Autism Masking in Early Childhood | Why My Signs Were Missed - Ep 135 with Avalon McWha

About this episode

Avalon McWha shares her experiences of feeling different in childhood and discusses the impact of autism and ADHD diagnoses.

“I think I’ve always felt a bit like an alien… even in preschool I remember watching other kids like curious creatures.” Avalon McWha spent much of her childhood feeling different without knowing why. Behaviours like stimming or walking on tiptoes were explained away as “just a ballet moment,” and it wasn’t until later in life that she discovered she was autistic and ADHD. If you’ve ever felt like an outsider growing up, struggled with masking, or are navigating a late autism or ADHD diagnosis, this conversation explores what changes once you finally understand your brain. Avalon McWha is an ADHD advocate, autism consultant at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and founder of Pebbl Tech. She works to improve autism diagnosis services and create more sensory-friendly environments in healthcare. Avalon is also developing Pebbl, a wearable assistive device designed to support executive functioning through simple voice reminders. Episode Highlights 00:01:48 — Feeling like an alien in early childhood Avalon recalls observing other children even in preschool and feeling like she was fundamentally different. Without understanding why, she experienced social interactions almost like watching…

People in this episode

Host: Jeremy Nagel

Guest: Avalon McWha

Topics covered

• autism
• ADHD
• childhood experiences
• masking
• neurodiversity
• diagnosis

Keywords

• autism
• ADHD
• masking
• childhood
• neurodiversity
• diagnosis
• stimming

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Royal Melbourne Hospital

Products: Pebbl

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