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Lily Smythe

@lilysmythe.bsky.social

PhD student interested in the co-occurrence of Functional Neurological Disorder and Autism. Part of NREG and Re:Spect Lab and based at the IoPPN, King's College London

30 Posts400 Follower 147 Folgt

Centre for Research in Autism and Education @craeioe.bsky.social · yesterday

A Reliable Effect of Alexithymia, but Not Autism, on Placebo Hypoalgesia #SummarisedByHumans crae.ioe.ac.uk/alexi...

Dr Gavin R. Stewart @gavrobstew.bsky.social · 4d ago

Our autism and ageing group has a new publication out on experiences of trauma and PTSD symptoms. We found higher rates of trauma and PTSD symptoms in middle-aged and older autistic adults, with stronger links between trauma and PTSD in the autistic group. doi.org/10.1177/1362...

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Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🧠 We are looking for parents of children and adolescents with both #FND and #Autism to take part in an interview! - 20 minute survey followed by a ~1 hour interview with the parent and ~30 minute interview with the child Interested? ✉️ Please message me: lily.smythe@kcl.ac.uk Thanks for sharing!

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The FND masterclass ran by the King’s Health Partners Neurosciences is such a gem! My third year going and always exciting to talk to health care providers seeking to set up or improve FND services around the UK.

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Again not biased but very excited for this

Re:Spect Lab KCL@respectlabkcl.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Feeling the post-INSAR blues? Fear not - ARCH has just the thing for you! 🎉 On May 27th, we'll be hosting Mark Somerville, who will discuss his review on the lived experience of transgender autistic people. Interested? Tickets are available @ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arch-semin... ✉️ #Autism #AutRes

This is a poster advertising the autism research (or ARCH) seminar series. This seminar will take place at 14:00 BST on the 27th of May 2026, and will take place on Zoom. The speaker is Mark Somerville (who uses he/him pronouns), a PhD student from the University of Edinburgh. The talk title is "The Lived Experience of Transgender Autistic People - A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis" and the abstract reads "I will speak on the progress of a systematic review conducted to identify qualitative studies exploring the lived experience of transgender and gender diverse autistic people. A total of 26 studies have been included in the review and the data has been synthesized to develop analytical themes integrating the results of the different studies. Double marginalization, the intersection of minority identities, the value of the neuroqueer community, and multiple forms of dysphoria have emerged as prominent themes underlying the lived experience of transgender autistic people."

Re:Spect Lab KCL @respectlabkcl.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Great time presenting my work at INSAR! Currently in the process of writing up the findings from my qualitative study I ran with autistic individuals with FND, and had some lovely chats with people at INSAR about FND

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · 5mo ago

in beautiful prague for INSAR 2026! really looking forward to the next few days

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · 6mo ago

I had a wonderful time at the BNPA conference the other week! Brilliant discussion about functional cognitive disorder (and a brilliant lunch too!)

Alex Griffin @alexegriffin.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Really excited for next week's ARCH talk about memes! Whether you know what "unc" means or if you know who this penguin is, we'd love to see you all there 🐧

Re:Spect Lab KCL@respectlabkcl.bsky.social · 7mo ago

🗣️Could it be? It's ARCH next week! Join us next Wednesday to hear from Dr Ashlea Cromby (with an introduction from Dr Rebecca Wood) about her PhD work about autistic communication through memes. Tickets available @ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arch-semin... We hope to see you there!

This is a poster advertising the Autism Research (or ARCH) Seminar Series. This edition is taking place at 2pm on the 25th of March 2026 on Zoom. The speakers are Dr Ashlea Cromby, a postdoctoral researcher who is an alumni of the University of East London, and Dr Rebecca Wood, a senior lecturer in inclusive education at the University of Glasgow. The talk title is "Meme-ingful communications" and the abstract reads: "My PhD examined autistic communication through the lens of internet memes, using semiotic and cultural analysis to understand how memes function as a dynamic, accessible expressive system."

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Very interesting evening at the 62nd Maudsley debate, discussing whether the global rise in neurodivergence is due to awareness. I think everyone came out of that debate understanding it is a much more complex matter than simply increasing awareness

Re:Spect Lab KCL @respectlabkcl.bsky.social · last yr.

