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Unmasking the Invisible: Autistic Teen Girls and those socialized as girls

Explore how camouflaging shapes & impacts the identity, relationships, and mental health of teen girls and those socialized as girls.

What you'll learn

High-masking autistic teen girls often remain overlooked or misunderstood in psychological assessments, leading to missed or delayed diagnoses and insufficient supports. This training dives into the nuanced traits, lived experiences, and intersectional challenges faced by autistic teens who mask, equipping psychologists with the tools to better assess and support this population. This training will explore how camouflaging shapes their identity, relationships, and mental health. Participants will learn how to identify subtle autistic traits, consider the impact of camouflaging/masking on their experiences, and design affirming therapeutic interventions to support emotional regulation, self-understanding, and self-advocacy. By unmasking the unique experiences of these teens, clinicians can foster a deeper connection with their clients and provide the compassionate care they deserve.

Objectives:

2 hour course with 2 APA CEs. 
  • Identify three nuanced signs of autism in high-masking autistic teen girls and those socialized as female, including how their traits may differ from traditional diagnostic criteria or presentations in boys.
  • Distinguish how masking influences the self-perception, emotional regulation, and mental health of autistic teen girls and those socialized as female, and explore the intersectional challenges tied to neurodivergence and gender.
  • Deploy at least one specific strategy to tailor diagnostic evaluations for high-masking autistic teen girls and those socialized as gilrs, including how to elicit authentic communication and account for masking behaviors during interviews and testing.
  • Develop at least two therapeutic interventions that validate autistic teens' experiences, foster self-understanding, and provide practical tools for managing executive functioning challenges, emotional regulation, and social dynamics.

*Most licensing boards accept APA credits, though it is up to you to confirm if you license, board and state will accept APA continuing education units. 
Meet the instructor

Jamie Roberts, LMFT

Jamie (she/her)  is an AuDHD NeuroQueer LMFT in California. She has been providing psychosocial assessments since 2014, beginning in a psychiatry practice specializing in neurodevelopemental disorders. Jamie is the founder of NeuroPebble and sees clients in her group practice Equilibrium Counseling Services.
Patrick Jones - Course author
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