#autisminwomen

[theaspieworld]

Welcome back to The Aspie World! I'm Dan, and I have autism, ADHD, OCD, and dyslexia, so you're in safe hands here. Today, we're diving into a topic that's both important and frustrating: why autism in girls is often missed during the diagnostic process. If you're an autistic girl or know someone who is, this post is for you. Let's get started! 1. Lack of Training Among Healthcare Professionals One of the main reasons autism in girls is often missed is that many healthcare professionals aren't trained to recognize it. Historically, most of the research and diagnostic criteria were based on observations of boys. Pioneers like Hans Asperger and Leo Kanner primarily focused on males, leading to a skewed understanding of autism. This gender bias has persisted, causing many professionals to overlook or misinterpret signs of autism in girls. Organizations like the National Autistic Society and Autism Society of America are working to change this, but there's still a long way to go. Girls often don't fit the classic "male" profile of autism, leading to underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis. 2. Misdiagnosis with Bipolar Disorder Another common issue is the misdiagnosis of autism as bipolar disorder. It's shocking how often this happens. Many girls diagnosed with bipolar disorder actually have autism, but the overlap in symptoms leads to confusion. Autism and bipolar disorder are distinct conditions, with autism being a neurological condition and bipolar disorder a mental health condition. Misdiagnosing autism as bipolar disorder can lead to ineffective treatment, as the approaches for managing these conditions are different. 3. Misdiagnosis with ADHD Similarly, autism in girls is often misdiagnosed as ADHD. While autism and ADHD share some overlapping symptoms, they are not the same. ADHD is a common co-occurring condition with autism, but many professionals stop at the ADHD diagnosis without considering autism. This is particularly frustrating because proper support and interventions for autism can make a significant difference in a girl's life. 4. Masking Masking, or camouflaging, is when an individual with autism adopts coping mechanisms to blend in with neurotypical people. This is particularly common in girls, who are often socialized to conform more than boys. Girls might mimic social behaviors, suppress their stimming, or hide their true feelings to avoid standing out. While masking can help them navigate social situations, it makes it harder for professionals to recognize their autism. Assessors need to be trained to look beyond surface behaviors and understand the underlying struggles. 5. Dismissal of Major Issues Society often dismisses the struggles of girls and women, attributing their challenges to personality or social factors rather than considering neurological differences. This dismissal extends to the medical field, where girls' issues are often overlooked or minimized. This societal bias prevents many girls from receiving the referrals and support they need. Autism is still seen as a predominantly male condition, which leads to a lack of appropriate diagnostic attention for girls. We need to advocate for better training, awareness, and support to ensure girls receive accurate diagnoses and the help they deserve. Conclusion These five reasons—lack of training, misdiagnosis with bipolar disorder and ADHD, masking, and societal dismissal—highlight why autism in girls is often missed. We must raise awareness and push for change to ensure that girls on the spectrum receive the recognition and support they need. If you found this post helpful, please share it to help increase awareness. Your comments are always welcome, and I read and respond to every single one. Let's continue to advocate for equality and better understanding for everyone on the spectrum. Thank you for reading, and I'll see you in the next post! Peace. Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDZahw66nfo&t=89s Hashtags : autism in girls,autism,girls

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[emomosquito]

This is originally from a comment I posted on r/autisminwomen on a post asking why autism is celebrated in media but not in real life. However, I really really like my answer and wanted to post it here, ESPECIALLY since I talk about divergent so much on my blog. So, here you go:

I think part of the reason I really liked the divergent series so much is because tris's voice in the books is so... Autistic??? I can agree that the book isn't... The best piece of literature ever.... But I think that there's some part of me that will always love that book because it made me feel weirdly normal.

(Oh and while we're at it for 2012 dystopian ya novels - katniss from the hunger games was just an autistic slay.)

But back to divergent. I think this is also why people didn't like the books and (in my opinion) acted like they were worsely written than they were. People are happy to accept autistic characters/autistic coded characters in an act of performance and weird savior fantasy. But, when someone actually has autism (or a character is portrayed with more realistic, less "black and white" autism), this weird internalized ableism comes out in a very subconscious way. I remember hearing about a research article talking about how nts subconsciously notice autistic people almost immediately by a sense of uneasiness or "uncanny valley". People are all too happy to watch the guy on atypical and infantilise him to the point of feeling like they're rooting for a kid in a coming of age movie, but are very happy to jump on characters like Devi in Never Have I Ever for being "too weird" and "too grown to be acting that way".

The celebration for autism in media is a show. The more you realize it, the more you notice it.

