Autism, ADHD, Women, Language and Education — What’s New in September
In this research roundup, Ann Memmott brings together recent research and resources exploring topics such as women’s lived experiences of ADHD, menstruation, menopause, quality of life, Autistic communication, health inequalities, and inclusive education.
Women and ADHD – moving beyond the ‘deficits’. Lived experiences and sense-making
This thesis by Ferguson is a long read, but well worth it, in my view. How do women understand their ADHD, before, during and after diagnosis? Important, in a world where so many in the media are continuing to promote misinformation.
This descriptive study explores the lived experiences of women with ADHD across three critical stages: pre-diagnosis, diagnosis, and post-diagnosis. While awareness of ADHD in females is increasing, psychological descriptions and diagnostic frameworks still often fail to capture their internalised, masked, and affectively complex presentations. This study moves beyond brain-based and deficit-focused understandings of ADHD by offering a phenomenological account of female ADHD as dynamic, embodied, and embedded within sociocultural contexts, emerging through the interaction between neurobiology and socio-cultural environments. Within this process, women actively negotiated their sense of self through the conceptual frameworks available to them, shaping how they understand and experience their ADHD.
Ferguson, B. (2026). A Journey of Making Sense: A Descriptive and Interpretative Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Women with ADHD, Prior, During, and Post-Diagnosis (Doctoral dissertation, Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington). https://openaccess.wgtn.ac.nz/articles/thesis/A_Journey_of_Making_Sense_A_Descriptive_and_Interpretative_Phenomenological_Study_of_the_Lived_Experiences_of_Women_with_ADHD_Prior_During_and_Post-Diagnosis/33442639?file=68527165
Autistic/ADHD and periods
What impact does menstruation and the hormone cycle have on coping ability? Groenman and team take a look at the subject, and reach some important conclusions, with a recommendation for further research to check the findings:
Many individuals with ADHD or autistic individuals report premenstrual problems such as low mood, irritability, or headaches in the days before their period… We studied 199 individuals with a menstrual cycle aged 20 to 40 who were not using hormonal contraception: 89 with ADHD, 39 autistic, and 71 individuals without either diagnosis…The two neurodivergent groups did not differ from each other. We also found that the more neurodivergent traits a person reported, especially inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, and social difficulties, the more premenstrual symptoms were reported, and the more those symptoms affected daily life. This pattern held regardless of classification. Sensory sensitivity was not related to premenstrual problems. Overall, premenstrual problems appear to be a real and meaningful burden for both ADHD and autistic women, and individuals who reported more traits seem to be at greater risk.
Groenman, A. P., Welling, L. E., & Pieters, S. (2026). The monthly spectrum: Premenstrual symptoms across ADHD and autism. Women s Health, 22, 17455057261476912. https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057261476912
Quality of life (QoL) for Autistic people and their parents – US. Impact pf e.g. transition support
Always good to see new research looking at quality of life. Especially where team are also thinking about the impact of the major transition points, e.g. between schools, or from school to university/employment or other adult life situations. Good thought also given the stress on caregivers, in any system that fails to provide good support.
This … review … highlights the significant and persistent reduction in QoL among autistic individuals and their caregivers, particularly in emotional and social domains. These impairments are not temporary but evolve over time… [To improve this, there is a] need for personalized, culturally sensitive, and multidimensional strategies. Examples include structured transition programs from child to adult services, community-based vocational training and supported employment initiatives, caregiver support groups, and multidisciplinary community networks that facilitate social participation and independent living. Interventions must also consider life transitions, such as adolescence to adulthood, which are often marked by service gaps and increased uncertainty. Moreover, structural factors, including national development and access to services, significantly influence QoL outcomes, particularly in low-resource settings.
The findings emphasize the importance of integrated efforts at both the clinical and policy levels to support these populations. Future research should adopt longitudinal and intervention-focused designs, ensuring the inclusion of autistic individuals to better tailor strategies to their needs. Ultimately, enhancing QoL for autistic people and their caregivers is a public health priority with wide-reaching implications for family well-being and social inclusion.
