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Seen and Heard: Autism and ADHD in Girls and Gender-Diverse Young People

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About Course

Girls and gender-diverse young people with autism and ADHD are diagnosed on average 4 to 7 years later than their male peers – years often marked by anxiety, burnout, eating disorders, and deep shame before anyone understands what is actually happening. This course unpacks why female and gender-diverse presentations look so different from the textbook picture, how masking hides the true profile, and what genuinely affirming support looks like at home, at school, and in the clinic. Whether you are a parent, teacher, GP, or allied health professional, this course gives you the knowledge and practical tools to recognise, advocate for, and support the young people who have been told they are too much or not enough for far too long.

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What Will You Learn?

  • Explain why diagnostic criteria developed using predominantly male subjects systematically miss girls and gender-diverse young people with autism and ADHD
  • Identify the internalised and socialised presentations most commonly overlooked in clinical and school settings, including perfectionism, social mimicry, and people-pleasing
  • Recognise masking behaviours and articulate their long-term mental health consequences including burnout, depression, and self-harm
  • Connect undiagnosed autism and ADHD to eating disorders, anxiety, and self-harm presentations in adolescent girls using current research
  • Advocate confidently for assessment when a young person does not match the clinician's picture of autism or ADHD
  • Apply gender-sensitive, affirming support strategies in classroom, home, and clinical settings across secondary school stages
  • Explain the disproportionate overlap between autism and gender diversity and apply that understanding to inclusive, identity-affirming practice
  • Use Australian diagnosis timeline data to contextualise a young person's experience and guide next steps for families and professionals

Course Content

The Diagnostic Gap: Why Girls Are Missed and What It Costs

  • Built for Boys: How Diagnostic Criteria Exclude Female and Gender-Diverse Presentations
  • The Australian Data: Diagnosis Timelines, Statistics, and What Is Changing Nationally
  • The Cost of Being Missed: Anxiety, Depression, Burnout, and Lost Years
  • How To: Spot the Red Flags That a Diagnosis Has Been Missed in a Teenage Girl

Masking, Camouflaging, and the Performance of Fine

The Presentations Clinicians Miss: Anxiety, Perfectionism, and Eating Disorders

Advocacy, Assessment, and Getting a Diagnosis That Fits

Gender Identity, Affirming Support, and Practical Strategies

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