Women with Autism

Hello,

I wanted to share this list I learnt about by scrolling Reddit.

The author of this list, Samantha Craft, from The Art of Autism website, has created a list of features Autistic women may feel identified with.

It seems Samantha has shared this list for other Asperger women to see if they relate to these traits and comment about the features they may have in common.

There are a total of around 8-10 sections focusing on different areas of life, like personality, inner world, socialization, sensitivity, executive disfunction...

I will share my thoughts in the comment section to keep the original post 'neutral' enough.

Have a good day.

EDIT2: i will change the original title in the blog post from "Females with Autism" to "Autism in Women".

^___^ Please tell me, I am a womaan with autiiism

She's got the manic going on :( stuff is stressful, I much prefer the phoneless/contactless ordering via apps lol.

Abstract

Males are diagnosed with autism much more frequently than females, and most research study samples reflect this male predominance. The result is that autistic females are understudied. There is a critical need to increase our understanding of autistic females, both biologically and clinically. The only way to do this is to recruit sex-balanced cohorts in studies so that similarities and differences between males and females can be evaluated in all autism research studies. The purpose of this commentary is to (1) provide historical context about how females came to be under-represented in all research, not just in the field of autism and (2) learn from other areas of health and medicine about the potentially dire consequences of not studying both sexes, and (3) draw attention to the need to recruit sex-balanced cohorts in autism research, particularly in neuroimaging studies.

I got my diagnosis this morning!

I'm living a nightmare at the moment. I've been trying to curb the last remnants of meltdowns where I start to get irritated and stressed and can't handle what's happening.

So my husband suggested gummies. I already vape, and they started selling gummies too. So I tried it. When I was younger, I smoked a handful of times and it did nothing. My body is weird when it comes to medication, mind altering substances, etc. When I'd drink, it could work one day but the next time the same amount did nothing, then it'd work again, etc. No rhyme or reason, and I tried everything I could think of to find out why. No dice.

The gummies helped so much. I was happier, no stress, no irritation. It was beautiful and I loved it. Then yesterday happened. This shitty state decided to close the loophole on delta 8. Now I'm back to being irritated and stressed and I hate it so much.

Doctor prescribed me klonopin (yes i scheduled an appointment immediately) . Instead of making me feel like I'm light and open, now I get to feel oppressed again, like depression meds I also take do. Emotionally I'm no longer depressed, but chemically I am (I don't make enough of the feel good chemicals), but this med makes me feel almost like I used to. I keep expecting The Voice to tell me what a piece of shit I am. It hasn't happened yet but the anticipation is freaking me out.

Even if it levels out, it's like living in a cardboard box after owning a mansion. I'm disheartened and I've been crying since I found out. We are moving to an adjoining blue state at the first of the year, so there's a light at the end. But why am I not allowed to feel normal even if I'm not? Who did I piss off in a previous life?

For starters, I am self diagnosed. I have brought it up to my family doctor, therapist and psychiatrist a few times. Each time I was shut down because I either didn't have problems with communication (or some other dated reasoning) or that there was no point to be diagnosed as an adult because there are no support systems for that. Which was disheartening to say the least. I always knew I was not neurotypical but I didn't have the words to describe it yet. I was just quirky, weird, introverted but also out spoken with a strong sense of justice. I began going down that rabbit whole because of tiktok, honestly. It had been on my radar before hand but I had an ignorant view on what autism was before that, I had never even heard of a female being diagnosed. I was however diagnosed with ADHD when I was 26. As well as schizotypal, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. To name a few. None of them felt right to me. Until that is, I started listening and reading about autistic women when I was around 28. I had just had a 6 week trip to the mental health ward and was unknowingly on the road to the end of the bad relationship I was in (a blessing). That's when I started seriously thinking I might be autistic. Four years later at 32 I have accepted my self diagnosis as truth and don't doubt it nearly as often. I do sometimes wish I had an official diagnosis but I understand that's asking for alot. Most doctors dont have the knowledge of what autism can look like in women, let alone that it is a spectrum.

I look forward to hearing your stories!

On the possibility that no one will respond to this post since our group is just beginning and I often ramble, I hope I will have the confidence to try again to begin some sort of engagement here. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Take care!

*Artwork done by me, @ strange.roots on Instagram. Just thought this post could use some colour.

I recently found this channel called The Thought Spot, and thought you might find this interesting too. There are also many other great videos on the channel.

I ask, as fireworks go off nearby. Loud enough to make my teeth and chest vibrate.

Hiding in my room only goes so far, since I get it from both sides of my house.

I like being able to spend literal hours focused on one thing. It makes the time I'm able to be productive longer.

Right now the worst part for me is the rejection sensitivity, especially trying to be active in a brand new place.

Got a special interest you want to talk about but don't think it needs a whole post? Put it here!

I always thought a sticky with everyone's DAE posts was needed. That way if you wonder, you can look in that thread and immediately not feel alone. That isn't to say you can't post a separate thread if you want!

So comment your DAE questions here, and I will add them to the list! I will post what few I remember to start.

DAE:

*Not hear a voice in their head? Not have images? Feelings attached to memories?

*Pick at their fingernails?

*Not have a special interest?

Well I was waiting for someone else to create this community but it hasn't happened yet, so here we are.

You know the drill. Let's get this place hopping!