Understanding autism in girls and young women Webinar
Neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism, in girls and women are less well recognised or recognised at an older age. Unmet needs or missed diagnosis can lead to persistent problems in adult life (Scottish Government, Children and young people – national neurodevelopmental specification: principles and standards of care, 2021). It is recognised that girls and women often mask autistic traits, and this can have a profound impact in terms of their mental health and wellbeing. Early detection and correct diagnosis allow understanding and access to appropriate supports.
Webinar recording
Speaker for this webinar: Dr Ann Ozsivadjian, Clinical Psychologist has worked for several years in a specialist complex neurodevelopmental disorders team. Her research interests and clinical specialism are mental health problems in autism and adapting interventions for autistic young people.
Content of the webinar: This is a recording of the 3 hour webinar delivered on 21st February 2024 (and recorded in April 2024) which will provide participants with information about:
- Missed / misdiagnosed Autism in girls and young women and prevalence rates
- How Autistic girls present
- Why it is important to recognise and support Autistic girls and women
- Masking and its consequences for mental health and wellbeing
- Risk and vulnerability
- Authenticity and understanding
- Q&A at the end of the webinar
Target Audience: This webinar is relevant to anyone who works with girls or women who have, or may have, ADHD or who simply want to know more about this topic. The whole session is 3 hours long but a breakdown is provided below so that you can think about how you might break your review of it into smaller sections:
Introduction – start to 14.30 minutes
Overview of context and ADHD - from 14.30 mins
Why a diagnosis of ADHD may be missed (includes masking, Assessment and different presentations) - from 55 mins.
Why misdiagnosis of girls and women with ADHS is common - from 1hr 51
Treatment - from 2hrs 20
What can we do to support these girls and women - from 2hrs 27
Resources - from 2hr 46mins
Q and A - from 2hr 51 mins
We hope you find this webinar useful in your practice. Please complete the feedback questionnaire after the webinar (link at the end of the webinar).
*For ease and clarity of writing we use the terms female / girl / women, we are referring to those assigned female at birth, but we acknowledge that not all people will identify with this language.
