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Uta Frith elected member of EMBO |url=https://cfin.au.dk/da/news-events/news/translate-to-dansk-show/artikel/uta-frith-elected-member-of-embo}}</ref> She was President of the [[Experimental Psychology Society]] in 2006–2007.

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In 2009, Uta Frith and her husband, Chris, jointly received the [[European Latsis Prize]]<ref name=":3" /> for their contribution to understanding the human mind and brain,<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0911/09111901 |title=Professors Chris and Uta Frith win European Latsis Prize |access-date=10 June 2015 |date=2009-11-19}}</ref> and in 2010 she was awarded the [[Mind & Brain Prize]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mentecervello.it/home/node/53 |title=Mind & Brain Prize - Mente e Cervello |website=www.mentecervello.it |access-date=1 June 2018}}</ref> She received a [[William James Fellow Award]] in 2013.<ref name=":0" /> In 2014, she and her husband won the [[Jean Nicod Prize]], for their work on social cognition.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |url=http://www.institutnicod.org/seminaires-colloques/conferences-et-prix-jean-nicod/conferences-jean-nicod-2014/article/prix-et-conferences-jean-nicod-1169?lang=en |title=2014 Jean Nicod Prize |publisher=Institut Nicod}}</ref>

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In 2012 she became an [[List of current honorary Knights and Dames of the Order of the British Empire|Honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)]], which was made substantive on 4 April 2019<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/3895449 |title=Honours and Awards &#124; The Gazette |website=www.thegazette.co.uk}}</ref> after the German Government permitted dual British/German nationality.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Retention of German Citizenship |url=https://uk.diplo.de/uk-en/02/citizenship/retention-of-citizenship/2451414}}</ref> This allowed her to be called Dame Uta. In 2015, she was listed as one of [[100 Women (BBC)|BBC's ''100 Women'']].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-34745739 |title=BBC 100 Women 2015: Who is on the list? |date=17 November 2015 |work=BBC News |access-date=3 August 2019 |language=en-GB}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Frith married [[Chris Frith]] in 1966.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.open.ac.uk/openlearn/CHIPs/data/accessibility/nodes/192.html|title=Investigating Psychology: CHIPs|website=www2.open.ac.uk}}</ref> He is now Professor Emeritus at the [[Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging]] at [[University College London]]. In 2008 a double portrait was painted by Emma Wesley.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://emma-wesley.co.uk/artwork/3930928-The-Neuroscientists-Portrait-of-Chris-and-Uta-Frith.html |title=The Neuroscientists: Portrait of Chris and Uta Frith |website=emma-wesley.co.uk}}</ref> They have two sons.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www2.open.ac.uk/openlearn/CHIPs/data/accessibility/nodes/192.html |title=Investigating Psychology: CHIPs |website=www2.open.ac.uk}}</ref>
Frith married [[Chris Frith]] in 1966.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.open.ac.uk/openlearn/CHIPs/data/accessibility/nodes/192.html|title=Investigating Psychology: CHIPs|website=www2.open.ac.uk}}</ref> He is now professor emeritus at the [[Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging]] at [[University College London]]. In 2008 a double portrait was painted by Emma Wesley.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://emma-wesley.co.uk/artwork/3930928-The-Neuroscientists-Portrait-of-Chris-and-Uta-Frith.html |title=The Neuroscientists: Portrait of Chris and Uta Frith |website=emma-wesley.co.uk}}</ref> They have two sons.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www2.open.ac.uk/openlearn/CHIPs/data/accessibility/nodes/192.html |title=Investigating Psychology: CHIPs |website=www2.open.ac.uk}}</ref>

She holds the title of Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Development at University College London.<ref name="UCL IRIS">{{Cite web |title=Prof Uta Frith |url=https://iris.ucl.ac.uk/iris/browse/profile?upi=UFRIT79 |website=UCL IRIS |access-date=24 April 2020}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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Latest revision as of 01:26, 6 January 2025

Dame
Uta Frith
DBE, FRS, FBA, FMedSci
Frith at the Royal Society, 2012
Born
Uta Aurnhammer

(1941-05-25) 25 May 1941 (age 83)
Rockenhausen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Citizenship
  • Germany
  • United Kingdom (since 2019)
SpouseChris Frith
Children2
Awards
Academic background
Education
ThesisPattern Detection in Normal and Autistic Children (1968)
Doctoral advisorNeil O'Connor
Other advisorsBeate Hermelin
Academic work
DisciplinePsychologist
InstitutionsUniversity College London (Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience)
Notable students
Main interests
Uta Frith's voice
from the BBC programme The Life Scientific, 6 December 2011.[1]
WebsiteOfficial website

Dame Uta Frith (née Aurnhammer; born 25 May 1941[2]) is a German-British developmental psychologist and emeritus professor in cognitive development at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London (UCL). She pioneered much of the current research into autism[3][4][5][6][7] and dyslexia.[8][9] Her book Autism: Explaining the Enigma[10][11] introduced the cognitive neuroscience of autism. She is credited with creating the Sally–Anne test along with fellow scientists Alan Leslie and Simon Baron-Cohen.[12][13] Among students she has mentored are Tony Attwood, Maggie Snowling, Simon Baron-Cohen and Francesca Happé.

