Reframing the Narrative: Stories from Adult-Diagnosed Autistic and ADHD Women in Postsecondary Education

An increasing number of women are diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after the age of 18, but very little is known about how a diagnosis impacts their postsecondary educational experiences. To add to the limited literature on this topic, I conducted a narrative inquiry with eight adult-diagnosed autistic and ADHD women at a large university in the southwestern United States. Over the course of two open-ended interviews via Zoom, each participant shared stories about their life as an undiagnosed child, their diagnostic experience, and how a diagnosis impacted their identity and educational experiences. Participants shared many common experiences including feeling odd or left-out in school, masking to fit in with their peers, and needing more effective study strategies and skills to be successful in college. Participants had different experiences with the diagnostic process and disclosure. Their cultural backgrounds played a larger role in their experiences than whether they were diagnosed with autism or ADHD. Knowing how to support adult-diagnosed autistic and ADHD women may improve their educational experiences and increase persistence and graduation rates for neurodivergent students.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Developmental Education

Grantor

Texas State University

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Wischnewsky, Lori Ann

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Hodges, Russell B.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Acee, Taylor W.
• Summers, Emily J.
• Trammell, Jack K.

• women
• neurodiversity
• ADHD
• autism
• colleges

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10877/19970

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.txst.edu:10877/19970