📣The ARCH seminar is back! Join us on October 22nd to hear from Nell Fahey (with introduction from Dr Gavin Stewart) about their work on the social experiences of middle-aged and older autistic adults. More info on our mailout - sign up and get tickets @ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arch-semin...

This is a poster advertising the ARCH (or Autism Research) Seminar Series. This talk takes place on the 22nd of October, 2025, at 2pm on Zoom. The talk is being given by Nell Fahey, who uses she and her pronouns, and is an MSc graduate from King's College London. She is being introduced by Dr Gavin Stewart, who uses he and him pronouns, and is a senior research fellow at King's College London. The talk title is "Exploring the Social Experiences of Autistic Adults in Midlife and Old Age: a co-produced qualitative study". The abstract reads "Being connected to other people and having good access to social support are often linked to a better quality of life as we get older. However, autistic people often experience barriers to being socially connected. Our co-produced study set out to explore the social experiences of middle-aged and older autistic adults, with a particular focus on the types of social connections they would like as they age. We interviewed 33 autistic people in midlife and old age and conducted a reflexive thematic analysis of their responses. Our findings highlighted the varying impact that ageing can have on people’s social experiences and suggest that social motivations and barriers to social interaction may differ for autistic adults in midlife compared with those in old age. In this talk, we will describe our co-production process and highlight these key findings and what they mean for autistic people."

Tim Nicholson @timnicholson.bsky.social · last yr.

Superb work from @lilysmythe.bsky.social - 1st of what I’m sure will be lots of great papers from her @ukri.org MRC funded PhD investigating emerging complex and potentially important overlap & relationship between FND & ASD👏👏👊🏻👊🏻 Big e-records (TrinetX) study showing ⬆️ rates of comorbidity

Lily Smythe@lilysmythe.bsky.social · last yr.

Autism and FND are both complex and often misunderstood. This study is a step toward understanding that overlap - and hopefully toward better diagnosis and support. Thanks to my co-authors @liviaasan.bsky.social, @timnicholson.bsky.social, Francesca Happé, and Mark Edwards

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · last yr.

Excited to share my first first-author paper in Journal of Neurology! 🧠 Using the TriNetX dataset (176M patients), we explored co-occurring FND and Autism - work first presented at the RCPsych Neuropsychiatry Conf Read it here: link.springer.com/article/10.1... #Autism #FND #Neuropsychiatry

Co-occurring functional neurological disorder and autism: an exploratory study of comorbidities in a retrospective cohort study using TriNetX - Journal of Neurology

Background Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) encompasses motor, cognitive, and sensory symptoms resulting from disruptions in brain-body communication. Emerging research suggests a higher-than-expected occurrence of autism in FND, potentially due to shared cognitive mechanisms and overlapping comorbidities. However, large-scale characterisation of this dual-diagnosis is lacking. Methods Using de-identified health records from the TriNetX research network, we identified children and adults with both FND and autism (‘FND + Autism’), comparing them to individuals with FND only (‘FND-only’) and autism only (‘Autism-only’). We examined psychiatric comorbidities (e.g. mood, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, personality disorders, obsessive–compulsive disorder), intellectual disability and ADHD. Results Of 220,312 individuals with an FND diagnosis, and 674,971 individuals with an autism diagnosis, 5,152 (2.3% of FND, 0.76% of autism) had both FND and autism. The rates of autism were therefore 6 times higher in FND compared to the base rates of the TriNetX population. Most were diagnosed with autism before FND, with over one-third diagnosed in childhood. Functional seizures were the most common FND subtype, and were more frequent in FND + Autism than FND-only (adults: 52% vs. 44%; children: 47% vs. 42%). Comorbidity across all psychiatric conditions was significantly higher in FND + Autism compared to both comparison groups. ADHD was particularly elevated in FND + Autism (adults: 50% vs. 13% FND-only, 36% Autism-only; children: 64% vs. 21% FND-only, 41% Autism-only). Conclusions This study presents the largest dataset to date characterising individuals with co-occurring FND and autism. Findings are consistent with previous findings of higher rates of autism in people with FND and reveal a potentially distinct clinical profile, marked by elevated rates of ADHD and psychiatric comorbidities, and increased occurrence of functional seizures compared to FND- or Autism-only groups. Recognising this overlap may improve diagnosis, clinical care, and understanding of mechanisms underlying the co-occurrence of FND and autism.

link.springer.com

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · last yr.

