Autism and Women - "I operated on a different wavelength." - Zhara Astra

"Growing up in the 1990s, I was different from other girls, but I certainly never considered I had autism."

Zhara Astra continues, "Sure, I operated on a different wavelength: I gravitated towards philosophy and books that dissected the meaning of life. I was extremely literal, and had a fascination with math and numbers, as is common in autism.

But, less commonly, I didn’t like to be touched, I laughed at inappropriate times, ate the same foods every day, and was frequently overstimulated by smells, textures and sounds.

We are starting to discover that these traits are more likely to occur in women and girls with autism."

From her Scientific American article: “We Need Better Diagnostic Tests for Autism in Women” - Diagnostic criteria are developed using white boys and men, failing to serve many neurodivergent girls and women.

Zhara Astra is a screenwriter and producer, and also a professor at Arizona State University where she teaches a course she developed on “Understanding Neurodivergent Women” with an emphasis on autism in women and girls.

This audio is an excerpt from the podcast interview: “The Vital Importance of Diagnosis of Autism in Girls and Women: A Discussion with Zhara Astra” - an episode of Uniquely Human: The Podcast with Barry M. Prizant, PhD, and Dave Finch.

Barry M. Prizant book: Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism

In the syllabus for her university course, Astra lists Textbooks, Required Readings and Materials - including:

* Divergent Minds, by Jenara Nerenberg

* Neurodiversity: The Birth of an Idea, by Judy Singer

* Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder, by Sarah Hendrickx

* The Highly Sensitive Person, by Elaine Aron

* The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person: A Workbook to Harness Your Strengths in Every Part of Life, by Amanda Cassil (recommended for my neurodivergent students)

> View these titles and more in my Amazon list Highly Sensitive / Neurodivergent People

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT is a "proud Autistic, HSP, Licensed Psychotherapist specializing in highly sensitive people and adult-diagnosed Autism in females.

“I founded Sensitive Empowerment to raise awareness about the extraordinary value inherent in Sensitivity and Autism." (From profile on her site.)

Articles in the Blog section of her site include:

* Unmasking Autistic Traits in Women: Could You Be Autistic?

* Neurodivergent Women: HSPs and Autism

* Autistic Women: A Support Group Empowering the Adult-Diagnosed or Self-Diagnosed

* Navigating the Challenges of Autism Diagnosis as an Adult Woman - "…can be a daunting journey. This exploration aims to illuminate the inherent challenges and propose actionable solutions to make this path less difficult.

The Diagnostic Obstacles for Women

Masking and Compensation: Many autistic women master the art of camouflaging their autism traits through coping mechanisms and masking strategies, rendering their symptoms less noticeable to others.

Evolving Diagnostic Criteria: As our understanding of the autism spectrum widens, the diagnostic criteria evolve accordingly. Unfortunately, this evolution often fails to capture the unique manifestations of autism in women.

Limited Professional Awareness: A significant barrier to diagnosis is the lack of training and awareness among healthcare providers regarding autism in adult women, leading to a high rate of underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis. ..."

See the full articles in the HSP Blog section of The Sensitive Empowerment site of Julie Bjelland - follow link to also find her podcast, books, free webinars, courses, Sensitive Empowerment Community and other resources.

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