A Qualitative Exploration of the Female Experience of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Victoria Milner, Hollie McIntosh, Emma Colvert and 1 others
PMID 30790191WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic females and mothers described wanting friends but struggling to make or keep them, camouflaging social difficulties to fit in, and sensory overload or anxiety as major daily burdens.
These are reported experiences, not tested outcomes.
Key findings
01Participants described wanting friendships but finding it hard to make or keep them, often feeling lonely despite social motivation.
02All except three females reported camouflaging autism symptoms, and participants linked masking during diagnostic discussions to misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis.
03Sixteen of eighteen females reported co-morbid conditions such as anxiety, OCD or depression; eleven reported sensory sensitivities affecting everyday life.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small (22 participants), so themes cannot represent all autistic females. Participants volunteered through social media, clinics, schools and word of mouth, so those coping better may be over-represented. There was no comparison group of autistic males or neurotypical females, so gender differences are participants' perceptions, not demonstrated differences. Two of the 18 females were self-diagnosed, and the paper says no differences were found between self-diagnosed and diagnosed responses. Some discussions had as many or more researchers than participants, which may have shaped responses. The study did not test an intervention or diagnostic tool, so it cannot show what works.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that camouflaging causes missed diagnoses or that a communication approach will help. The study reports participants' experiences from a small, self-selected sample and did not compare females with males or test any intervention.