Last updated January 03, 2025
Autism in women and men is almost the same, but due to natural differences, women with autism present something different than men. Understanding Autism in Women from a Different Aspect, an Accurate Diagnosis Could Make Their Lives Better.
And women have different traits, such as social difficulties, issues of emotional regulation, and the nature of intense interests.
What is autism in women?
ASD is a mental disorder condition that creates difficulties when behaving, socializing, and communicating with others. This disorder is generally known as autism, and the affected people are called autistic.
However it affects both women and men, but autism symptoms and their severity differ between the sexes among children. Statistics show that autism is almost four times more common in boys than in girls.
An overview of autism in women:
Aspergers in women is indeed rarer than in men. Autism is a manifestation of the extreme male brain. Due to rarity, women are underdiagnosed with autism.
There are several reasons for this:
- Girls are more likely to internalize with anxiety.
- Rather than behaving aggressively, they are more likely to be depressed or antisocial.
- Girls are “shy” in most cultures, while boys are less shy.
Signs of Autism in Women
The signs of autism in women are not much different from those in men. However, researchers believe that females are more likely to hide their symptoms. It is mainly common among women with “high-functioning autism”.
It has been found that the difference between high-functioning autism in women and men has been very small or flawed. Experts have not yet provided any definite information about this. The behaviour analysis found that autistic females may present lower cognitive abilities and adaptive functioning, but levels are commonly similar to those of autistic males.
It is controversial that autistic females have increased externalizing behaviours. Some studies say that autistic males exhibit more excellent externalizing behaviours than females. Still, there is no clarity or confirmation.
Autism symptoms in women
Here are some Autism symptoms in women as follows:
1. Social difficulties: Autism symptoms in women
Women with autism were found to respond and read delayed to social cues. Many females required a checklist to tackle this. Usually, they face social anxiety, ruminate on their social interactions, and may feel left alone despite their best efforts to be sociable.
Autistic women may interact perfectly in one-on-one, but they usually face difficulties being a part of groups or might feel exhausted after too much social interaction continuously.
2. Sensory Sensitivity: Autism Symptoms in women
People with autism experience intense sensory sensitivity. They may have a heightened sense of awareness about smells, light, sounds, and touch. People with autism have a feeling of being unable to tolerate more than their selection. Because of this, they reject many things outright. Usually, such people face difficulties with the crowd’s light, sound, and light.
3. Stimming: Autism Symptoms in Women
Stimming is referred to as repetitive behaviour. For instance, hand flapping, repetition of words or phrases, and rocking or spinning. These are the parts of self-steaming. In females, you can see pacing, hair twirling, skin picking, feet rubbing, etc. Autistic people used to stim more than normal people.
4. Executive function
Many autistic females face problems with executive function—a set of skills that involves self-control, flexible thinking, and working memory.
With this issue, they may struggle to organize, finish tasks, and maintain emotional control. They may be less interested in doing their chores at home and in the office. In-home work includes keeping a clean house, maintaining healthy habits, and eating breakfast.
5. Camouflaging
It is noticed that autistic women tend to be more social than autistic men. They spend a considerable amount of time and energy masking or camouflaging. However, neurotypicals of both genders camouflage, but autistic females tend to do so to a higher degree.
6. Obsessive Interests
People with autism tend to have intense interests. Most autistic people display “what if-then” thinking and often want to understand how something works. While autistic males frequently focus on specific objects or things, females usually show intense interest in a more expansive range of subjects, such as romanticism.
7. Sleep issues
Sleeping imbalance is a sensory issue; autistic females experience difficulty with sleeping. Due to high sensitivity to noise at night, it becomes a problem while sleeping. The presence of another person with autism can worsen their sleep issues.
8. Difficulties with eye contact
Eye contact is a common issue with autistic people. However, it has changed with continuous training. If someone feels stiff and unnatural when making eye contact, it could be a sign of autism.
9. Emotional Regulation
Females with autism often face difficulties with emotional regulation. A recent study showed a poor connection between the frontal cortex and the amygdala in autistic. This could be the potential reason for problems with emotional regulation.
10. Stimming.
Stimming is referred to as repetitive behaviour. For instance, hand flapping, repetition of words or phrases, and rocking or spinning. These are the parts of self-steaming. In females, you can see pacing, hair twirling, skin picking, feet rubbing, etc. People with autism tend to stim more than normal people.
Cause of autism in women
Experts aren’t sure about the causes of autism. There is a vast range of symptoms and severity as well. Autism is probably caused by several factors that are mentioned below. However, we still don’t have any solid research to prove the differences between the sexes, but some experts believe there are lower chances for women to develop it.
The cause of autism is not yet found exactly, but the research indicates that these may be the possible cause of autism.
- specific genetic mutations in the hierarchy
- Being born to more ageing parents
- Mother’s history of viral infections
- fetal exposure to the drugs valproic acid or thalidomide (Thalomid)low birth
- High weight might be a causal factor.
- Metabolic imbalances in mothers and kids
- exposure to heavy metals and environmental toxins
- Autistic history of an immediate family member
- fragile X syndrome and other genetic disorders
Autism in adult women: test
There are no tests available to diagnose autism. Yes, you will have required several types of doctors to connect.
Suppose you suspect your child may have autism. Depending on your child’s symptoms, you must make an appointment with a doctor. And it is likely the doctor will refer you to a child psychologist or pediatric neurologist.
If you have confirmed autism, then you need to look for a psychologist. However, it is a bitter truth that autism is very hard to diagnose, but this is not the end of hope. Still, we have many things. It can be controlled or minimized by doing therapy.
Anxiety and Depression in women
Indeed, anxiety and Depression are not universal symptoms of autism. But due to autism, you may have to face many problems in life. As such, it is common for them to experience mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, or addiction problems. And the average suicide rate among women with autism is much higher than that of men. However, it can be minimized by diagnosing autism.
How do we treat autism in women?
As we have already said, there’s no cure for autism as of now with medical science. However, several types of medications seem helpful in managing particular symptoms or disorders.
But I want to tell you that medication is the only aspect of autism support. Many types of physical, occupational, and speech therapies are helpful to manage your child’s symptoms.
Closing lines:
Autism in women and girls requires detailed research so that we can help them. Still, we don’t have any cure for autism as of now, And neither do we have strong proof of sex differences in autism. But we have a good support system where we can relax for betterment.