In this week’s podcast Dale Pickles from B Squared is joined by Sarah-Jane Critchley to discuss Autism in Girls, why so few are identified, the lack of support that is available and why this all needs to change.
Autism in girls is a big topic, and Sarah Jane has lots of experience, both professionally through her work with the Autism Education Trust and personally as her daughter who is soon to be starting university has autism. Autism is one of Sarah Jane’s passions. She is a member of the National Autism in Girls Forum and a contributing author to the book ‘Autism in Girls’ as well as her own book ‘A Different Joy: The Parent’s Guide to Living Better with Autism, Dyslexia, ADHD and more…’.
We talk about how, due to the different types of play that boys and girls engage in at a younger age, autistic traits are often hidden for girls. Girls are often better at masking symptoms. There is no typical profile, they can all be very different, we discuss the various things you can look for.
There are lots of girls and women now being diagnosed with autism. What can be done and where do you get support? The earlier the diagnosis/recognition, the better. A leading cause of death in late-diagnosed autistic adults is suicide, with women being more at risk. More needs to be done to prevent this, and it needs to start as early as possible. We share a few tips on how to make school better/easier for girls with autism.
Useful Links
I have a chapter co-written with Beth in Judith Hebron and Caroline Bond. Educating Autistic Girls
A Different Joy Website. Lots of useful information including a Mastermind group for autistic women
NAS Autism in girls and women online training module
Be the first to hear when new podcasts go live!
The SENDcast is powered by B Squared
We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals – which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.
Introducing SENDcast Sessions
SENDcast Sessions are a new way for schools to access high quality CPD from SEND experts brought to you by the SENDcast. It’s the same great guests featured on our weekly podcast, delivering focused 1-hour online training sessions on a wide range of SEND topics.
SENDcast Sessions provide schools with in depth content that can be accessed forever. Build a library of online CPD that your school can continue to use in the future – choose from over 100 training sessions!
