Episode Details

For a long time, when people pictured someone on the autism spectrum, the picture left out a lot of people. Particularly women and girls, who were missed, misdiagnosed, or simply never seen at all. The result? Decades of someone knowing something was different about them, but never having the language for it.

In this episode of Healthy Mind, Healthy Life, guest host Sana sits with Dr. Beth Long, licensed professional counselor, board-certified behavior analyst, and founder of Works of Wonder Therapy. Together they explore how autism shows up differently in girls and women, why so many go undiagnosed until adulthood, what masking quietly costs the nervous system, and the deep relief that comes when someone finally has language for their own experience.

  About the Guest:

Dr. Beth Long, PhD, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Board-Certified Behavior Analyst, and founder of Works of Wonder Therapy in Montgomery, Alabama. With a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Chapman University and over 20 years of clinical experience across six different environments as a military spouse, she works with individuals, families, and children navigating neurodevelopmental differences and complex mental health needs. She is the author of Beyond Words: The Art of Effectively Communicating with Your Children.

  Key Takeaways:

• Early autism research was built around male presentations. Until roughly 2018, the clinical world was still catching up to the fact that women experience the spectrum differently and often go unrecognized for years.
• Girls and women on the spectrum tend to mask. They observe, adapt, and try hard to fit in, often successfully, but at the quiet cost of constant exhaustion, shame, and nervous system overwhelm.
• A common pattern in girls: shy and quiet, or loud and bossy. Both are coping responses to being overstimulated in a world that wasn't built for their nervous system.
• Most behavior labelled as defiance, rudeness, or pickiness is actually a skill deficit. The shift parents, teachers, and clinicians need to make is from "what's wrong with her" to "what skill hasn't she learned yet."
• The diagnosis isn't a label. For most women who get it later in life, it's the first time their whole story finally makes sense, and that is profoundly healing.

  Connect With the Guest:

• Website: https://worksofwondertherapy.com
• Book: Beyond Words: The Art of Effectively Communicating with Your Children on Amazon
• Podcast: Works of Wonder Therapy (Apple Podcasts and most major platforms)
• Social: Dr. Beth Long on social media; Works of Wonder Therapy on all major platforms

  Episode Chapters:   [00:00] Cold Open: The Picture That Left People Ou