Diagnostic criteria are developed using white boys and men, failing to serve many neurodivergent girls and women
This is what people say when I first tell them I ’m on the spectrum. But I do look autistic. The problem is that people, especially medical professionals, don ’t know what to look for when it comes to identifying and diagnosing autism in women and girls.
These diagnostic requirements are outdated and more specific to the white male experience of autism, and until recently, most psychological testing done to diagnose autism was developed using the experiences and symptoms of cisgender white males. The DSM doesn’t distinguish between subtypes of autism, including Asperger’s syndrome.
But, less commonly, I didn ’t like to be touched, I laughed at inappropriate times, ate the same foods every day, and was frequently overstimulated by smells, textures and sounds. We are starting to discover that these traits are more likely to occur in women and girls with autism. Most places I called were clueless when it came to diagnosing adult women. These psychologists had little experience diagnosing girls as well. After a year of searching for a competent, available and affordable psychologist, I finally found one and got a diagnosis of autism in 2021. I was told I had Asperger’s syndrome, but that since the release of the DSM 5, the term had been swept into the general definition of “autism spectrum disorder.
Anxiety and depression are very common in neurodivergent women, especially those who remain undiagnosed. Women with autism are three to four times more likely to attempt suicide than neurotypical women. Comorbidities are very common in autistic women as well and can dramatically enhance the risk. Research indicates that women with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have an even higher chance of trying to commit suicide.
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