The Urgency of Addressing the Underdiagnosis of Autism in Females

Autism is a complex condition which affects different individuals in markedly different ways. The autism spectrum is often referred to for exactly this reason, accounting for great variation in many distinct categories of symptoms of autistic people. Understanding of this broad range in how autism can present in different individuals needs to increase because, otherwise, many individuals are at risk of remaining undiagnosed. When autism is overlooked and goes undiagnosed in females, biological inevitabilities of menses and menopause, along with the possibility of pregnancy, stand to bring greater disruption to the undiagnosed individual than to the general population of females. As such, the underdiagnosis of autism in females urgently needs attention.