Episode 39 – Autism in Females and Those Assigned Female at Birth

Co-hosts Marianne and Kim are joined by three young people, Maddie, Sam and Zoe, with lived experience of autism to discuss the misconceptions of autism in females and those assigned female at birth, experiences at school and tips on how to better support people with autism. They are also joined by Tyrone and Freya from the Mental Health Schools Team who work with young people in schools. Abbreviations used throughout ASC: Autism Spectrum Condition ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder (Old Term) MHST: Mental Health Schools Team EHCP: Education, Health and Care Plan. TA: Teaching Assistants Immie Swain: How to spot signs of Autism in pupils https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8hrFwfhwNw The Times Educational Supplement: ‘Lack of teacher training ‘hitting autistic pupils’ education’ https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/lack-teacher-training-hitting-autistic-pupils-education [00:00:22] Introductions [00:06:06] Misconceptions of Autism in Females [00:11:19] Masking [00:14:43] The Effects of Age of Diagnosis [00:18:07] Autism Diagnosis and School Support [00:23:30] Strategies for coping with Autism [00:30:40] Sensory Overloads [00:35:00] Bullying [00:40:18] Special Interests [00:43:04] Outro