Autistic women and gender diverse people often receive a diagnosis in adulthood.
Learn why autism in adult women is often overlooked.
Originally, they thought I might have had a hearing disorder; however, I was diagnosed with autism.
Early identification and access to services has been a huge privilege that I do not take for granted.
Experts in This Article
Tara Killen is an autistic therapist and the founder of Thriving Autistic.
Tasha Oswald, PhD is a neurodiversity-affirming therapist and founder of Open Doors Therapy.
Tara Killen is an autistic therapist and the founder of Thriving Autistic.
But not everyautistic personhas an experience like mine.
All of that explains why many autistic people dont receive a diagnosis until adulthood.
The landscape of autism is changing, as well as our definition of who is autistic.
For women, getting diagnosed can come with unique challenges.
It isnt just women who present like this, Killen adds.
Its also trans men who have been socialized as women, or men, or nonbinary people.
The landscape of autism is changing, as well as our definition of who is autistic.
Adriana White, a 37-year-old Latinx autistic librarian and childrens book writer, agrees.
White learned to mask so well that the possibility of being diagnosed with autism was small.
Tara Killen is an autistic therapist and the founder of Thriving Autistic.
In fact, White was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder before receiving an ASD diagnosis.
Killen says misdiagnoses are common, primarily those of borderline personality disorder and bipolar.
Burnout happens when our capacity is outweighed by the demands of the environment, she says.
For autistic people, it has a very different recovery path.
She says to think of this burnout as the accumulation of all the invalidation theyve faced in life.
Its an exhausting process, Dr. Oswald says.
In lockdown, many adults began working from home in their own environments.
That led some people to attempt to figure out why this was the case.
Its Amazing How Its All Connected.
Professionals werent really looking for autism in Puerto Rican girls.
Theyre trying to fit in with the white, heterosexual culture, Oswald says.
Its another level of masking in addition to gender and race.
Its so important to recognize the different levels of masking going on.
Getting to that point took decades, she says.
Sweeney, who is transgender, also faced judgment from doubtful professionals.
There is no clear way to get a diagnosis, ze says.
Sweeney feels immense pride as an autistic and trans person.
Im finding that I love talking and socializing providing my needs are accommodated.
Knowing Im autistic greatly improved my mental health, White says.
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