Education

[edit]

Uta Aurnhammer was born in Rockenhausen, a small town in the hills between Luxembourg and Mannheim in Germany. She attended Saarland University in Saarbrücken with her initial plan for her education being in art history, but changed to experimental psychology after learning of its empirical nature.[14] She was inspired by the work of psychologist, Hans Eysenck (who debunked psychoanalysis)[15] and decided to train in clinical psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry in London.[16] While at the institute, she was taught by Jack Rachman,[16] one of the pioneers of behaviour therapy. She went on to complete her Doctor of Philosophy, on pattern detection in autistic children, in 1968.[17][18][19][16][20]

Frith was mentored, during her early career, by Neil O'Connor and Beate Hermelin and has described them as pioneers in the field of autism.[21]

Research

[edit]

Frith's research paved the way for the recognition of a theory of mind deficit in autism.[22] In 1985, while she was a member of the Medical Research Council's Cognitive Development Unit (MRC-CDU) in London, she published with Alan M. Leslie and Simon Baron-Cohen the article "Does the autistic child have a 'theory of mind'?",[23] which proposed that people with autism have specific difficulties understanding other people's beliefs and desires. This paper used a false-belief task invented by Joseph Perner in 1983. Frith, and her colleagues,[24] created two theories of autism. The first is "lack of implicit mentalizing",[25] a lack of the ability to track others' mental state with a basis in the brain.[26] The second is "weak central coherence"[27] by which she suggested that individuals with autism are better than neurotypical people at processing details, but worse at integrating information from many different sources.[28] Frith was one of the first neuroscientists to recognize autism "as a condition of the brain rather than the result of cold parenting."[29]

She was one of the first people in the UK to study Asperger's syndrome,[30] at MRC-CDU London. Her work also focused on reading development, spelling and dyslexia.[16] Frith attacked the theory that dyslexia was linked to lack of intelligence[31] or caused by sensorimotor impairments.[32] In her book on spelling,[8] she pointed out that some people can be perfectly competent readers, but extremely poor spellers, a group of dyslexics not recognised before.[16] Her research, along with that of Maggie Snowling, showed that people with dyslexia tend to struggle with phonological processing.[33][31] In 1995 Frith, Paulesu, Snowling and colleagues conducted one of the first brain imaging studies with dyslexic adults showing that, while completing tasks requiring phonological processing, people with dyslexia show a lack of functional connectivity within the language network of the brain.[34]

Frith has been supported throughout her career by the Medical Research Council at University College London.[35] She was an active collaborator at the Interacting Minds Centre[36] at Aarhus University in Denmark. The goal of the centre is to provide a trans-disciplinary platform, upon which the many aspects of human interaction may be studied. The project is based in part on a paper written with Chris Frith: "Interacting Minds – a Biological Basis".[37]

Among students she has mentored are Tony Attwood,[38] Maggie Snowling,[39] Simon Baron-Cohen[40] and Francesca Happé.[41]

Supporting women in science

[edit]

Frith has encouraged the advancement of women in science, in part by developing a support network called Science & Shopping,[42] which she hopes will "encourage women to share ideas and information that are inspiring and fun."[43] She also co-founded the UCL Women[44] network, "a grassroots networking and social organization for academic staff (postdocs and above) in STEM at UCL", in January 2013.[45] In 2015 she was named chair of the Royal Society's Diversity Committee,[46] during which time she wrote about unconscious bias and how it affects which scientists receive grants.[47]

In the media

[edit]

On 11 May 2012 Frith appeared as a guest on the American PBS Charlie Rose television interview show.[48] On 4 December she appeared as a guest on the "Brain" episode of BBC Two's Dara Ó Briain's Science Club.[49]

On 1 March 2013, she was the guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.[50] In 2013 Frith wrote on the visibility of women in science, by promoting an exhibition on female scientist portraits at The Royal Society.[51]

From 31 March to 4 April 2014, to coincide with World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April, she was the guest of Sarah Walker on BBC Radio 3's Essential Classics.[52] On 1 April 2014, she featured in "Living with Autism", an episode of the BBC Horizon documentary series.[53] On 26 August 2015, she presented the Horizon episode entitled "OCD: A Monster in my Mind".[54] On 29 August 2017, she presented the Horizon episode entitled "What Makes a Psychopath?".[55]

On 13 December 2017, she gave an interview to the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health,[56] in which she talked about her early life and her passion for autism research in children.[13]

Fellowships and awards

[edit]

Frith was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2001, a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2001, a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005, an Honorary Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 2006, an Honorary Fellow of University College London in 2007, a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2008, an Honorary Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge in 2008, a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences in 2012, and a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation in 2014.[57] She was President of the Experimental Psychology Society in 2006 and 2007.[58] Frith also received a honorary doctorate from the University of Bath.

