Why Autistic Women Have Been Overlooked for Decades
13 hours ago
- #mental health
- #autism
- #women's health
- Autistic women and girls often use camouflaging and masking to hide their condition to fit in with neurotypical peers, which can lead to significant mental health challenges.
- Traditional autism diagnosis criteria have historically overlooked females due to their ability to blend in socially, leading to underdiagnosis.
- Camouflaging involves suppressing autistic behaviors like stimming and scripting social interactions, while masking involves adopting a different persona to hide autism.
- Adolescence is particularly challenging for autistic girls, with higher rates of self-harm and eating disorders due to social pressures and brain development changes.
- There is a call for more nuanced diagnostic questions to identify autism in girls, moving beyond the traditional focus on social isolation.
- Late-diagnosed autistic individuals, especially women, often express relief upon diagnosis, as it provides clarity and understanding of lifelong struggles.
- Researchers are now including camouflaging behaviors in studies to better understand the social brain networks in autistic individuals.
- The book 'Off the Spectrum' highlights the need for early interventions and better recognition of autism in girls to prevent long-term mental health issues.