Train to Become an Empowered, Intersectional, and Scientifically Grounded AuDHD-informed Practice!
Linkedin Instagram Facebook Youtube Podcast

ADHD & Autism in Women: Missed, Dismissed & Reclaiming Your Voice Event

[print-me]

What you'll learn

  • Why AuDHD in women is so often missed, misunderstood, or misdiagnosed — and how masking, gender norms, and social expectations shape this experience
  • How hormones, stress, trauma, and nervous-system overwhelm can impact emotional regulation, burnout, sensory experiences, and daily functioning
  • Common co-occurring experiences in AuDHD women, including anxiety, shutdown, chronic overwhelm, relational difficulties, and identity confusion
  • Practical, compassionate tools for self-understanding, emotional safety, recovery, and building a more sustainable relationship with yourself and others

Summary

Community event that centres AuDHD women's voices

This ADHD Girls community event explored the emerging science and lived experience of women with both ADHD and autism (AuDHD). Drawing on new research showing that the AuDHD brain has distinct dynamics from ADHD or autism alone, we unpacked why so many women remain misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or unsupported within systems that assess each condition in isolation.

Through a trauma-informed, intersectional lens, we explored masking, emotional regulation, hormones, burnout, co-occurring conditions, and the unique strengths of the AuDHD neurotype. The evening combined science, lived experience, interactive discussion, and reflective practices to create a validating and empowering space for discovery, connection, and self-understanding.

The lived experience insights gathered from this event will also help inform ADHD Girls’ professional training programme: AuDHD in Women: DSM-5 Criteria through a Scientific and Intersectional Lens.

A groundbreaking 2023 study revealed that the AuDHD brain has entirely distinct dynamics compared to ADHD or autism alone. Yet, despite the growing number of women being diagnosed with both conditions, much of the research and guidance remains focused on each condition in isolation—often offering conflicting advice.

ADHD Girls’ held a community event to unpack what it truly means to be an AuDHD woman. Together, we explored:

  • Masking, Societal Norms, and the Gender Gap: Explore how societal expectations and the pressure to mask our traits have led to widespread underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis in women.
  • Emotional Regulation & Safety: Learn tools to create emotional safety within ourselves and our relationships through a holistic, trauma-informed lens.
  • The Role of Hormones in Neurodivergence: Dive deep into how key hormones like oestrogen and progesterone interact with neurotransmitters and amino acids to affect our emotions, cognition, and well-being—often in ways that diverge from neurotypical experiences.
  • Co-occurring Conditions: Understand the common co-occurring conditions that impact many of us and how to navigate them.
  • Burnout and Recovery: Unpack the chronic burnout many of us experience and discover strategies for recovery and prevention.
  • A Safe Space for Discovery: Share and reflect on your experiences in a system that often assesses us in isolation, overlooking our overlapping neurodivergent traits.
  • Strengths & Empowerment: Celebrate the unique strengths and perspectives our neurotype offers.
  • Interactive Engagement: Shape the discussion with live anonymised polls and contribute to a dynamic Q&A session to ensure everyone’s voice is heard.We’ll end the evening with a calming, affirmative meditation to help you leave feeling grounded, affirmed, and inspired.Whether you’re newly diagnosed, exploring what it means to identify as AuDHD, or simply seeking community and tools for self-growth, this event promises to be an illuminating and validating experience.Join us to reclaim your voice, celebrate your neurodiversity and connect with others who truly understand.
 

The lived experience research from this event will inform our Professional Training Programme “AuDHD in Women: DSM-5 Criteria through a Scientific and Intersectional Lens”.

Read More

Watch the highlight video from our AuDHD women community event. 

Dr. Samantha Hiew is an award-winning expert in neurodiversity and the founder of ADHD Girls. Named a Difference Maker by PBS America and a Positive Role Model for Gender finalist by National Diversity Awards, Sam uses her PhD in medical science and lived experience to illuminate the complexities of neurodivergence.

Having worked with over 80 FTSE companies, Sam is a leading voice in neurodiversity, women’s empowerment and intersectionality. She has inspired over 100,000 people worldwide through her talks, which blend neuroscience, psychological and physiological science with personal stories to humanise neurodiversity and empower others. Her work has been featured in Loose Women, the Guardian, Forbes, Stylist, Psychology Today, and more, making her a trusted advocate for reframing neurodiverse experiences as a strength.

Find out more about Dr Samantha Hiew

Share it on

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Are You Missing the Signs?

Too many Autistic ADHD (AuDHD) women go unseen, misdiagnosed, or misunderstood.
This free checklist reveals the top 10 gaps that block recognition and support—based on lived experience and clinical insight.
💌 Sign up to get the guide and join our movement for visibility and validation

    Name