Is This Autism? Recognizing and Understanding the Less Obvious Presentations of Autism with Dr. Donna Henderson

NOTE: This workshop will not be recorded. Registrants must attend the full live event to receive CEUs and/or a certificate of attendance.

Workshop Description: Over the past few decades, the prevalence of autism has risen from 1 in 150 to 1 in 36. This is due in part to our better understanding of autistics who camouflage. Recent research suggests that there are still significant numbers of undiagnosed autistics, and that accurate diagnosis can be lifechanging for these individuals (and their families). However, many clinicians, both novice and seasoned, continue to feel ill-equipped to recognize autism and/or to rely on an outdated understanding of it. It is essential that all clinicians are updated on the ways to recognize when their clients may be autistic, particularly but not exclusively their female clients. This workshop will provide that clarity by describing the DSM diagnostic criteria for autism and the many ways they can present, particularly in bright individuals with less obvious autistic traits. This workshop also covers a practice, easy-to-follow approach for clinicians to consider whether or not their clients may be autistic.

Three literature references in support of the workshop:

• Duvall, S., Armstrong, K., Shahabuddin, A., Grantz, C., Fein, D., & Lord, C. (2022). A road map for identifying autism spectrum disorder: Recognizing and evaluating characteristics that should raise red or "pink" flags to guide accurate differential diagnosis. The Clinical neuropsychologist, 36(5), 1172–1207. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2021.1921276
• D'Mello, A. M., Frosch, I. R., Li, C. E., Cardinaux, A. L., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2022). Exclusion of females in autism research: Empirical evidence for a "leaky" recruitment-to-research pipeline. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 15(10), 1929–1940. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2795
• Lai, M. C., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2015). Identifying the lost generation of adults with autism spectrum conditions. The lancet. Psychiatry, 2(11), 1013–1027. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00277-1

Learning objectives:

• Describe core characteristics of individuals with a less obvious presentation of autism.
• Identify ways that autistic females may present differently from autistic males.
• Describe a structured and objective

Dr. Donna Henderson has been a clinical neuropsychologist for over 30 years. She is passionate about identifying and supporting autistic individuals, particularly those who camouflage, and she is co-author (with Drs. Sarah Wayland and Jamell White) of two books: Is This Autism? A guide for clinicians and everyone else and Is This Autism? A companion guide for diagnosing. Dr. Henderson’s professional home is The Stixrud Group in Silver Spring, Maryland, where she provides neuropsychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults who would like to understand themselves better. She is a sought-after lecturer on the less obvious presentations of autism, autistic girls and women, PDA, and on parenting children with complex profiles. She also enjoys providing neurodiversity-affirmative training and case consultation for other healthcare professionals.

This course meets the qualifications for 3 hours of continuing education credit for LEPs, LMFTs, LPCCs and LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. This course also qualifies for 3 hours of continuing professional development for Nationally Certified School Psychologists, under provider number 1025. CASP maintains responsibility for the program and its content.

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Membership fees:

• Regular/Associate: $30
• Retired/Student: $20

For disability assistance, please contact events@sccasp.org.