Recognizing Autism in Women & Girls

By: Wendela Whitcomb Marsh

Narrated by: Jennifer Groberg

Autism has long been considered a boys' condition, but there is more to this story. The truth is, autism looks different in women and girls. They're much better at "pretending to be normal" by masking their autistic characteristics. How can we look behind the mask to recognize autism when it has been so well-camouflaged?

Recognizing Autism in Women & Girls provides the perspective needed to see how autism manifests in gendered ways allowing for a more accurate diagnosis. In addition to describing each point in the diagnostic manual to include feminine presentations, Dr. Marsh has created “Five Fictional Female Figures” who've been misdiagnosed because they also display symptoms of other similar conditions. She describes their behaviors, both obvious and hidden, from early childhood to adulthood, and demonstrates how these behaviors meet diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder. The "Behind the Mask" section provides helpful questions to ask during the autism assessment process to allow the professional to recognize autism, even when it has been successfully masked.

In addition, each chapter contains "In Her Own Words", written by autistic women who describe their personal journeys from masking to diagnosis and what it means to them. Being recognized at last for who they truly are frees autistic women to stop hiding behind a mask and begin opening doors to success.

©2022 Wendela Whitcomb Marsh (P)2022 Future Horizons

Inclusive and compassionate

This book is such an amazing resource for clinicians and Autistic persons alike! With vignettes, personal accounts, DSM criteria with suggested questions for eliciting responses to see the person behind and before the mask, this book really exceeded my expectations. Inclusive for persons of all genders and identities, this really felt kind and affirming - brava!

Compassionate and thorough

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to learn more about how autism presents in people assigned female at birth. Whether you are questioning for yourself, seeking to understand a loved one’s diagnosis, seeking to be a better advocate for your clients or patients, this book is a great resource. Dr. Marsh approaches autistic people with such compassion and understanding, as well as shining a light on the problems that many women, trans and non-binary people face that pose obstacles to an autism diagnosis. The way we understand autism is growing and changing and books like this are here to keep us all up to date on new information.

Only shared examples

I didn’t really get much out of this book. Only about 1% of it was actually useable. Very disappointing. It’s just collections of case examples of potential scenarios of women and how they circumvent autism. Not very useful. I kinda want my money back!