Missed, Masked, and Misunderstood- ADHD and Autism in Women and AFAB People
Join us on Monday September 28, 2026
Are your clients exhausted from coping strategies that no longer work? Have they collected diagnoses — depression, anxiety, BPD, PTSD — but never quite fit the treatment? They may be neurodivergent, and you may not have been trained to see it.
Autism and ADHD in women and AFAB individuals have been systematically missed for decades. Diagnostic criteria were built on research conducted almost exclusively with male subjects, leaving generations of women and AFAB people misdiagnosed, undertreated, and wondering why they have to work so much harder than everyone else just to get through the day. As clinicians, we inherited that blind spot — and our clients are paying the cost.
This full-day workshop is designed to change that.
Through didactic content, case vignettes, and lived experience perspectives, you will develop the clinical skills to recognize how ADHD and autism actually present in women and AFAB clients — not through a male-normed lens, but as they show up in your office: as chronic burnout, relentless people-pleasing, social exhaustion, and a lifetime of being told they're "too sensitive" or "not quite autistic enough."
Autism and ADHD in women and AFAB individuals have been systematically missed for decades. Diagnostic criteria were built on research conducted almost exclusively with male subjects, leaving generations of women and AFAB people misdiagnosed, undertreated, and wondering why they have to work so much harder than everyone else just to get through the day. As clinicians, we inherited that blind spot — and our clients are paying the cost.
This full-day workshop is designed to change that.
Through didactic content, case vignettes, and lived experience perspectives, you will develop the clinical skills to recognize how ADHD and autism actually present in women and AFAB clients — not through a male-normed lens, but as they show up in your office: as chronic burnout, relentless people-pleasing, social exhaustion, and a lifetime of being told they're "too sensitive" or "not quite autistic enough."
Location
Zoom
Date & Time
DATE
September 28, 2026
Time
11:00 am-5:30 pm ET
8:00 am-2:30pmPST
6.5 clock hours
Two 15-minute breaks and one 30-minute break
5.5 ASWB Clinical CEs
$200 Early Bird Special
$225 After August 25th.
Please email me at [email protected] for scholarships
September 28, 2026
Time
11:00 am-5:30 pm ET
8:00 am-2:30pmPST
6.5 clock hours
Two 15-minute breaks and one 30-minute break
5.5 ASWB Clinical CEs
$200 Early Bird Special
$225 After August 25th.
Please email me at [email protected] for scholarships
Learning Objectives
1. Identify at least three ways in which ADHD and autism present differently in women and individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB) compared to male-normed diagnostic criteria.
2. Recognize and name a minimum of four masking, camouflaging, or compensatory behavioral strategies commonly used by neurodivergent individuals.
3. Correctly differentiate neurodivergent presentations from at least three co-occurring or misattributed diagnoses.
4. Identify at least three areas in which delayed diagnosis of autism or ADHD in adulthood contributes to adverse outcomes.
5. Identify at least three ways in which perimenopause and menopause differentially affect women with ADHD and autism.
2. Recognize and name a minimum of four masking, camouflaging, or compensatory behavioral strategies commonly used by neurodivergent individuals.
3. Correctly differentiate neurodivergent presentations from at least three co-occurring or misattributed diagnoses.
4. Identify at least three areas in which delayed diagnosis of autism or ADHD in adulthood contributes to adverse outcomes.
5. Identify at least three ways in which perimenopause and menopause differentially affect women with ADHD and autism.
Workshop Agenda
11:00 am-11:30 pm: Why Misdiagnosis and Under-Diagnosis Occur and the Consequences of It
History of ADHD and autism diagnostic criteria and their male-centric research foundations
How presentations often look different in women and AFAB individuals due to socialization.
Challenges in obtaining a diagnosis
Effects of not being diagnosed until adulthood.
11:30 pm to 12:00 pm: Masking, Camouflaging, and ‘High Functioning.’
What is masking?
Common masking strategies for women?
How masking fools clinicians.
Clinical Myths
Hormonal Influence
12:00-1:00 ADHD in Women — What We Were Trained to Miss
ADHD in women internalized presentations.
Common misdiagnoses
How do hormones affect ADHD?
Lived experience Video
1:00 15-minute break 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm: Autism in Women — Subtle, Social, and Systemically Overlooked
Criteria for diagnosis
How autism shows up in women
Autistic burnout
Assessment Tools
2:15-2:45 30-minute break
2:45 pm to 3:30 pm: AuDHD and AFAB presentations
Autism and ADHD, how that shows up
How AFAB clients may present differently
Lived experience Video
3:30-5:30 Differential Diagnosis Without Pathologizing
15 Minute Break at 4:00pm
Trauma and neurodivergence: overlap vs interaction
How ND traits get framed as:
Avoidance
Resistance
Emotional immaturity
Avoiding diagnostic overshadowing
Asking better questions:
Developmental history
Energy cost of coping
What happens when demands drop?
Case Examples
Presenter
Cathy Hanville, LCSW (They/She).
Cathy (They/She) is a licensed clinical social worker residing in Pennsylvania and working with clients in both Pennsylvania and California. They live and work at the intersection of gender diversity and neurodivergence. As a late-diagnosed high-masking ADHDer, they have a passion to teach others how not to miss ADHD and autism in women and AFAB people.