Grokoski, K. C., Duarte, C. K., de Souza Silva, E., Hoffmann, L., Borchardt, J. L., Costa, L. P., da Cunha Luçardo, J., Lapschies, M., Cascaes, A. M., Vilela, A. A. F., Cenci, A., & dos Santos Vaz, J. (2026). Quality of Life in Autism: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Patients and Caregivers. Autism Research, e70348. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.70348
Autistic language is a lot more complex than three simple groups
Gankin and team take a look at the language tests for over 60,000 Autistic children, young people and young adults.
Specialists have often assumed that we all fit neatly, for life, into one of three groups, according to whether we can speak in fluent ways:
· Full speech
· Limited speech
· No speech at all, or only a few single words.
To no surprise at all to actual Autistic people, this misses out a huge amount of individual variety, as well as changes that happen over a lifetime of learning and practising. It fails to account for burnout, other forms of exhaustion, illness, anxiety, depression, social pressures, cultural differences and so many other factors. It also misses out the rich ways in which Autistic people communicate, through other texts and writings, through pictures, sign, gesture, expression, movement, and so many other ways. Communicating well, and speaking reliably using just ‘mouth words’, across all situations, all day long, are very, very different things.
This is quite a technical paper, but it’s always good to see some researchers beginning to understand how much we still need to learn about autistic communication.
For background reflection, I would also recommend the work of the Salveson Institution, and the excellent book by Richardson & Mears, both linked below.
Gankin, K., Venkatesh, R., Khokhlovich, E., & Vyshedskiy, A. (2026). Receptive and expressive language phenotyping in over 62,000 autistic individuals. Npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-026-00445-3
https://salvesen-research.ed.ac.uk/our-projects/diversity-in-social-intelligence-replication
https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/GB/product/Exploring-Semi-Speaking-as-a-Communication-Identity-by-Harriet-Richardson-Kim-Mears/9781032789521?srsltid=AU7gw4X-w5aVfHnupxyS3zhMG8kYYPD8xiZsssJlJF1rCG_qgQhXrs1h (indicative link – other booksellers are available)
Autistic menopause – where should research go from here?
Jenkins and Janse van Rensburg set out where we are so far with research into this vital topic, and what the next steps should be. With seven important factors outlined, they conclude:
The menopause transition represents a critical—and potentially life-saving—opportunity for research and intervention. Taken together, these seven priorities provide a clear agenda to guide future research in this understudied area. By addressing these gaps, we can better support the growing number of Autistic individuals navigating midlife and beyond. While this letter focusses on Autistic menopause, the priorities identified here may also inform research on other neurodivergent populations during hormonal transitions in general, such as menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum experiences, and post-reproductive aging.
Jenkins, C. A., & van Rensburg, M. J. (2026). Autistic menopause: Where should research go from here?. Women s Health, 22, 17455057261478347. https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057261478347
Late diagnosis for Autistic adults – what are their experiences around this?
Johnston’s thesis looks at the experiences around diagnosis. Always an important subject, especially with the false belief by some that diagnosis is pointless for adults and should be confined to children. A long read, but summarising previous research studies on this, Johnstone writes:
Overall, the findings highlighted the difficult journeys that participants have been on to finally receive an autism diagnosis. The diagnosis was a profound moment of validation which also brought up emotions such as anger and grief at missed support.
Johnstone, Kate (2026) Understanding the Experiences of Late Diagnosed Autism and Post-Diagnostic Assessment for Older Autistic Adults. DClinPsy thesis, University of Sheffield. https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/39188/
Autistic people in the US who are on lower incomes have a lifespan averaging 14 years fewer than others
…life expectancy at birth for those with ASD was approximately 65 years, nearly 6 years less than for the Medicaid beneficiary population and 14 years less than for the US general population. The shortened life expectancy for Medicaid beneficiaries with ASD was due to excess mortality from a variety of diseases and health problems. Compared with the general population, autistic women face a greater deficit in life expectancy than autistic men do, due to more psychiatric comorbidities and resulting excess mortality.
Li G, DiGuiseppi CG, Blanchard A, Russell MT, Ing C. Autism Spectrum Disorder and Life Expectancy Among Medicaid Beneficiaries. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(9):e2633251. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.33251
A concerning ‘test’ for the behaviour of pupils with ADHD in schools
Content warning: Child distress, deliberately induced frustration, emotional harm, and ethical concerns.
