The Invisibility of Female Autism

In addition to being part of common sense, statistics point out that Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects mainly male persons. A study conducted in 2020 by the CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that "ASD is more than 4 times more common among boys than among girls".

In contrast to these data, there are studies that indicate that autism manifests itself in different ways according to biological sex. It is also important to consider that most ASD identification methodologies use male data as a reference. Therefore, the lack of information about the particularities and symptoms of female autism can lead to biased results.

It can cause many girls and women on the spectrum, especially with level 1 autism, to be neglected, suffer from delays in identifying the disorder, or even spend their entire lives without receiving the correct diagnosis. Ergo, the difference between the number of boys and girls with autism may be smaller than that indicated in the study.

Signs of autism in women

It is common for female autism symptoms not to fit most stereotypes on the spectrum. In surveys carried out to identify differences according to biological sex, some behavioral and cognitive symptoms have already been highlighted. We list some of them below:

• Difficulty or delay in speech and language is often one of the first signs of autism. But, because they have more advanced language skills, many girls do not fit this pattern and have an easier time communicating;
• Compared to boys, girls with ASD are more sociable. They demonstrate more willingness and proactivity to interact with others;
• Weaker adaptive skills compared to men;
• Autistic girls tend to have fewer stereotypies compared to boys;
• Robotic imitation;
• Despite lower levels of narrow interests, commonly the intense focus of women with ASD is directed towards common themes and people, such as partners, celebrities, and bands;
• In autism levels 2 and 3, girls have greater behavioral and externalizing problems, characterized by impulsiveness, aggressiveness, opposition, hyperactivity, and antisocial manifestations.

Difficulty in diagnosing tends to happen mainly with level 1 autistic girls. At levels 2 or 3, due to the more pronounced symptoms, ASD is usually more easily identified. The problem is that these data can give the wrong idea that autistic women are mainly on levels 2 and 3 of the spectrum.

Other factors that make diagnosing difficult

Camouflage

Regarding social behavior, women are naturally more developed. As a result, instead of opting for isolation, many girls on the spectrum demonstrate a greater ability to camouflage their characteristics. Lots of them manage to copy the behavior of other women and thus develop better social interaction.

This camouflage causes some symptoms to take longer to be noticed by family, doctors and school, which may delay the identification of the condition.

Social impositions

Another factor that makes female ASD even more invisible is social impositions, which try to define how women and men should behave. The obsession with routine, organization, and tidying are examples of this. Society, still very sexist, tends to find these characteristics strange in boys and normalize them in girls. Another example is having problems with social interaction, which tend to be more noticeable in boys. In girls, these difficulties can be associated only with shyness and withdrawal.

These stereotypes can make symptoms of autism in girls less perceived or easily confused with other disorders and diseases such as anxiety, depression, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Therefore, if autism manifests itself in different ways among people of the same sex, it is possible to have even more particularities in relation to the opposite sex. With this in mind, new research and diagnostic methodologies need to be developed to reduce the invisibility of female autism.

Learn more about Jade Autism solutions

Jade APP (formerly Jade Autism): Free app for children with autism that stimulates and develops cognitive functions. Through smart and fun exercises, the Jade App improves their cognition while playing. Click here to find out more and download it for free.

Jade Edu: Educational software that provides teaching activities for autistic students. The main objective of the tool is to help educators to develop teaching strategies adapted for autistic children, considering their difficulties and potential. Click here to find out more about Jade Edu's subscription plans.