Seeing Beyond The Mask: Autistic Adults, Common Dx Comorbidities

Led by Meghan Wilson MA, Pre-Licensed Practitioner, Under Supervision

The historical underdiagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has led adults of diverse identities and backgrounds to navigate their lives without a thorough understanding of themselves or the tools to navigate the differences with which they understand and process the world we live in.  The profound affects this can have on an individual’s wellbeing can result in a myriad of mental health struggles. While discussion and acceptance of neurodivergence is much more prevalent in the mainstream than it has been in the past, many clients reach out for support to address the effects of masking without realizing that is what they have been doing. Simultaneously, due differences in ways of thinking, processing, and experiencing the world, identifying whether a person has an Autistic neurotype can deeply impact the efficacy of the treatment they receive. This class will cover disorders that are more prevalent in Autistic individuals that could serve as “red flags” to screen for the possible presence of ASD and will also examine some ways that the masks undiagnosed Autistic adults have needed to develop can resemble many personality disorders.

Objectives:

• Understand how the presence of ASD in adults can affect conceptualization and treatment strategies and why identifying its presence/absence might be important.
• Learn common diagnostic comorbidities that can be indicators to screen for the presence of ASD
• Understand similarities in presentation between an adult individual with undiagnosed ASD and Cluster A personality disorders
• Understand similarities in presentation between an adult individual with undiagnosed ASD and Cluster B personality disorders
• Understand similarities in presentation between an adult individual with undiagnosed ASD and Cluster C personality disorders