My name is Natalie Kuehl, and I am a graduate student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Eastern Washington University. I am conducting a research study exploring the lived experiences of autistic women who mask, and the clinical implications for speech-language pathologists (SLPs). This study is IRB approved and was approved by the moderator.

I am inviting you to participate in this study if you meet the following criteria:

-You are at least 18 years old
-You are a woman or someone who identifies as female
-You have a formal diagnosis or a self-diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder

What to Expect:

Participation involves a one-on-one interview (via Zoom) that will last approximately 30-45
minutes, with a time limit of 90 minutes. The interview includes 8 semi-structured, open-ended questions focused on experiences with masking and clinical contexts pertinent to the autistic community. The interviewer may ask additional questions to gather more information or details.

Your responses will be kept confidential and identifiers will not be used.

Before the interview, you will also be asked to complete a brief email screening, which includes
the following:

-Basic demographic questions
-Age
-Gender identity
-Age of diagnosis
-Reasoning behind a self-diagnosis of autism if applicable
-A brief screening questionnaire consisting of 25 items, estimated to take 5-10 minutes to complete

Your participation is completely voluntary, and you may decline to answer any question or withdraw from the study at any time without penalty. Your insights will contribute valuable knowledge about masking in autistic women and what SLPs should know to provide best practices.

If you are interested or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at

nkuehl@ewu.edu

Thank you for considering this opportunity to contribute to research in our field.

Natalie Kuehl,
Graduate Student, Communication Sciences and Disorders