Unseen, but in Plain Sight: Looking Beyond the Camouflage in Women Challenged By Social Interactions, Regardless of Autism Diagnosis

Keywords

women and autism, autism diagnosis, camouflage

Abstract

Background: There is increasing recognition that girls and women with autism do not fit standard symptom profiles and may be overlooked for diagnosis or misdiagnosed. Some women may consciously “camouflage” their impairments in order to appear more capable during social interactions and during formal assessments such as administration of the ADOS-2. Nonetheless, many of these women, including those with an ASD diagnosis as well as those in diagnostic “gray zones,” experience a variety of clinical concerns (e.g., failure to make friends and severe levels of anxiety) that lead to substantial distress and impairment in everyday life.

Original Publication Citation

Beck, J., Lundwall, R., Gabrielsen, T.P., Cox, J., Anderberg,E.I., Kamhout, S., . . . South, M. (2018, May) Unseen, but in plain sight: Looking beyond the camouflage in women challenged by social interactions, regardless of autism diagnosis. International Society for Autism Research, Annual Meeting, Rotterdam Netherlands.

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

2018

Language

English

College

David O. McKay School of Education

Department

Counseling Psychology and Special Education

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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