About this episode

Dr. Deanna Dow discusses the signs and hidden costs of masking in neurodivergent individuals.

We warmly welcome Dr. Deanna Dow to the podcast. ​​Dr. Dow is a licensed clinical psychologist with over two decades of experience supporting neurodivergent individuals and families. She is the founder and CEO of Spectrum Psych LA, a multidisciplinary clinic that provides assessment, therapy, occupational therapy, medication management, and community-based support, and she has trained and worked in autism clinics and research centers at major institutions including the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina, Florida State University, and UCLA where her research has focused on early autism identification, parent-led intervention models, and co-occurring mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Dr. Dow also serves as President of the Spectrum Psych Foundation for Inclusion and Empowerment, promoting access, advocacy, and inclusive mental health care and continues to provide psychotherapy and assessment services using a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming approach. In this episode, Dr. Dow helps us unpack the far too often unseen work that neurodivergent individuals put into "blending in" via masking and camouflaging. We…

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