[athenaokas]

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[maaarine]

r/AutismInWomen: If you were to write the questions for an autism diagnosis test for women, what would your questions be?

[mothtowers]

opening any given post on r/scene in the reddit app recommends posts from r/autisminwomen

[icanarachnid]

It's wild to me that most of the spider subreddits require more scientific responses than something like r/AutisminWomen... In the tarantula sub, you have to state NQA "not qualified advice" and you cannot spread misinformation or pass off anecdotal experiences as proven facts. In most Autism subs you can say staring off into space means you're autistic and get 500 upvotes. 💀 This leads to anecdotal echo chambers and an increase in pseudoscience.

Some rules that could be applied in the autism subs:

Amateurs may not comment on medically significant spiders. (r/spiders)

No Misinformation. Lengthy rule you can read on that sub. (r/spiders)

Using qualifiers (your comment will be auto-removed otherwise) (r/tarantulas) Examples include: NQA / not QA / not qualified advice, IME / in my experience, IMO / in my opinion, I believe / I think / I personally, NA / not advice

[angelnumbers]

i pop a zyn and immediately head towards r/autismInWomen

[mlybrnte]

i was on my laptop searching through google curious if anyone had experienced long term hyperfixation for fictional characters and it landed me right exactly on reddit and i couldnt relate more to stories of women obsessing and crushing on tv show characters. i felt validated and seen. i realized i shouldnt worry about it. when i looked at the top right corner of the screen, I read the subreddit; "reddit/autisminwomen."

i shut my laptop down.

[restinpiss]

I’m done with r/autisminwomen they are fools

[ulalalune]

Silly thoughts:

Multiple people have told me I come across as eccentric or autistic (no in-between), and I don't really think I'm autistic at all... like I've done some light research + read some of the stuff in r/autisminwomen, and I just can't relate to any of it, nor do I have many issues (as in sensory issues, I don't struggle w eye contact and other common things)?

I also don't think of myself as eccentric at all. However, I do feel stressed when I'm around people and feel like I have to put a mask constantly, and, sure, I miss out on some social cues from time to time. But, don't all girls feel this way when it comes to being around others? Isn't this the so-called female socialization I'm going through, and don't we all put an image to a certain extent when it comes to social interactions in real life, aren't we? I personally think otherwise in regards to the autism claims, and this "eccentricness" I exude towards them stems from just me feeling like an isolated lesbian and trying to relate to these people as much as I can while minimazing my presence so they deem me as harmless and normal, just like them.

[whyyoualwayssoradical]

TIMs on autisminwomen subreddit routinely bully women into deleting their accounts because they wanted to make ONE female exclusive discord while having multiple other discords that included transwomen that they said they were welcome to join

fucking lunatics

[ms-hells-bells]

I have such a hard time putting this into the correct words, but my mother has heard my rants on this and the autisminwomen subreddit I had to ask, but I wish to ask you as well. There are so many spiritual people who will actively dismiss me when I say autism gives me certain boundaries and difficulties. I have had to hear diagnoses do not exist and that that I identify too much with my autism when I say I have difficulties related to it. It is always these "ego death" manifestation people that somehow do not believe in autism. When you encounter "disbelievers" or people who outright dismiss autism, what do you do? I feel so conflicted still yet I did not retort. The first time I did I had to cry because it overwhelmed me (it was my sister that dismissed me).

when i first got diagnosed, i did get face with some people who would say 'everyone's a bit autistic' but apart from that, i have been lucky to not have a strong culture of disbelieving autism here.

my autism has an affect on me in that i am extremely strong in my beliefs and convictions and so don't care what other people think because i think they're wrong. when people say stupid shit, i would get into arguments with them, but working in customer service, especially during covid, has taught me how to just go 'i don't care, i'm not having this conversation' and cutting them off before they really get started. don't entertain them, if someone is open and willing to change their minds (not that they should need to, so strongly disbelieving in a scientifically understood concept shows a lack of thinking skills that an argument cannot fix), then your actions and descriptions of your personal experiences should be enough for them to start thinking these things through, but if they are arguing at you about your own literal condition and going 'no, you don't have it', then you're gonna drive yourself crazy trying to fight them.

of course, this isn't the way to get them to change their minds, it's not the most diplomatic and logic based response, but the tricky thing is autistics usually have lower energy and higher anxiety than normal people, which means trying to argue with people constantly will just damage your mental health while not changing their minds. so, i think you should focus on preserving your mental health.

[maaarine]

/r/AutismInWomen: Anyone else feels like they're not feminine enough?

[zolusbian]

somebody on autisminwomen subreddit said big thief sounds like autism music to them and just. yeah