Autistic Women Exploring Later Life Diagnosis, Supports & Beyond
About this course
A Certificate of Completion for 4.75 hours professional development will be available for you to download upon completion of this course.
Whether self-identifying as being autistic, seeking a diagnosis or have been diagnosed later in life, it can often feel overwhelming at knowing where to start in learning more about yourself and autism.
Navigating getting a diagnosis can be a highly emotional and overwhelming experience. Having to recall your life, often viewed from a perspective of difference, alienation, and trauma, can leave you feeling highly anxious at having to explain this to a stranger, with the hope of "that" health professional will “get you”.
This course will explore the process of navigating a diagnosis, how to be prepared and how to identify the right allied health professionals in assisting you through the process and beyond.
Barb speaks from both personal and clinical experience, having received a late life diagnosis of autism, ADHD and dyslexia in 2009, six weeks before her 40th birthday. Barb will guide you through the experiences we face after diagnosis and navigating getting supports and services that serve us and our needs.
Barb will also explore how our experiences as autistic women change as we age, especially in relation to our sensory issues, peri/menopause, executive functioning, burnout, reduced capacity for work and planning for care as we age.
Topics covered in this course:
- Preparing for a Diagnosis
- What to Expect During the Assessment
- After Diagnosis/Self-Identification. What Happens Now?
- Executive Functioning – the Challenges as We Age
- Sensory Issues and Impact Across the Lifespan
- Family & Relationships
- Work – Changes in Capacity and Workload
- Socialising – Designing it Your Way
- Supports & Accommodations – Therapy, Mentors, Coaches or Something Else?
- Perimenopause & Menopause – The Good, The Bad and The Downright Annoying
- Associated Health Concerns
- Ageing & Supports – How Do We Get Our Needs and Supports Met
This course will provide practical tools, tips and strategies for autistic/neurodivergent people, parents, teachers, employers, allied health professionals, support workers and carers.
Course curriculum
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Autistic Women Exploring Later Life Diagnosis, Supports & Beyond
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Presentation Slides
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Recommended Readings (Books)
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Website Links
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Academic Research
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About this course
- $99.00
- 4.5 hours of video content
- Certificate of Completion for 4.75 Hours Professional Development
- 30 Days to complete course
About the Presenter
Barb Cook, M.Aut.(Ed), Dip.HSc.(Nut)
Developmental Educator, Integrative Nutritionist & Adult ADHD Coach
Barb Cook is a highly committed autistic advocate, writer, editor, and highly sought-after international speaker. She has made appearances on Australian radio and television, in newspapers and magazines, and in the SBS television documentary The Chameleons: Women with Autism.
Barb is a registered Developmental Educator, Adult ADHD Coach and Integrative Nutritionist, who is dedicated to improving the overall well-being and quality of life for neurodivergent people. Barb identifies a neurodivergent after being diagnosed mid-life (40) and after significant burnout in 2009 with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia.
Barb is internationally recognised for her bestselling book on autism in women, Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism with Dr Michelle Garnett, filling the gap in literature between lived experience of autistic women and the clinical knowledge. Barb’s recently released and second best-selling book co-authored with Yenn Purkis, The Autism and Neurodiversity Self-Advocacy Handbook: Developing Skills to Determine Your Own Future, is an essential guidebook that gives you the tools and strategies to advocate for yourself in any situation, developing your skills in standing up for yourself, your needs and wishes.
Barb is founder of Spectrum Women Magazine and is a prolific writer on autism, ADHD and neurodivergence.
Barb is founder of the Neurodiversity Hub in Gympie Queensland, a space providing allied health services for neurodivergent people, including one-on-one support, therapeutic groups, workshops and presentations and an informal space to meet.
Barb has extensive professional training, clinical supervision and clinical experience in the areas of autism and ADHD in adults. Barb works alongside leading world authorities on autism, Professor Tony Attwood and Dr Michelle Garnett, and co-created and co-delivers the Masterclass on Diagnosis and Intervention of Autism for Girls and Women for health professionals and educators. She has extensively worked alongside a variety of clinical psychologists, including working at the Minds and Hearts Clinic in Brisbane which specialises in autism. Barb works extensively in academic research, with published research papers on autism and mental health. Also, she has been engaged in casual part-time teaching in the Master of Autism (education) post-graduate degree program.
Barb is a highly sought-after international speaker and presents on a variety of topics related to women, autism, ADHD and Neurodiversity. Barb spoke at the World Autism Organisation Congress 2018 in Houston Texas and 2019, and was invited by the United States government to keynote a special event “A Woman’s Voice: Understanding Autistic Needs” for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM) in Washington DC, USA.
Barb is a passionate motorcyclist, and enjoys riding the love of her life, Ron Strom Burgundy, a Suzuki VStrom DL1000, who assists her with good self-care and an effective anxiety reducing and depression busting practice.
Visit www.neurodiversityhub.com/barb-cook/ and www.barbcook.com.au to learn more about Barb Cook.
