24 subtle signs of autism in adult women 

It’s not uncommon to associate autism with boys, with a review of different studies finding that for every three males, one female is diagnosed with autism. Yet, over a 20-year period, the proportion of autism diagnoses increased more in females compared to males, and more in adults than in children. What’s more, women and girls can be subject to recognition bias and, if they get to the diagnosis stage, diagnosis bias.  

With females getting diagnosed at a later age and often having their autism unnoticed and underdiagnosed, it may be helpful to have the autism signs in women discussed below on your radar.  

What is autism?

As “spectrum” in “Autism Spectrum Disorder” indicates, “autism” can impact people, and how they see and interact with the world and those in it, in a variety of ways. Some people living with the condition require significant daily support, yet others can live independently. Individuals with autism each have unique strengths. 

Despite some referring to autism as a “lifelong developmental disability”, (though noting that the definition is ever-changing), “disease” or “disorder”, many now prefer the term “neurodiversity.” This means they believe that autism and other neurodivergent conditions, such as ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, are simply different ways of neurocognitive functioning to be celebrated and nurtured rather than medically wrong or unhealthy ways.  

What are the autism signs in adult women?  

Autism traits in adult women may not actually differ that much from those in men. It may simply be that men’s autistic traits, such as aggression and hyperactivity, are more visible, than those in women, who could internalise their symptoms more. This can sometimes lead to their autism being confused with anxiety and depression and going unnoticed.  

Common signs of autism in adults include:  

Social and communication behaviours: 

  1. Experiencing challenges around identifying and predicting the emotions and opinions of others
     
  1. Heightened anxiety about social situations and facing challenges in adjusting to them

  1. Struggling to make friends or preferring to be alone
     
  1. Unintentionally coming across as rude, blunt or uninterested in others
      
  1. Finding it difficult to describe their own feelings
     
  1. Interpreting things literally, for instance, they may not grasp sarcasm or phrases like “it’s raining cats and dogs”

  1. Not making eye contact or looking when speaking to people (or when spoken to)
     
  1. Misunderstanding social “rules”, for example, not interrupting people
     
  1. Using facial features, movements and features that don’t correspond with what’s being discussed
     
  1. Speaking in an unusual tone of voice that may sound sing-song, flat or robotic
     
  1. Seemingly not listening when others are talking or being unresponsive when their name is called or their asked a question
     
  1. Spotting little details like sounds, smells and patterns that usually go unnoticed by others
     
  1. Talking a lot about their favourite subjects or hobbies at length, being unaware that others may not be interested
     
  1. Breaching other people’s personal space or getting extremely upset if other people breach theirs

Repetitive or restrictive behaviours: 

  1. Having the same daily routine
     
  1. Preferring to meticulously plan things prior to doing them
     
  1. Getting worried if a usual routine unexpectedly alters, even slightly and struggling with transitions in life, such as moving house or changing jobs
     
  1. Having an avid, over-focused, or lasting interest in particular subjects or hobbies
     
  1. Repeating particular behaviours (sometimes known as ‘strimming’ (self-stimulating behaviours) like hand flapping, rocking or spinning, or having unusual behaviours like repeating words or phrases
     
  1. Being overly or less sensitive to sensory stimulation, for example, light, sound, clothing and temperature, in comparison to other people. This may sometimes result in trouble sleeping

Camouflaging signs of autism

Camouflaging, that is those living with autism using behavioural and cognitive ways to adapt or cope within a society that’s mainly non-autistic, can be used by all genders. One reason for hiding their signs of autism could be pressure to ‘fit in’ with those who are ‘neurotypical’ (including individuals who don’t have autism). However, autistic females seem to show more camouflaging than their autistic male counterparts.
 
The below are examples of camouflaging:

  1. A conscious decision to make eye contact when having a conversation
     
  1. Prepping phrases or jokes in advance to use in conversation
     
  1. Copying the social behaviour of others who don’t have autism
     
  1. Mimicking facial expressions or gestures 

As such, autistic women may, on the surface, appear to cope better with social situations than autistic men, but they may also be quieter and hide their feelings.  

Misunderstanding signs of autism in women

As mentioned above, ‘repetitive behaviours’ and highly focused interests are often hallmarks of autism. However, the National Autistic Society notes that these traits may be very similar to those of women living without autism, such as twirling their hair or reading books, meaning they’re less likely to be identified as ‘autistic’, despite possibly displaying the same compulsiveness and intensity. Indeed, one researcher suggested that women (both autistic and non-autistic) may be more likely to be stereotypically more “girly” in their interests. This superficial ‘fitting in’ to their gender stereotype may mean the subtleties of how they approach their interests could be missed.  

The same researcher hypothesised that women (again both autistic and non-autistic) are naturally more socially aware, and familiar with social “rules”. In fact, at school, autistic girls are more likely to be part of a social group compared to their male counterparts. What’s more, a team of psychologists found that the diagnostic process for people with autism could be enhanced by considering the differences in the way men and women process and act upon their emotions. They noted that being male was associated with a lower motivation to engage in emotion-inducing situations, concluding: ‘females may seek out emotion-inducing experiences to help compensate for social-emotional difficulties’. Such emotion-inducing experiences can include looking for and being part of friendships – not typically a trait associated with autism.

Overall, men and women may have same autistic traits, but these may present differently due to masking. More research is needed to establish if the signs of autism really do vary between men and women, how they vary and what causes the variations.

Warning in a circle with a green border

If you think you have many of the autistic traits above and don’t already have a diagnosis, contact your GP to chat it through with them. Although there is likely to be a long wait to see an NHS specialist, the confirmation a diagnosis can bring can help you access any extra support you may need. However, if you already see a health professional, such as a therapist, you could talk to them instead.

Reviewed by:

Anna Keeble MA BA Head of Content and Wellbeing Expert

Dr Brian Fisher MBBch MBE MSc FRSA – Clinical Director

 

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    Jayna Shepherd

    Jayna Shepherd is a Content Writer at Evergreen Life. As a BA Journalism graduate, Jayna enjoys the challenge of learning about cutting-edge wellness research and translating that into digestible, chatty plain-English to benefit our app users and content readers.