Why Do So Many Autistic Girls Go Undiagnosed?
In this episode, BU researchers Gael Orsmond and Sharada Krishnan offer a multifaceted perspective on how and why young women may have a different autistic experience compared to young men. In recent years, an increasing amount of anecdotal evidence has surfaced about the differences in how autism presents between girls and boys. On social media apps such as TikTok, women are now sharing their stories of going undiagnosed until adulthood, leading many to question why late diagnosis seems to occur primarily in women. While some researchers believe this may be a result of biological differences, others point to bias in testing and ways that autistic women might present their disability differently. Are autistic girls being overlooked and underdiagnosed? BU researchers Gael Orsmond and Sharada Krishnan weigh in on this question.