1 in 3 instead of 1 in 5. Not yet an equal chance.
Recognition of autism in women is improving, the figures show how much room there is left.
Bigger than you think
3 in 1
is the ratio of men to women in autism diagnoses in the Netherlands, despite indications that the actual prevalence is closer.
2 to 3 years
later, on average, girls are diagnosed with autism than boys.
Almost half
of women with autism initially received at least one other diagnosis that was later withdrawn, compared to more than a quarter of men.
From 1 in 5 to 1 in 3
In the 1990s, approximately 1 in 5 autism diagnoses concerned a woman. This has now improved proportionally to about 1 in 3, partly thanks to research into how autism manifests itself specifically in women. That is clear progress, but at the same time it is still not an equal distribution.
“We do not know exactly what the actual distribution between men and women is, but it is probably closer to fifty-fifty than the diagnosis figures show.”
It is not in the patient, but in the look
Instruments built on the male image
Commonly used questionnaires contain questions that better reflect how autism presents itself in boys out.
Camouflage is counterproductive to recognition
The better someone hides her characteristics, the less a diagnostician sees to rely on.
Expectations of parents and teachers
If no one expects autism in a girl, less attention is focused on wanted.
What does and does not count
What is visible
- Women who ultimately receive a correct diagnosis
- Research into camouflage and its consequences
- Development of women-specific screening instruments
What is invisible remains
- Women who are still stuck in a previous, incorrect diagnosis
- The energy that has gone into camouflage for years sit
- How many burnouts, anxiety and depression symptoms were actually masked autism
And in men and children?
This page is built around the women's trap, because that is where the sharpest underdiagnosis figures are found. Autism in men and autism in children and teenagers both have their own pattern and deserve equal attention, which is why they have their own file instead of a short block here.
Where these figures come from
Ratio 3 to 1, almost half was wrong at first diagnosis
Diagnosed 2 to 3 years later, diagnosis missed more often
Autism probably not more common in boys, diagnosis more often missed in girls
From 1 in 5 to 1 in 3, new screening instrument for women
Men: late diagnosis often due to burnout
Teenagers: compensation disappears during puberty
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