ADHD Masking in Girls & Women

ADHD Masking in Girls & Women

From All Aboard ADHD by Claire Quigley Ward

March 6, 2026 · 1h 7m · Season 1 · Episode 53

About this episode

This episode explores the hidden costs of ADHD masking in girls and women, featuring insights from researcher Ana-Maria Butura.

What is the hidden cost for girls and women of masking their ADHD and appearing to be “fine”? In this episode of the All Aboard ADHD podcast, Claire is joined by Ana-Maria Butura, a research associate at King’s College London who has led the most comprehensive qualitative study on ADHD masking to date. For many girls and women, an ADHD diagnosis doesn't come until adulthood, not because the traits didn't exist, but because they were hidden behind a carefully constructed "mask." Together, Claire and Ana-Maria pull back the curtain on what’s really going on for women and girls who appear to be "coping" while struggling deeply beneath the surface. They discuss: ⚡ What masking is and why we mask. Masking is not just something we do consciously, but can also develop as a complex survival strategy where we learn to suppress, or compensate for ADHD traits, to meet social expectations. 🧠 Why girls can often present as calm, organised, or high-achieving on the outside, while experiencing a chaotic "volcano" of thoughts and sensory overload on the inside. 🎭 The difference between masking in ADHD vs autism. Where autistic masking is driven more by…

People in this episode

Host: Claire Quigley Ward

Guest: Ana-Maria Butura

Topics covered

  • ADHD masking
  • girls and women
  • mental health
  • executive functioning
  • social expectations

Keywords

  • ADHD
  • masking
  • girls
  • women
  • mental health
  • executive functioning
  • social expectations
  • emotional regulation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: King’s College London

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