Great day at the Faculty of Neuropsychiatry conference at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. I got to present data from my new paper in press in the Journal of Neurology, and listened to a fantastic discussion around assisted dying!

Dr Gavin R. Stewart @gavrobstew.bsky.social · last yr.

I'm very pleased that our new narrative review on autism in midlife and old age has now been published in the Annual Review of Developmental Psychology (by me and @proffrancescahappe.bsky.social). We cover a lot of topics... more below! Open access: doi.org/10.1146/annu... #AutRes

Aging Across the Autism Spectrum | Annual Reviews

Aging in autistic populations is a historically neglected but now rapidly advancing area of research. This narrative review provides a broad overview of the current state of the field of aging on the ...

annualreviews.org

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · last yr.

🧠 New study at KCL looking for volunteers with both #FND and #Autism to take part in an interview sharing your experiences! - 15 minute survey followed by a 1 hour interview Interested? ✉️ Please message me: lily.smythe@kcl.ac.uk Thanks for sharing!

Paul Graf @paulginva.bsky.social · last yr.

1/2 Most of the time, the use of over the top words like "terrifying" just makes the author look like a crank, but in this case, it could very well be justified. Memory of what was written was virtually nonexistent and brain connectivity collapsed by 47%. Read the thread. x.com/itsalexvacca...

This image is a screenshot of a social media post by Alex Vacca on X announcing a new MIT study on the cognitive effects of using ChatGPT.
The study, titled "Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task," suggests that using AI tools like ChatGPT for tasks such as essay writing may lead to reduced brain activity and cognitive engagement.
The research, conducted by the MIT Media Lab, indicates that while AI might seem to increase productivity, it could be making users "cognitively bankrupt" by reducing brain connectivity in areas related to memory, executive control, and creativity.
The study used dynamic Direct Transfer Function (dDTF) EEG analysis of the Alpha Band to compare brain activity in groups using LLMs (like ChatGPT), search engines, and brain-only approaches for essay writing.
Results showed that participants relying on LLMs exhibited the weakest brain connectivity compared to those using search engines or no external tools, suggesting a potential "cognitive debt" associated with AI assistance.

Hamilton Morrin @hamiltonmorrin.bsky.social · last yr.

🧠 Study exploring new FND treatment! We’re exploring patient views on Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) for #FND rehab. ✅ 18+ ✅ Diagnosed w/ motor FND (e.g. weakness, tremor) 📝 10-min survey and educational video: qualtrics.kcl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_... 📎 Poster below #FNDresearch #BCI

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · last yr.

Another great discussion meeting ‘From being to identity: analysis and synthesis of the self’ at the Royal Society yesterday! Brilliant to hear about work being done around conceptualisation of the self, including a fantastic panel discussion on lived experience of diversity in experience of self.

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · last yr.

excited for this next week!

Re:Spect Lab KCL@respectlabkcl.bsky.social · last yr.

🚨May Talk Announcement!🚨 Join us on May 28th at 2PM to hear Kayleigh Doyle (@kayleighdoyle.bsky.social) discuss her PhD work looking at using the creative arts to teach autistic students. Tickets are available at eventbrite.co.uk/e/arch-semin... We hope to see you there!

This is a poster advertising the Autism Research Seminar Series, or ARCH. This talk is called "Creative arts-based pegagogy (CABP) with autistic students: co-producing a manifesto", and is delivered by Kayleigh Doyle, a PhD student at the University of York. The talk will take place on May 28th at 2pm on Zoom. The talk abstract reads: "In this research, I explore how autistic young people and teachers feel about using the creative arts to teach autistic students in mainstream schools, and what they perceive to be barriers and facilitators. In this talk, I will briefly touch upon the findings from two systematic reviews, before discussing the findings from two empirical studies, a teacher questionnaire and student interviews. I will finish by outlining the planned next steps, a co-production workshop with the aim to develop a co-produced "creative arts-based pedagogy manifesto"."

