An autism assessor has shared the most common signs of autism he sees in women and girls – including difficulty building relationships and limited diet
An expert has shared his top five most common signs of autism in women and girls. Conor McDonagh is the owner and director of Caerus Therapies, which offers autism assessments and support.
He is also a specialist occupational therapist, with sensory integration certification and expertise in occupational therapy and applied social studies. Conor frequently shares advice on his TikTok account – from sensory processing issues to how to support an autistic child.
Among his videos, Conor shared a clip revealing some of the most common signs he’s spotted in women and girls, alongside the caption: “Research has shown that signs of autism in women and girls with autism are more subtle and difficult to identify, for example they are often very good at ‘camouflaging’ or hiding signs.”
READ MORE: Serious medical warning for anyone taking painkillers on a regular basis
READ MORE: Five lesser known symptoms of breast cancer everyone needs to be aware of
In the two-minute-long video, Conor said: “Here are five very common signs of autism in women and girls from the point of view of an autism assessor. But before I do, it’s worth noting that up to 80% of women and girls with autism are undiagnosed. I will speak about the reasons for this in other videos.”
Top five common signs of autism in women and girls
Struggling with lack of structure
Conor said: “So the first of these signs is when a woman or a girl will really struggle with a lack of structure. So they may be used to a certain routine, and whether it be at work or school, where these routines change, they can become quite anxious and often very flustered. This may not be very obvious to others, but women and girls can often internalise these difficulties.”
Difficulties with motor skills
He added: “Secondly, a woman or a girl may have poor fine and gross motor skills. The fine motor skills are the skills that we use in our fingers and our hands to do things like handwriting, fascinating buttons and manipulating tips.
“Gross motor skills are the bigger movements that we use to catch a ball, to swim, to ride a bike, etcetera.”
Limited diet
Conor shared: “Thirdly, a woman or a girl may have a limited diet, and this often relates back to difficulties with processing sensory information. So they may be over sensitive to strong tastes and smells.
“They may be very uncomfortable with how certain food feels in their mouth or they may have poor oral motor skills, so they have difficulties with manipulating food in their mouth to break it down, and whether may have been difficulties with this, it can have a lasting impact on them.”
Struggling to build relationships
He added: “Fourthly, a woman or a girl may be quite awkward in social situations, so they have the ability possibly to develop superficial relationships. They lack the skills and the confidence to build stronger relationships.”
Struggles with attention and focus
He said: “And finally, a woman or a girl may have difficulties with poor attention and focus, so they’re often distractible. They have difficulties with following conversations. They struggle to concentrate on tasks for long periods.”
What does the NHS say?
According to the NHS, historically, many girls with autism have not been recognized or diagnosed due to:
- More subtle presentation.
- Clinicians not recognising girls.
- Other diagnoses being used to explain difficulties – autism not being considered as an explanation.
Mental health problems have often been the primary diagnosis which may have masked the underlying autism. This can result in lack of appropriate support which in turn can result in loneliness, depression, and social isolation, increased vulnerability in terms of emotional well-being, i.e. self-harm, eating disorders, lowered grades and reduced opportunities in the future.
The National Autistic Society also says there are many theories to explain the diagnosis gap have been put forward, but none have been conclusively proven. Some of the theories are:
- a potential ‘female autism phenotype’ – in other words, autistic women and girls have characteristics that don’t fit with the traditional profile of autism
- autism assessments are less sensitive to autistic traits more commonly found in women and girls
- women and girls are more likely to ‘mask’ or camouflage their differences
- autistic traits in girls are under-reported by teachers
- a range of biological and environmental factors may mean men and boys have a higher prevalence of autism
- the ‘extreme male brain’ theory of autism, which focuses on the effects of foetal testosterone on brain development
It is important to remember that research and knowledge about autism changes constantly. Some of these theories may not reflect how we think about autism today.
