Tuesday, December 17, 2024
4:00pm ET - 5:00pm ET
Location: Zoom
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.
Ericka Wodka
Kennedy Krieger Institute
Clinical Director of the Center for Autism Science, Services and Innovation (CASSI)
Ericka Wodka, Ph.D., ABPP-CN: Dr. Wodka 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’s 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)