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · last yr.

Still processing what a fantastic experience this was, and how lucky I feel to have attended it! One week of learning, inspiration, and fantastic conversations with wonderful people. Thank you @sarahgarf.bsky.social and @skhalsa.bsky.social for creating such a wonderful and productive space!

Sarah Garfinkel@sarahgarf.bsky.social · 2y ago

I'm excited to be co-leading a course on Interoception and Brain disorders with Sahib Khalsa @skhalsa.bsky.social on the beautiful academic island of San Servolo, Venice, in May 2025 www.neurosas.org/advanced-cou...

Karin Roelofs @epanlab.bsky.social · last yr.

What an amazing week on San Servolo on interoception and brain disorders; I learned so much, thanks all for the great discussions and thanks for the great organization and all the the fun! @skhalsa.bsky.social @sarahgarf.bsky.social

Sarah Garfinkel@sarahgarf.bsky.social · 2y ago

Zarah Sultana MP @zarahsultana.bsky.social · last yr.

Solidarity with trans women after today’s Supreme Court ruling. The rollback of LGBT rights — especially trans rights — is global, bankrolled by billionaires and the far-right. Trans rights are human rights. We must defend the Equality Act and its protections for trans people.

Re:Spect Lab KCL @respectlabkcl.bsky.social · 2y ago

📢April Talk Announcement 📢 Join us on April 16th to see @lomasresearch.bsky.social discuss his PhD research exploring the usefulness of Theory of Mind in pedagogy. Tickets can be found here: eventbrite.co.uk/e/arch-semin... We hope to see you there!

This poster is advertising the Autism Research Seminar Series, or ARCH. The talk will be given by Matthew Lomas, a PhD student at the University of Exeter. The talk will take place on April 16th, 2025, at 2pm
and on Zoom. The talk title reads "How Important is Theory of Mind to Human Pedagogy?". The talk abstract reads "The ecological dominance of humans has been often suggested as being underlined by our capacity for pedagogy (i.e. teaching), but the mechanisms the enable us to transfer knowledge effectively are not well understood. Theory of Mind (ToM, i.e. the capacity to consider the minds of others) has typically been framed as human’s “silver bullet”, however empirical research is lacking and this position is contradicted by accounts of teaching by neuro-divergent people, and studies of non-human teaching. This presentation will discuss research which seeks to evidence questions about the role of ToM in human pedagogy, using experimental designs that aim to contrast and characterise Autistic and non-Autistic approaches to teaching."

FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 2y ago

Today is FND Awareness Day (UK)! FND is a common, painful, and disabling disorder. It remains under-studied and stigmatized, but we’re making progress. Here’s my in-depth personal essay on how we got here. medium.com/@fndportal/c...

Cadenza for Fractured Consciousness

A Personal History of the World’s Most Misunderstood Illness

medium.com

Lily Smythe @lilysmythe.bsky.social · 2y ago

completely unrelated to my phd but a few weeks ago i went to sarajevo and i’ve not stopped thinking about how great a trip it was! sarajevo is an brilliant city with an extensive and harrowing history that it still carries with it but the people, the food, and the spirit of the city was incredible

Frances Ryan @francesryan.bsky.social · 2y ago

“This is austerity dressed up as reform, where the government cuts the money disabled people need to live on in order to balance the books, while claiming it’s all being done to help them.” My col. on Labour’s sweeping disability cuts and mark of shame. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

These cruel benefit cuts will rob security from so many – but Labour will lose something crucial too | Frances Ryan

The worst reforms since George Osborne will teach voters that politicians really are all the same. Is it worth it? asks Guardian columnist Frances Ryan

theguardian.com

Livia Asan @liviaasan.bsky.social · 2y ago

🧠 Help Us Understand Pain Perception in FND! 🧠 Looking for volunteers with & without #FND for a study in London @kingsioppn.bsky.social. Single lab visit testing pain perception with electrical stimulation. Interested? Please message me: Livia.Asan@kcl.ac.uk ✉️ Thanks for sharing!