Neurodiversity in Females

Facilitated by Public Health North Lincolnshire, this training is provided by Kalmer Counselling. 

Traditionally neurodivergence has been diagnosed more commonly among males, but it has become increasingly recognised among females in the last decade. The diagnosis is often made later in females because of their tendency to mask or ‘camouflage’ their differences to reduce the perceived risk of social exclusion. Partially due to this, the pattern of symptoms that they may develop is often also different to that seen in males. Increased sensitivity to a wide variety of sensory and emotional stimuli underlies much of the widespread distress and discomfort perceived by neurodivergent women. This may manifest from an early age as anxiety, hyper-focus and rigidity of thought, leading to the later development of distress expressed through both mental and physical signs and symptoms.

This training course covers:

• Consider gender differences through an evolutionary perspective.
• Examine how ADHD symptoms can present differently in males and females.
• Identify differences in the presentation of autistic traits across genders.
• Develop a greater understanding of masking and camouflaging, and why they occur.
• Consider the impact of being underdiagnosed, misunderstood or misdiagnosed.
  
• Understand why females are more likely to be missed or misdiagnosed.