In 2009, Frith and her husband, Chris, jointly received the European Latsis Prize[59] for their contribution to understanding the human mind and brain,[59] and in 2010 she was awarded the Mind & Brain Prize.[60] She received a William James Fellow Award in 2013.[24] In 2014, she and her husband won the Jean Nicod Prize, for their work on social cognition.[61]

In 2012, Frith became an Honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), which was made substantive on 4 April 2019[62] after the German Government permitted dual British/German nationality.[63] This allowed her to be called Dame Uta. In 2015, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women.[64]

Personal life

[edit]

Frith married Chris Frith in 1966.[65] He is now professor emeritus at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London. In 2008 a double portrait was painted by Emma Wesley.[66] They have two sons.[67]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Uta Frith". The Life Scientific. 6 December 2011. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  2. ^ "Who's Who 2023".
  3. ^ Houston, R. A.; Frith, Uta (2000). Autism in history: the case of Hugh Blair of Borgue [c. 1708–1765]. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers. ISBN 978-0-631-22088-6.
  4. ^ Gilles Trehin (2006). Urville. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84310-419-3.
  5. ^ Elisabeth Hill; Frith, Uta (2004). Autism, mind, and brain. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-852924-8.
  6. ^ Frith, Uta (1991). Autism and Asperger syndrome. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-38608-1.
  7. ^ Frith, Uta (2008). Autism. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-1992-0756-5.
  8. ^ a b Frith, Uta (1983). Cognitive Processes in Spelling. London, UK: Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-268662-7.
  9. ^ Frith, Uta; Sarah-Jayne Blakemore (2005). The learning brain: lessons for education. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4051-2401-0.
  10. ^ Leekam, Susan R. (May 1991). "Book Review: Autism: Explaining the Enigma". The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 43 (2): 301–302. doi:10.1080/14640749108400972. S2CID 149418391.
  11. ^ "Book Reviews: Autism: Explaining the enigma By Uta Frith". British Journal of Developmental Psychology. 21 (3): 465–468. 2003. doi:10.1348/026151003322277801.
  12. ^ Korkiakangas, Terhi; Dindar, Katja; Laitila, Aarno; Kärnä, Eija (November 2016). "The Sally-Anne test: an interactional analysis of a dyadic assessment". International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. 51 (6): 685–702. doi:10.1111/1460-6984.12240. ISSN 1460-6984. PMID 27184176.
  13. ^ a b "Professor Uta Frith - Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health". ACAMH. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Professor Uta Frith". University College London. 25 May 1941. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  15. ^ Eysenck, Hans (1957). Sense and Nonsense in Psychology. United Kingdom: Pelican Books. ISBN 9780140203851.
  16. ^ a b c d e Bishop, D. V. M. (2008). "Forty years on: Uta Frith's contribution to research on autism and dyslexia, 1966–2006". The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 61 (1): 16–26. doi:10.1080/17470210701508665. PMC 2409181. PMID 18038335.
  17. ^ Frith, Uta (1968). Pattern detection in children with and without autism (PhD thesis). Institute of Psychiatry, London. OCLC 728381460.
  18. ^ Frith, Uta (1970). "Studies in pattern detection in normal and autistic children. I. Immediate recall of auditory sequences". Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 76 (3): 413–420. doi:10.1037/h0020133. PMID 5490707.
  19. ^ Frith, U. (1970). "Studies in pattern detection in normal and autistic children". Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 10 (1): 120–135. doi:10.1016/0022-0965(70)90049-4. PMID 5459646.
  20. ^ Profile, University College London. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  21. ^ "Looking back: My mentors Beate Hermelin and Neil O'Connor". Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  22. ^ Askham, A. V. (2022). "'Theory of mind' in autism: A research field reborn".
  23. ^ Baron-Cohen, Simon; Leslie, Alan M.; Frith, Uta (October 1985). "Does the autistic child have a "theory of mind"?". Cognition. 21 (1): 37–46. doi:10.1016/0010-0277(85)90022-8. PMID 2934210. S2CID 14955234. Pdf.
  24. ^ a b "Uta Frith". Association for Psychological Science - APS. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  25. ^ Frith, U. (2012). "Why we need cognitive explanations of autism". Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 65 (11): 2073–2092. doi:10.1080/17470218.2012.697178. PMID 22906000. S2CID 46644086.
  26. ^ Frith, C.D. and Frith, U (2006). "The neural basis of mentalizing". Neuron. 50 (4): 531–534. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2006.05.001. PMID 16701204. S2CID 16198411.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ Frith, Uta (2008). "Weak central coherence (p. 90 ff.)". Autism. A Very Short Introduction. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780199207565.
