Like the other neurodivergent communities, this is a space to connect, share our struggles, new resources and research, memes, and most of all support each other. Women have been historically overlooked and continue to be missed for autism diagnosis. As such, having a place specifically for women to share our unique experiences and struggles is important to many of us.
As always, be kind and welcome everyone who wants to learn more.
Resources for more info:
Drs. Karen Barnes, Jess Peterson, and Natasha Harrington from Seattle Children’s on Autism in Women https://youtu.be/XJ0weHzBagU
Irene C - Autism Coach on Diagnosis in Women, but her whole channel is really great https://youtu.be/6UlYk-QwaTs
The Neurodivergent Woman Podcast https://www.ndwomanpod.com/
The Square Peg Podcast - Women and Non-binary stories https://squarepeg.community/podcast/
Thanks for getting this up and running, it’s an important topic - I had a couple of female friends who weren’t diagnosed until much later in life but know a few girls (family members, friends’ children) who have been diagnosed in their teens, so it does seem to be getting better.
We still have a lot to go with mental health and neurodivergence care in general but I agree that kids today have so much more resources available to them and that makes me very glad. So many of us throughout history have suffered so much without understanding why. I’m very grateful for the resources I have found to help me understand myself better and help me find coping techniques, even though it’s come very late.
Yes, going from no help to some help is a big improvement but it can still be a struggle accessing getting the necessary support, especially in cash-strapped Britain at the moment.