What is it like to be a girl with autism?

Post Reply New Topic

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-health/11735971/What-is-it-like-to-be-a-girl-with-autism.html

What's it like to be a girl with autism??

HELL. Silent, smiling, gut-busting, wearing-out-your-knees-kissing-ass, terrified HELL.

It's high time someone told the story.

The only thing that scares me is that more awareness of what The Beast looks like in girls and women means I will have to work even harder to hide it when I go out on the street.

In three more years, my youngest kid will be in kindergarten. Then I will be able to only go out when I can go out alone. That should lower the stakes somewhat.

Every single part of that article that describes how autism generally shows in girls is definitely describes me, especially when I was in high school. It was hard for me to make and keep friends, and some of the people I was friends with were not always the nicest of people. Not to mention that a lot of times after having a really really rough day at school I would go and hide in my room and either start screaming and throwing pillows and stuffed animals, or I would be bawling into my pillow.

I went un-diagnosed for years, and right now I still don't actually have an official diagnosis. Sure, I got diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten because I didn't always want to do what the rest of the class was doing and I had a hard time focusing on my work, but the autism was completely overlooked until I was in high school.

I was on the National Autistic Society's website and read the article regarding how autism presents in girls and women. Honestly, I don't relate to most of it (with the exception of the sections regarding imaginative play and possibly socialising to an extent). Otherwise, I was very typical of boys on the spectrum growing up.

I don't remember much about what it was like growing up, but now I don't feel like I'm different. That article talking about how girls with Aspergers have similar interest as other girls applies defiantly applies to me, but I don't have such an intense interest to the point where that's all I talk about or all I think about.

So in other words, I consider myself average. I've worked hard to get there. Trust me, my teenage years were terrible. I had a lot of social and emotional delays, like I was a five year old in a teenager's body, but now I've caught up and I'm not like that anymore. Now, I did used to have intense interest in things, but talking and thinking about one thing and one thing only got really boring.

The other day I got told that I used to hate dresses growing up, but these days if I went places where I could wear them I would probably wear a dress every single day.

I guess it all depends on the girl or woman.

I really hope there's even more awareness of females on the Autism spectrum so they can get the help they need faster.

I was diagnosed young, but I still face struggles with socializing and understanding people.

Is the book out yet?

That sounds like a cool school and a good book.