  28. ^ Happé, F.; Frith, U. (2006). "The Weak Coherence Account: Detail-focused Cognitive Style in Autism Spectrum Disorders". Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 36 (1): 5–25. doi:10.1007/s10803-005-0039-0. PMID 16450045. S2CID 14999943.
  29. ^ Kellaway, Kate (17 February 2013). "Uta Frith: 'The brain is not a pudding; it is an engine'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  30. ^ Uta Frith (1991),"Asperger and his syndrome". Uta Frith, ed., Autism and Asperger syndrome, pp. 1–36. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521386081
  31. ^ a b Frith, U. (1999). "Paradoxes in the definition of dyslexia ". Dyslexia. 5 (4): 192–214. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-0909(199912)5:4<192::AID-DYS144>3.0.CO;2-N.
  32. ^ White, S., Milne, E., Rosen., Hansen,P., Swettenham, J., Frith, U. and Ramus, F. (2006). "The role of sensorimotor impairments in dyslexia: a multiple case study of dyslexic children". Developmental Science. 9 (3): 237–255. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2006.00483.x. PMID 16669791.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ Frith, Uta; Snowling, Maggie (23 November 2007). "Reading for meaning and reading for sound in autistic and dyslexic children". British Journal of Developmental Psychology. 1 (4): 329–342. doi:10.1111/j.2044-835x.1983.tb00906.x. ISSN 0261-510X.
  34. ^ Paulesu, E., Frith, U., Snowling, M., Gallagher, A., Morris, J., Frackowiak, R. and Frith, C.D. (1995). "Is developmental dyslexia a disconnection syndrome? Evidence from PET scanning". Brain. 119: 143–158. doi:10.1093/brain/119.1.143. PMID 8624677.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  35. ^ "Spotlight on Uta Frith". 10 July 2013.
  36. ^ "interactingminds.au.dk". interactingminds.au.dk.
  37. ^ Frith, C.D.; Frith, U. (26 November 1999). "Interacting minds—a biological basis". Science. 286 (5445): 1692–1695. doi:10.1126/science.286.5445.1692. PMID 10576727.
  38. ^ "Tony Attwood personal website". Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  39. ^ "Professor Maggie Snowling". St John's College.
  40. ^ "Simon Baron-Cohen University of Cambridge staff profile". Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  41. ^ "Francesca Happé IOP staff profile". Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  42. ^ "Science&shopping". sites.google.com.
  43. ^ Kylie Sturgess (28 October 2012). "#142 – On Women in Science and Wikipedia" (Podcast). tokenskeptic.org.
  44. ^ "Equality networks at UCL". Work at UCL. 21 August 2019.
  45. ^ "UCL Women". Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  46. ^ "Uta Frith". sites.google.com. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  47. ^ "Implicit and unconscious, the bias in us all | In Verba | Royal Society". blogs.royalsociety.org. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  48. ^ "Autism - Charlie Rose". charlierose.com. 11 May 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  49. ^ "Professor Uta Frith on BBC2 Dara O Briain's Science Club". BBC. 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  50. ^ "Professor Uta Frith on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs". bps.org.uk. 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  51. ^ Frith, Uta (1 July 2013). "Invisible women of science – now appearing at the Royal Society". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  52. ^ "BBC Radio 3 – Essential Classics, Monday – Sarah Walker with Uta Frith". BBC. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  53. ^ "Living with Autism". BBC. 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  54. ^ "OCD: A Monster in my Mind". BBC.
  55. ^ "What Makes a Psychopath?". BBC.
  56. ^ "The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH)". ACAMH.
  57. ^ "Uta Frith elected member of EMBO". cfin.au.dk. 14 May 2014.
  58. ^ "Previous Committee Officers". Experimental Psychology Society. 17 October 2017.
  59. ^ a b "Professors Chris and Uta Frith win European Latsis Prize". 19 November 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  60. ^ "Mind & Brain Prize - Mente e Cervello". mentecervello.it. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  61. ^ "2014 Jean Nicod Prize". Institut Nicod.
  62. ^ "Honours and Awards | The Gazette". thegazette.co.uk.
  63. ^ Amt, Auswärtiges. "Retention of German citizenship upon naturalisation in another country". uk.diplo.de.
  64. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2015: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  65. ^ "Investigating Psychology: CHIPs". www2.open.ac.uk.
  66. ^ "The Neuroscientists: Portrait of Chris and Uta Frith". emma-wesley.co.uk.
  67. ^ "Investigating Psychology: CHIPs". www2.open.ac.uk.
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