MASTERPOST: Autistic Women & Girls
Here is a compilation of links talking about autistic women & girls, especially relating to getting diagnosed or being undiagnosed, as well as how autism can present in some women. However not all autistic women and girls fit the descriptions in these articles, and plenty of boys/men and non-binary/gender-non-conforming people do. None of this is exclusive to girls/women or required of them!
These links may also include some problematic language (ableism, gender binarism, functioning labels, etc) and ideas (though I try to avoid the ones that are especially so). Sharing these links does not necessarily mean I agree with/approve of all the ideas (or language) therein. However I think a lot of these links can be useful for some people, so I am sharing them along with this warning. Also, I would LOVE to compile a list like this for non-binary and gender non-conforming people, so please send me any links on that subject you know of!
A masterpost featuring (select) peer-reviewed research on women & girls coming soon!
These links may also include some problematic language (ableism, gender binarism, functioning labels, etc) and ideas (though I try to avoid the ones that are especially so). Sharing these links does not necessarily mean I agree with/approve of all the ideas (or language) therein. However I think a lot of these links can be useful for some people, so I am sharing them along with this warning. Also, I would LOVE to compile a list like this for non-binary and gender non-conforming people, so please send me any links on that subject you know of!
A masterpost featuring (select) peer-reviewed research on women & girls coming soon!
Common Traits & Experiences
- Asperger and Autism Spectrum: Women and Girls (AANE)
- Autism—It's Different in Girls (Scientific American, 2016)
- Different for girls: understanding autism (The Guardian, 2019)
- How Autism in Women Is Different: Unique ASD Symptoms, Risks (ADDitude, 2019)
Diagnosing Autism in Women & Girls
- Are Girls With Autism Hiding in Plain Sight? (Spark)
- Differences in Diagnosing Autism in Girls and Boys (Verywell Health, 2019)
- Misdiagnosis Is All Too Common for Women with Autism (Psychology Today, 2019)
- Thousands of autistic girls and women 'going undiagnosed' due to gender bias (The Guardian, 2018)
- To get an autism diagnosis, girls need worse social skills than boys (Spectrum, 2018)
- Women 'better than men at disguising autism symptoms' (The Guardian, 2019)
- "You're Just Kooky": Why Women With Autism Aren't Taken Seriously (Refinery 29, 2019)
Articles Featuring Late Diagnosis Stories
- ‘I Thought I Was Lazy’: The Invisible Struggle For Autistic Women (The Conversation, 2017)
- The women who don’t know they’re autistic (The Conversation, 2017)
- Women my age weren’t called ‘autistic’ growing up. We were awkward or ‘rude.’ And we missed out on services. (Public Source, 2019)
Books
I've not read these so I can't speak to how good any of them are, please leave a comment if you've read any of them!- Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum - Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum (2018)
- Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women - Sarah Bargiela (Author) & Sophie Standing (Illustrator)
- Girls and Autism: Educational, Family and Personal Perspectives - Barry Carpenter, Francesca Happé, Jo Egerton (2019)
- Life on the Autism Spectrum - A Guide for Girls and Women - Karen McKibbin (Forward by Tony Attwood) (2015)
- Spectrum Women - Editors: Barb Cook & Dr Michelle Garnett (2018)
- What Every Autistic Girl Wishes Her Parents Knew - Editors: Emily Paige Ballou, Kristina Thomas & Sharon daVanport (2017)
- Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age - Sarah Hendrickx (Forward by Judith Gould) (2015)