They are co-authoring a book with Christine MacInnis, LMFT, on parts work and EMDR with autistic and ADHDers, to be published by Norton in 2027.
Cathy (They/She) is a licensed clinical social worker residing in Pennsylvania and working with clients in both Pennsylvania and California. They live and work at the intersection of gender diversity and neurodivergence. As a late-diagnosed high-masking ADHDer, they have a passion to teach others how not to miss ADHD and autism in women and AFAB people.
They are co-authoring a book with Christine MacInnis, LMFT, on parts work and EMDR with autistic and ADHDers, to be published by Norton in 2027.
This activity has been approved for professional continuing education by:
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program Missed, Masked, and Misunderstood- ADHD and Autism in Women and AFAB People course # 6757 is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by Cathy Hanville, LCSW, as an individual course. Individual courses, not providers, are approved at the course level. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.
ACE course approval period: 6/9/2026- 6/9/2028
Social workers completing this course will receive 5.5 clinical continuing education credits.
ASWB is widely accepted for Social Workers,but you are responsible for verifying that your specific license agrees with this approval. This is a course-specific approval for those who live in NJ.
Only those who attend the entire 5.5-hour session and complete the evaluation will be eligible for CEUs.
Recording Release & Consent: Cathy Hanville, LCSW, may record this live workshop for educational and commercial purposes, including use in future Recorded Asynchronous Distance Learning courses.
1. The recording will primarily display the facilitator and shared presentation materials.
2. Participant video will not appear unless you unmute and speak; breakout rooms are not recorded.
3. To ask a question without appearing, use the chat, and the host will read it aloud.
4. Speaking or volunteering for a demonstration means your image or voice may appear in the final recording.
5. When discussing cases, do not share any identifying client information. By registering, you consent to being recorded under these conditions and grant Cathy Hanville, LCSW, permission to use, edit, and distribute the recording for approved educational purposes, in accordance with the workshop facilitator's agreement. Recordings are securely stored and made available only through Cathy Hanville, LCSW, or their authorized continuing-education hosting platforms. This consent applies only to this specific workshop and its edited on-demand version.
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program Missed, Masked, and Misunderstood- ADHD and Autism in Women and AFAB People course # 6757 is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by Cathy Hanville, LCSW, as an individual course. Individual courses, not providers, are approved at the course level. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.
ACE course approval period: 6/9/2026- 6/9/2028
Social workers completing this course will receive 5.5 clinical continuing education credits.
ASWB is widely accepted for Social Workers,but you are responsible for verifying that your specific license agrees with this approval. This is a course-specific approval for those who live in NJ.
Only those who attend the entire 5.5-hour session and complete the evaluation will be eligible for CEUs.
Recording Release & Consent: Cathy Hanville, LCSW, may record this live workshop for educational and commercial purposes, including use in future Recorded Asynchronous Distance Learning courses.
1. The recording will primarily display the facilitator and shared presentation materials.
2. Participant video will not appear unless you unmute and speak; breakout rooms are not recorded.
3. To ask a question without appearing, use the chat, and the host will read it aloud.
4. Speaking or volunteering for a demonstration means your image or voice may appear in the final recording.
5. When discussing cases, do not share any identifying client information. By registering, you consent to being recorded under these conditions and grant Cathy Hanville, LCSW, permission to use, edit, and distribute the recording for approved educational purposes, in accordance with the workshop facilitator's agreement. Recordings are securely stored and made available only through Cathy Hanville, LCSW, or their authorized continuing-education hosting platforms. This consent applies only to this specific workshop and its edited on-demand version.
Course interaction & system requirements
This live webinar is fully interactive. Attendees may ask and answer questions throughout the presentation and participate in instructor-led discussions.
You must have a computer or device capable of connecting to the internet for zoom.
Fee & registration
Cost is $200 Until August 15, 2026 Early Bird and
$225 afterwards
It includes CE's.
Register by September 27, 2026
Cancellations must be received 1 week before the live webinar to receive a refund.
A recording will be available for 90 days after the workshop for those who miss, but you cannot receive CE credits if you do not attend live. I will submit for distance-learning approval after the course, but it can take 90 days.
Course completion & CE info Course completion requirements:
To earn CE credit, social workers must log in at the scheduled time and attend the entire course period. You must also complete an online course evaluation. Certificates of completion will be emailed within 10 business days of course completion.
Any questions, concerns, or to request special accommodations, please email [email protected]
This live webinar is fully interactive. Attendees may ask and answer questions throughout the presentation and participate in instructor-led discussions.
You must have a computer or device capable of connecting to the internet for zoom.
Fee & registration
Cost is $200 Until August 15, 2026 Early Bird and
$225 afterwards
It includes CE's.
Register by September 27, 2026
Cancellations must be received 1 week before the live webinar to receive a refund.
A recording will be available for 90 days after the workshop for those who miss, but you cannot receive CE credits if you do not attend live. I will submit for distance-learning approval after the course, but it can take 90 days.
Course completion & CE info Course completion requirements:
To earn CE credit, social workers must log in at the scheduled time and attend the entire course period. You must also complete an online course evaluation. Certificates of completion will be emailed within 10 business days of course completion.
Any questions, concerns, or to request special accommodations, please email [email protected]
Join us on September 28, 2026