Girls, Autism, and Masking
How a Spectrum Disorder Leaves Many Undiagnosed and Misdiagnosed
The U.S. autism rate continues to rise. According to the CDC, an estimated 1 in 36 children fall somewhere on the autism spectrum disorder. With such staggering numbers, it’s likely that you know or love someone with this disorder.
While many of us are aware of the “classic” autism traits, there is a population of girls (and women) who are going undetected, undiagnosed, and misdiagnosed. Why? Because autism research has been heavily male-focused. Some girls do present with autism traits that are easier to identify and therefore properly diagnose. Others, are… faking it.
It’s called masking.
Masking is mimicking others around you so that you appear neurotypical. For undiagnosed girls on the spectrum that need low support, masking is a coping mechanism to fit in, in social situations. Girls that fall in this category are more likely to go undiagnosed until their preteens if they’re lucky; others are not diagnosed until adulthood.
What Might Masking Look Like?
~Inability to make and keep friends
~Relying on others to speak for them
~Appearing to be shy or quiet
