Recognising autistic women athletes for Neurodiversity Celebration Week
In recognition of Neurodiversity Celebration Week this 17 - 23 March, Erin sat down with award-winning journalist and member of the ABC Sport team Kate O’Halloran to discuss the elite edge offered by autism and ADHD for athletes.
"The examples we often talk about are a preference for repetitive routines, the ability to hyperfocus on a goal and rapid reaction to stimuli — for example when there's minimal time allowed for decision-making," Dr Hoare says.
"Neurodivergent strengths could ultimately lead to a competitive advantage."
Erin also discussed the misdiagnoses and biases present in neurodiversity field, which mirror that of the broader medical and health fields.
"Science has focused on a very specific demographic throughout history, and that has generally excluded women, their experiences, insights and contributions," she says. We then had diagnostic tools that were based on men's experiences … and from that, came a view that ADHD and autism occurs more frequently in men."
For high performance sports looking to build environments in which all athletes can thrive, Erin discussed a promising starting poont.
"The starting point is talking directly to autistic athletes, working in closer partnership and collaboration with them about their experiences and having curiosity about their world view," she says.
Autistic women face potential for misdiagnosis due to historical exclusion from research and practice