Female experiences and behavioural presentations of Autism Spectrum Conditions: a systematic review

Females are typically diagnosed less and later than males. There is little consensus regarding female presentations of autism. This research explored the presentation of autism in adolescent and adult females, with particular focus on experiences and behavioural presentations.Method: A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Four databases were searched. The search terms included “autis*, female, women and girl”. Inclusion criteria: Adult/Adolescent participants, all research designs (except case studies), peer- reviewed, focusing on experiences or behavioural presentations. Papers on genetics and cognition were excluded.Results: Twenty- three papers were included. Differences in di-agnosis and presentation were explored. As females are generally expected to be more socially skilled than men, autistic women re-ported less acceptance of their social difficulties. Camouflaging and imitation were specific coping strategies that developed. Females were reported to have fewer identified repetitive/restricted inter-ests but it remains unclear whether repetitive/restricted interests are present but less likely to be identified. Females reported higher levels of mental health difficulties.Conclusion: Improvement in awareness of female presentations, and access to diagnostic pathways may improve with screening tools that are designed to identify people (including women) who are more dif-ficult to diagnose, taking into account issues identified above