Autism doesn’t just affect boys, yet many times getting a girl diagnosed is a much more difficult journey.  The typical autistic traits boys exhibit are different from what girls exhibit.  Girls a lot of times learn at an early age how to “mask” and manage their behavior in public.  Masking allows them to hide or camouflage their neurodiverse traits and replace them with more neurotypical ones.  Some make eye contact, smile and are able to make friends initially, so professionals who don’t dig deep enough can end up misdiagnosing them.  

Not being properly diagnosed and unable to identify the reasons behind behaviors and struggles can lead to severe mental health issues for girls and women.  In honor of Women’s Equality Day on August 26th, it’s important to recognize that while progress is being made in identifying and diagnosing girls with autism, more work still needs to be done  It is important for parents of girls to understand the signs and symptoms specific to girls and how to properly advocate for them to receive a proper diagnosis and services and support like their male counterparts.

According to Very Well Health, these are subtle, but often missed traits in girls:

• She has a hard time making or keeping friends. She may seem to miss nonverbal social cues or demonstrate a disconnect on how the girls around her behave.
• She is called "quiet" or "shy" in school and other social situations. Autistic people have varied language skills, but some challenges can make it harder for a child to jump into talks with friends, raise their hand in class, or respond quickly in social settings.
• She is unusually passive. Being passive can be a sign that she's unsure what to do or say in a situation and has decided the safest option is to do nothing. Some autistic people are actually quite assertive, but young girls may learn that being passive is more likely to be accepted or rewarded, especially at school.
• She developed typically as a child but starts to find social communication increasingly difficult as she enters her teen years. Autistic girls often find ways to mask and cope with their differences early on. However, once social expectations become more complex in the early teenage years, her challenges with neurotypical behavior can become a lot more clear and harder to manage (or hide).
• She has epileptic seizures. Some research has suggested that epilepsy could be more common in autistic girls than boys.

If your daughter shows some of these traits or you are questioning whether or not they could be autistic, there is no harm in getting her evaluated.  Understanding the reasons behind struggles can help lead to services and support for your child, no matter what their diagnosis is.  Most importantly, if your daughter is diagnosed with autism, it can lead to self acceptance and self love as an autistic.