Monthly Webinar
AIR-P Presents: Thanks for participating: How Over 10,000 Autistic Females Have Advanced the Field Through SPARK
This webinar will provide an overview of the barriers to identifying, diagnosing, and caring for autistic females. We know that girls are diagnosed with autism with a lower frequency and later than boys; but why? This talk will cover the specific challenges faced by females on the autism spectrum, across the lifespan.
Particular emphasis will include recent research conducted with the SPARK cohort, where intrinsic and extrinsic factors are considered, as well as the impact of co-occurring conditions on the autistic female. Clinical relevance and next steps to better serving females on the autism spectrum will be discussed.
Topics Will Include:
- An overview of the barriers to identifying, diagnosing, and caring for autistic females.
- The impact of co-occurring anxiety and ADHD on the autism female.
- The importance of research participation, particularly for autistic females, to promote understanding and inclusion.
About our presenter:
Ericka Wodka, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, is the Clinical Director of the Center for Autism Science, Services and Innovation (CASSI) at Kennedy Krieger Institute and a board certified neuropsychologist, with subspecialty certification in pediatric neuropsychology. She provides clinical neuropsychological evaluations at CASSI in coordination with other clinical services, with a focus on interdisciplinary care.
Dr. Wodka is active in the mentoring programs at Kennedy Krieger, and participates in the neuropsychological training of post-doctoral residents. Her research interests include examining motor development, attention and other aspects of higher-order cognitive processes in neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She is the site principal investigator for a national study examining the genetic causes of ASD.
She has also presented and published findings related to the relationship between executive functioning, attention, and sensory differences in autism, as well as factors that impact the identification and understanding of autism in females. Other research interests include examining differences in children with ASD, with and without co-occurring conditions (e.g., anxiety, ADHD, aggression).
View our most recent webinar below!
Webinar Title: AIR-P Presents: What do Adults with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders Value in Adult Neurodevelopmental Care?
Presented on: October 15, 2024
Webinar Description:
There are few specialists that serve adults with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NDD), and most adults with NDD receive care from providers without specialty training in NDD. Care for this population is highly variable, and patient and caregiver priorities in this age group are not well known. We aimed to explore individual and caregiver values around adult neurodevelopmental care. In this qualitative study, we conducted 22 semi-structured virtual interviews from September 2021 to February 2022 with randomly selected adults with NDD and/or their caregivers. The need for adult neurodevelopmental care is growing as more individuals with NDD are living into adulthood. Better understanding of patient and caregiver values can help shape this emerging field to meet the needs of this unique, often overlooked and underserved, population.