The Disruptive Behavior Diagnostic Observation Schedule (DB-DOS) is a questionnaire allegedly designed to test what I shall term ‘bad behaviour’ from pupils with a diagnosis of ADHD.
I wonder if very many consider the ethics of some of the items it asks for as tests of the child?
This study, for example, also did not ask the children if they assented to taking part, and doesn’t seem to have discussed its decisions around ethics.
We learn in the Supplementary Material that a part of the test is:
The child attempts an impossible ring-throwing or bow-and-arrow task to win a prize. The examiner leaves the room and returns after 4 minutes to tell the child that the prize was not won.
There are plenty more tests in this checklist used by a good number of research teams, seemingly designed to cause the child distress, so they can tick the box for ‘disruptive behaviour’. They co-opt the parent into doing some of this. What does this teach us about ADHD, and what does it teach the child about trusting their parents and other adults?
Which person in the room is demonstrating poor behaviour and rule-breaking? I put it to you that it’s not the child. Is facing children with impossible tasks, which are guaranteed to make them fail and cause them distress, part of ethical research?
I find this kind of test process deeply concerning.
Do you?
Bierens, M., Bosch, A., Ly, V., Matthys, W., Buitelaar, J. K., Hartman, C. A., & Rommelse, N. (2026). Reliability, validity, and change over time in disinhibited and disruptive behaviors assessed with the age‐adapted disruptive behavior diagnostic observation schedule in children aged 5–12 years with ADHD. JCPP Advances, e70149. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.70149
How to get schools right for nearly all children – Universal Design and usefulness for disabled and Neurodivergent pupils and staff
The principle of forcing all children to fit with existing school timetables, rules, buildings, teaching styles and goals has proven disastrous for so many pupils. The rise in numbers no longer able to cope with school, and those experiencing significant mental distress during school hours, has led to an increasing need to find solutions that work for as many as possible.
Berezowsky sets out some very helpful principles in this online paper, for any decision-maker who wants to see better staff retention, pupil quality of life and actual learning put ahead of the current Government ‘push’ for enforcement and box-ticking. Paraphrased, key points include:
1. Identify core learning targets and rethink them. Want the child to learn about an historic figure? Let them demonstrate that learning in ways they can manage, not ways that fail them. Thinking ‘outside the box’ for what counts as evidence of learning.
2. Analyse the curriculum for sensory, linguistic, and executive function obstacles, and remove as many as possible. Engage with people who can assist with this, without breaking the bank balance.
3. Offer flexible options for engagement, representation, and expression.
4. Refine your universal design features before assuming a student is a problem that needs solving.
Does it work? Does it really ‘save money’ to potentially enforce compliance to undoable rules in intolerable sensory environments, and force more and more children to break and fail?
Plenty of reference links in that paper for those that want to explore the topic further. As an anecdote, I saw the transformation of so many pupils in two schools which used these principles.
Same child. Same disability and Neurodivergence needs. Different school philosophies.
Berezowsky,Z. (2026). Designing for Variability - Inclusion by Design. The International Educator. https://www.tieonline.com/article/8145/designing-for-variability
New books – Dyspraxia and schools
Kim Griffin has written two useful guides to dyspraxia for teachers, one for secondary schools (shown above) and the other for primary schools. So many dyspraxic pupils go unassessed and unsupported in schools, leading to failed opportunities, missed targets, and the potential for enduring bullying from peers. It is vital that we think beyond ,e.g. ‘This child is messing about’ and ‘This child is being defiant’ to ‘Is there a genuine developmental difference here that needs exploring?’. It would have transformed a lot of my childhood, and indeed adult years if I had understood why I fell off bicycles if I took a hand off the handlebars, struggled with handwriting and floundered in swimming pools, for example, when others seemingly conquered the tasks with ease. Worth exploring whether you can get a copy.
Griffin,K. (2026). All About Dyspraxia: A Practical Guide for Secondary Teachers. Speechmark. https://tinyurl.com/ms796rs8
