This explains so much of my experience as a late diagnosed autistic woman! Thank you for writing about this topic. If we can help identify girls before mental & physical health problems take hold, we could lessen so much suffering and unlock unrealized potential ✨️
I’m so glad more research is being done in this area in the last couple of years, it’s such an important area. Other studies have found too that neurodivergent friends (who are neuro-affirming) also makes a very important impact on helping people embrace who they are behind the mask. This has been important and special for my autistic daughter and I’m very thankful for her friendship group.
💯 I think the overlap is so interesting and deserves much more attention and study! And not even gender identity but gender nonconformity and the social/community side of gender too
Wow such an important study. I’ve been trying to figure out where I might fall re: ADHD and autism. But it’s been a bit confusing with reflections on childhood. I have a question if it’s possible to answer. Would changing behavior generally in response to how parents responded (so more specifically on the subject of how I was acting) count as masking?
Omg thank you for this! I feel like A LOT of my behavior changed because of stuff I “wasn’t supposed to do,” and it just stuck. So this is helpful to consider!
Masking starts way earlier than people think—already in kindergarten!
By the time toddlers stop parallel play and start interacting, girls already know they have to behave differently than boys. Neurodivergent girls don’t instinctively fit those stereotypes, so they start masking super early to blend in.
I see it with my kids: My 9-year-old daughter is painfully aware of her masking and how exhausting it is. My 15-year-old son, on the other hand, only realized last year that his natural behavior isn’t always "socially acceptable." Why? Because nobody expected him to be cute, smiley, or emotionally tuned in. His "resting bitch face" was just seen as a normal boy thing. Meanwhile, my daughter would get social pushback for the same traits.
That’s why early diagnosis needs to happen in kindergarten—but it only works if we actually recognize how masking looks different in girls. Otherwise, we keep missing them, and they don’t get the support they need.
I'm struggling to keep up with my newsletters, workbooks, worksheets, and web pages to find any other images that can keep up. But if you have suggestions, I would be willing to hear them!
This explains so much of my experience as a late diagnosed autistic woman! Thank you for writing about this topic. If we can help identify girls before mental & physical health problems take hold, we could lessen so much suffering and unlock unrealized potential ✨️
For folks interested, the CAT-Q measures masking for neurotypical and neurodiverse folks: https://embrace-autism.com/cat-q/
I’m so glad more research is being done in this area in the last couple of years, it’s such an important area. Other studies have found too that neurodivergent friends (who are neuro-affirming) also makes a very important impact on helping people embrace who they are behind the mask. This has been important and special for my autistic daughter and I’m very thankful for her friendship group.
Very much applies to AFAB gender diverse individuals too
I would imagine it's true. We need so much more research here, and we know gender diversity intersects with neurodiversity.
💯 I think the overlap is so interesting and deserves much more attention and study! And not even gender identity but gender nonconformity and the social/community side of gender too
Wow such an important study. I’ve been trying to figure out where I might fall re: ADHD and autism. But it’s been a bit confusing with reflections on childhood. I have a question if it’s possible to answer. Would changing behavior generally in response to how parents responded (so more specifically on the subject of how I was acting) count as masking?
YES
Omg thank you for this! I feel like A LOT of my behavior changed because of stuff I “wasn’t supposed to do,” and it just stuck. So this is helpful to consider!
You are welcome, I”m glad it is helpful
It's perfectly possible to be both autistic *and* ADHD
Masking starts way earlier than people think—already in kindergarten!
By the time toddlers stop parallel play and start interacting, girls already know they have to behave differently than boys. Neurodivergent girls don’t instinctively fit those stereotypes, so they start masking super early to blend in.
I see it with my kids: My 9-year-old daughter is painfully aware of her masking and how exhausting it is. My 15-year-old son, on the other hand, only realized last year that his natural behavior isn’t always "socially acceptable." Why? Because nobody expected him to be cute, smiley, or emotionally tuned in. His "resting bitch face" was just seen as a normal boy thing. Meanwhile, my daughter would get social pushback for the same traits.
That’s why early diagnosis needs to happen in kindergarten—but it only works if we actually recognize how masking looks different in girls. Otherwise, we keep missing them, and they don’t get the support they need.
Love to see research being disseminated in such an easy to understand way. Can I recommend not using AI generated images in your work?
I'm struggling to keep up with my newsletters, workbooks, worksheets, and web pages to find any other images that can keep up. But if you have suggestions, I would be willing to hear them!
Just don’t include images then, at that point. It takes away from your credibility as a genuine source and not AI yourself.
Thank you for writing about this 💖 30 year old late diagnosed AuDHD woman here, seeking to know myself better and heal my inner child✨
Hi !Thank you for reading it. The research is essential. I love that they are caring about it.
I just found your newsletter and am so glad I did! Love your research-backed approach to raising awareness. Keep at it!