Girls don't get autism
6/3/202632 min
For decades autism was thought of as a "boy thing" and girls were overlooked by science. According to research, three boys are diagnosed with autism for every girl. While experts point to genetic differences, there are other reasons why girls often go undiagnosed, including their ability to mask their autistic traits, leading to what's referred to as the "female autism invisibility cloak". In this episode, Grace meets women and gender diverse people who have been diagnosed with autism later in life or are still waiting. She also speaks to neuroscientist Dr Gina Rippon about what the latest research has to say.
Featuring The Assembly's Bethany Woodman.
Listen to more from the Autistic AF with Grace Tame series:
Either I'm autistic, or I'm a cat
The health gap no one talks about
Watch the first episode on ABC Australia YouTube.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRob Bergen· Soundbite0:00
At a rural picnic spot in the dark, a young man suddenly disappears You could nearly say an alien took him away because he's just vanished When more clues from that night surface, something doesn't sit right It's nonsensical where the stuff is.
Amy· Guest0:14
It's been scattered I'm Rob Bergen.
Rob Bergen· Soundbite0:16
Join me as I investigate what became of Jack in the new season of Unravel. Is it a murder? Is it someone just gone missing?
Amy· Guest0:23
Do you know where my son is?
Rob Bergen· Soundbite0:24
Search for the Unravel podcast on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts ABC Listen.
Leigh· Guest0:31
Podcasts, radio, news, music and more.
Grace Tame· Host0:35
Just to let you know before we start, this episode contains references to suicidal ideation [gentle music] I'm getting noticed as being weird, so I'm gonna do anything I can to take myself out of that light The better the camouflaging, the harder it is to spot the autism By that time, I knew I was autistic, no doubt about it Someday I hope to be able to regularly talk with my family again Hi, I'm Grace Tame, and over the next three episodes of Ladies We Need To Talk, I'll be looking into autism and women. If you didn't already know, I'm autistic and wasn't diagnosed until I was 19, and that's not uncommon. According to recent research, 80% of girls don't get a diagnosis until their late teens, while for most boys it's before primary school. In