Dr Hannah Belcher joined King's College London in 2020 as a Postdoctoral Researcher and was made a Lecturer in 2022. Her field of interest is predominantly in Autism Spectrum Conditions in adults, particularly the co-occurrence of mental health difficulties, mental health services, and late/missed/misdiagnosis.

Hannah was awarded her PhD from Anglia Ruskin University which looked at the late and missed diagnosis of autistic women and the affects of mental health and masking of autistic traits. She has taught as an associate lecturer for both Anglia Ruskin University and the Open University. Hannah's book, ‘Taking off the Mask’ was published in 2022 and offers guidance and practical strategies for autistic people who do mask their autistic traits to support their mental wellbeing and the consequences of this.

Research interests

• Late diagnosis of autism in adults
• Misdiagnosis of autism with other mental health conditions
• Co-occuring mental health difficulties in autistic people
• Masking/camouflaging autistic traits
• Autism in women

Expertise and public engagement

I have been interviewed in various media outlets, including for the Guardian, New Scientist and BBC. I have been invited to give a number of talks both nationally and internationally on the topic of late autism diagnoses and mental health. I am currently working with several organisations and researchers within the UK, both on the topic of autistic masking and on improving mental health services for autistic people.