8909 Born Anew at 32 - A Strange Journey of Autism in Women

Saturday, July 16, 2016: 10:15 AM-11:30 AM

Studio 9 (New Orleans Marriott)

Females on the autism spectrum exist, but misconceptions about what it means for a woman and diagnostic criteria set up for males make the journey for a diagnosis difficult. Join Jocelyn as she shares her story and information for professionals, parents and other girls and women. Content note: Mature content.

As the incidence of autism in the United States increases, and the diagnostic criteria continues to evolve, one thing appears to remain the same- autism is mainly for the boys. Is this really the truth?

Enter Jocelyn Eastman, the identical twin sister of Jessica Davis, a woman who only knew that she was an anomaly because she did not have autism while Jessica did. Born developmentally delayed, her behaviors never caught the attention of diagnosticians and her ability to excel academically and athletically masked issues that followed her throughout her life. Going through life with a physical disability, diagnosed with multiple mental health issues growing up in a military household and expected to be the "normal" twin, Jocelyn never quite fit in...anywhere. For years, she had a sneaking suspicion as to why she could understand Jessica better than anyone, why she had some of the interesting behaviors she had and why she was who she was...

Join Jocelyn while she talks about her experiences of being an undiagnosed girl and woman, and about what science is saying about why girls are being missed. Explore concepts like the Extreme Male Brain Theory, the Female Protective Model and diagnostic and societal biases that contribute to the differences in male and female diagnosis. Jocelyn will also provide suggestions for audience members on what they can do for the women and girls in their lives.

The content in this presentation may be mature in nature and may be triggering for some individuals. The presenter feels that people should be able to ask her honest questions about anything in her life, even those things that might be uncomfortable in nature for others.

Learning Objectives:

Repeat the personal perspective of 32 year old woman's journey as a twin sibling of an autistic woman, misdiagnosed for many years until the age of 32 when she was diagnosed with autism;
Examine available research and commentary on discrepancy between female and male prevalence in autism.
State diagnosis for women and girls-when, why and how.

Track: Lifespan 4 - Adulthood

Content Area: Personal Perspectives

Presenter:

Jocelyn Eastman
Autistic Woman, Advocate, Author
Art of Autism Board Member

Jocelyn Eastman's twin was diagnosed as a child while she was diagnosed in 2015. Author of There Will Always Be Love, she has contributed to Easy to Love But Hard to Raise, Autism World Magazine, Innersight Freedom Foundation, ANCA and is in Normal People Scare Me Too.

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