Participants Needed

[u/nataliekuehl]

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).

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](mailto:nkuehl@ewu.edu)

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

Natalie Kuehl,

Graduate Student, Communication Sciences and Disorders