Dr. Judy Eaton
Dr Judy Eaton is a clinical psychologist and director of Help4Psychology, specialising in autism assessments and support. With extensive experience working with children, young peo...
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Who are you?
Hello, I'm Dr. Judy Eaton. I'm a consultant clinical psychologist. I enjoy singing in a choir and playing tennis. I'm a mum of four and grandmother to seven.
What is your background?
I am a consultant clinical psychologist. I've worked in the area of clinical psychology since 2002. I started working in the NHS as a psychologist, working one of the first multidisciplinary autism teams in the country. I then moved in 2011 to work in inpatient services, and since 2015 I've been working independently, but we are now working alongside the NHS to help reduce waiting times for autism and A DHD assessments.
What are the early signs of autism, particularly in women, and why are they often overlooked?
Well, I mean, it is important to say that it's not just women. There are some young men and those who don't identify as female who still present in the same way. But generally speaking, the early signs for women are probably sort of more social difficulties, difficulties making friendships, and these often become particularly apparent when the girls are around about eight or nine. Friendships become tricky at that point anyway, particularly for girls. But it's more so for autistic girls. That's when they start to really struggle. A lot of the early communication difficulties that you perhaps associate with autism are not that apparent for girls. It's something that tends to develop later.