Different for girls: understanding autism

[firemonkey]

At secondary school, they become the “leftover girls”, drifting, alienated and often miserably lonely because the other teenage girls won’t accept them. It’s not that autistic girls don’t want friends – they are as desperate for friends as any teenager – but in a world which denies, rejects and ignores them, they are simply not wired to understand the only social role available to them: that of a neurotypical girl living an ordinary life.

Dr Sarah Bargiela wants to reach these girls. With illustrator Sophie Standing, she has written Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women, a graphic novel that transforms the growing mass of dry, scholarly research on autism and women into intriguing science facts and moving personal accounts.



https://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...sis-aspbergers

[Dougella]

This was an interesting article too along the same subject lines.
"Go Greta. Autism is my superpower too." Jack Monroe
https://www.theguardian.com/society/...box=1556372766

[Percy]

Interestingly enough I went to a Tony Atwood conference a couple of years ago in which he said that on average autistic girls have an easier time adapting to fit in socially than autistic boys. In fact autistic girls are apparently less likely to be pick up on by professionals because of it.

Glad to see there's a book out for those who do have trouble. Hopefully there's also one or more for boys (i'm sure I've seen something).

[Percy]

Originally Posted by mutedsoul

Funnily enough I'm watching this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY2ctCuTWPw

I'll read the article and respond. I feel pretty sure as a man tthat I probably have autism but, like girls stereotypically do, have been masking it. I think I have especially used social anxiety as a mask for it.

It's also possible you've learned to adapt some of your traits to better fit in, which is very true for me.

[Dougella]

An interesting talk about the different presentation of autism in women and girls (and some males too).

[Mo34]

^ Have only watched 5 or 10 mins or so but looks really interesting, will watch the whole thing at some point. Her talking about masking is interesting... and also having a lack of depth but ability to verbally mask it well on the surface to appear highly social.

I would not have clocked she (the speaker) was autistic at all either.

[firemonkey]

I get the impression that for many , male or female, who think they may be on the spectrum it's seen as the done thing to go to great lengths to show how much they mask.
It's as though there would be no validity to their claims of being on the spectrum without it. .

[choirgirl]

I think if you weren't masking you would probably already be diagnosed though? Or misdiagnosed. Isn't that it?

[firemonkey]

^ Maybe maybe not . I am not aware of majorly masking. Though someone did say my going to a group at my library and sticking it out , even though it wasn't a good experience , and the kind of thing I'd usually do, was masking.

[Dougella]

Originally Posted by firemonkey

I get the impression that for many , male or female, who think they may be on the spectrum it's seen as the done thing to go to great lengths to show how much they mask.
It's as though there would be no validity to their claims of being on the spectrum without it. .

I suppose it's because for a lot of people who are on the autistic spectrum, but perhaps more the Asperger's side (whatever that is now) they have been told things like "oh, you make eye contact so you can't be autistic, you're not showing any stimming behaviours right now, you're able to talk to people etc..." so they feel a strong need to explain and justify themselves? Further on in this talk she gives a few examples of how it's important for medical professionals to ask the right questions during autism assessments, because in that short appointment people may not display signs of autism which are very pronounced in other situations.