What is the experience of “high functioning” autistic girls, women and mothers accessing speech pathology services.
Tracks
Concurrent session T4
Across the lifespan
ADHD
Adolescent
Adult
Autism
Change management
Executive functioning
Mental health
Neurodiversity
Professional practice
Professional standards
Social communication
Trauma informed practice
| Tuesday, May 28, 2024 |
| 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM |
| River View Room 04 |
Overview
Georgia Tucker
Details
⏫ Research insights
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Intermediate (some previous learning/working knowledge of topic e.g. treated a few cases)
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Intermediate (some previous learning/working knowledge of topic e.g. treated a few cases)
Presenter
Ms Georgia Tucker
Masters Student/ Student Sp/aha/ Mch Nurse With Hobsons Bay City Council
What is the experience of “high functioning” autistic girls, women and mothers accessing speech pathology services.
2:30 PM - 2:45 PMPresentation summary
Abstract title: What is the experience of “high functioning” Autistic girls, women and mothers accessing Speech Pathology services.
Background: Autism describes a neurodevelopmental condition encompassing a range of difficulties with social interaction and communication. Autism is heterogenous and may be mild to severe, intersecting with a range from intellectual disability to superior intelligence. Speech Pathologists are amongst the professionals best suited to be involved in all aspects of assessment, diagnosis, and intervention, yet reductionist statistics promoted and ingrained biases held by individual practitioners prevent girls and women accessing necessary support in many cases. Little research exists regarding the experiences of neurodivergent women who access Speech Pathology services, however research drawn from other related fields indicates the primacy of further research and professional acknowledgement and support of girls and women who have been overlooked heretofore. It appears that the Speech Pathology (SP) profession could be central to improving diagnostic efficacy and associated life experiences for women; Speech Pathologists can help autistic women and mothers to understand and be understood.
Aims: For Speech Pathologists to acknowledge potential biases held which can make accessing diagnosis and therapeutic services difficult for Autistic girls, women and mothers.
Methods: The systematised review involved comprehensive searching of six databases, forward and reverse citation searching, application of eligibility criteria during the search process, quality review, data extraction, and meta-ethnographic thematic analysis.
Main Contribution: There is a lack of research relating to the experiences of “high functioning” autistic girls, women and mothers accessing Speech Pathology services. Autistic women have been overlooked in service provision due to invisibility, masking, bias and difficulty with the interpretation of diagnostic criteria and tools
Conclusions. This review identified some of the difficulties late-diagnosed, undiagnosed, mis-diagnosed and self-diagnosed Autistic women have experienced when accessing health care services.
Background: Autism describes a neurodevelopmental condition encompassing a range of difficulties with social interaction and communication. Autism is heterogenous and may be mild to severe, intersecting with a range from intellectual disability to superior intelligence. Speech Pathologists are amongst the professionals best suited to be involved in all aspects of assessment, diagnosis, and intervention, yet reductionist statistics promoted and ingrained biases held by individual practitioners prevent girls and women accessing necessary support in many cases. Little research exists regarding the experiences of neurodivergent women who access Speech Pathology services, however research drawn from other related fields indicates the primacy of further research and professional acknowledgement and support of girls and women who have been overlooked heretofore. It appears that the Speech Pathology (SP) profession could be central to improving diagnostic efficacy and associated life experiences for women; Speech Pathologists can help autistic women and mothers to understand and be understood.
Aims: For Speech Pathologists to acknowledge potential biases held which can make accessing diagnosis and therapeutic services difficult for Autistic girls, women and mothers.
Methods: The systematised review involved comprehensive searching of six databases, forward and reverse citation searching, application of eligibility criteria during the search process, quality review, data extraction, and meta-ethnographic thematic analysis.
Main Contribution: There is a lack of research relating to the experiences of “high functioning” autistic girls, women and mothers accessing Speech Pathology services. Autistic women have been overlooked in service provision due to invisibility, masking, bias and difficulty with the interpretation of diagnostic criteria and tools
Conclusions. This review identified some of the difficulties late-diagnosed, undiagnosed, mis-diagnosed and self-diagnosed Autistic women have experienced when accessing health care services.
Key messages
1. Autistic girls, women and mothers are failed by the current system and incidence statistics due to invisibility, masking, clinician bias and interpretation/ limitation of diagnostic tools.
2. Speech Pathologists are in a key position to improve assessment and treatment experiences of autistic girls, women and mothers and Speech Pathology Australia have shown a commitment to this.
3. Invisible disabilities and difficulties may lead to challenges requiring deeper knowledge and support from neuro-affirming clinicians.
2. Speech Pathologists are in a key position to improve assessment and treatment experiences of autistic girls, women and mothers and Speech Pathology Australia have shown a commitment to this.
3. Invisible disabilities and difficulties may lead to challenges requiring deeper knowledge and support from neuro-affirming clinicians.
**********
Georgia Tucker is the mother of 4 biological children across a 13-year span. She has also held many babies (literally) and mothers (figuratively) throughout her career. She has worked in health care, nursing and midwifery and predominantly women’s health, for her entire 25-year vocation. Upon nearing 20 years of Maternal & Child Health Nursing, including 12 years of Lactation Consultancy, and with an emerging interest in neurodivergence, Georgia decided that Speech Pathology could be an appropriate Masters to tackle.
Session chair
Arielle Cassian
Student volunteer(s)
Georgia Fitzgerald
Student
Curtin University
Tanvi Patel
Curtin University
The information contained in this program is current at of the time of publishing but is subject to changes made without notice.
Disclaimer: © (2024) The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. All rights reserved.
Important Notice, please read: The views expressed in this presentation and reproduced in these materials are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited ("the Association"). The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content, currency or accuracy of any of the materials comprised in this presentation. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of these materials and the information contained within them. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this presentation including in any of the materials referred to or otherwise incorporated into this presentation.
.
