Published on 12, July, 2020
This is quite a broad subject and there is a lot of information available on this nowadays in the form of books and video.
However, I'm unable to access these due to an inability to read factual matter nowadays (I've tried 2 books on autism and gave up on both) and I simply can't process the spoken word properly.
So part of the reason for this thread is to learn from others.
It's not exclusively for women to post here.
It was sparked by comments on another thread about beauty and people's perception of how a 'beautiful' woman should behave.
I've had a disagreement with another member here before who felt that an autistic woman who was attractive could just dress a certain way and the men would follow.
However, my personal experiences of this is very different.
I don't want to make this introduction too wordy but I'm hoping that others here will want to contribute.
Women present differently to men and I read on this forum quite a lot of comments (based on incorrect assumptions) that appertain to men, not women.
'The different way in which girls and women present under the following headings have been identified below; social understanding, social communication, social imagination which is highly associated with routines, rituals and special interests. Some examples are:
The presence of repetitive behaviour and special interests is part of the diagnostic criteria for an autism spectrum disorder. This is a crucial area in which the male stereotype of autism has clouded the issue in diagnosing girls and women.'
https://autismhampshire.org.uk/about-autism/women-and-girls-on-the-autism-spectrum
I think older women among us came up in a different world where we were considered to be the McGuffin of the story.
.Only boys were considered to be autistic. The term came up in a discussion (conducted right in front of me as if I were not there, just like a McGuffin) when I was very young but because I was a girl, dismissed and considered an idiot from whom little was to be expected, other than making art, which was considered a "gift from god" and so even that was not about me but some dude with a beard.
I was left to my own devices often, which proved a boon. Attention was NOT what I wanted.
I can relate to most of the items on the thread's list too.
I am now reading "Unmasking Autism" and there is a great deal in it from the female perspective. Its written by a woman. A great book to keep coming back to, just like "Neurotribes". Thanks for the post.
I hope you enjoy Unmasking Autism. I own that book and it's really good, I find it helpful too.
Before being diagnosed with autism I was diagnosed with anxiety and then nearly bipolar... Not really sure how they thought bipolar but for a while it was on the cards before someone said it was autism. I'm so glad they got it right in the end.