Autism has been long viewed as a “male disorder” by psychologists, a fact which has contributed to a majority of women with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to not be diagnosed until adulthood. Research shows that for every woman diagnosed with autism, there will be four males diagnosed, and that 80% of women with ASD are misdiagnosed with conditions such as borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder and anxiety. As the behavioural markers used to diagnose people with ASD have been developed on predominantly male populations, the current criteria tend to not recognise female symptoms readily.
Several studies have highlighted the more complex presentation of ASD in women and the greater likelihood of females “masking” – a term which describes behaviours used by people with ASD to internalize their symptoms – and males presenting more visible behavioural issues. However, symptoms present differently for most people with ASD, and one study comparing behaviours between males and females with autism reported that the likelihood of females having more externalizing behaviours was increased. This is why more studies need to be conducted to draw clear conclusions on differences in behaviours of women and males with autism.
Some of the different patterns which present in women with autism range from being able to follow social cues by mimicking the behaviours – such as gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice - of their peers, to exhibiting intense interests or feeling the need to interact socially, but not initiating social contact. As autism may present differently in females, medical professionals have manifested a tendency to dismiss women’s symptoms, refusing to challenge their view of what an autistic person should look like. A lack of or mis- diagnosis of autism in females has been proven to affect the quality of life of autistic women and harm their mental health, as not understanding the difficulty they have with social interactions can be frustrating and confusing.
To conclude, this issue needs to be addressed in the medical community and more research conducted on the way autism presents itself in females.
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