Autism signs and symptoms: Common signals in women and girls that are missed - they're startlingly common

An expert has shared his top five most common signs of autism in women and girls. Conor McDonagh, who runs Caerus Therapies providing assessments and support for autism, has highlighted the top five signs that often go unnoticed.

As a specialist occupational therapist with sensory integration certification and expertise in both occupational therapy and applied social studies, Conor often shares his insights on TikTok.

In one particular video, he discusses how "Research has shown that signs of autism in women and girls with autism are more subtle and difficult to identify, for example they are often very good at 'camouflaging' or hiding signs."

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He goes on to explain, "Here are five very common signs of autism in women and girls from the point of view of an autism assessor. But before I do, it's worth noting that up to 80% of women and girls with autism are undiagnosed. I will speak about the reasons for this in other videos."

One of the key signs he mentions is struggling with a lack of structure.

Conor explained: "So the first of these signs is when a woman or a girl will really struggle with a lack of structure. So they may be used to a certain routine, and whether it be at work or school, where these routines change, they can become quite anxious and often very flustered. This may not be very obvious to others, but women and girls can often internalize these difficulties.", reports the Mirror .

If you can't see the video above, click here

He continued: "Secondly, a woman or a girl may have poor fine and gross motor skills. The fine motor skills are the skills that we use in our fingers and our hands to do things like handwriting, fascinating buttons and manipulating tips."

"Gross motor skills are the bigger movements that we use to catch a ball, to swim, to ride a bike, etcetera."

Conor added: "Thirdly, a woman or a girl may have a limited diet, and this often relates back to difficulties with processing sensory information. So they may be over sensitive to strong tastes and smells."

"They may be very uncomfortable with how certain food feels in their mouth or they may have poor oral motor skills, so they have difficulties with manipulating food in their mouth to break it down, and whether may have been difficulties with this, it can have a lasting impact on them."

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He added: "Fourthly, a woman or a girl may be quite awkward in social situations, so they have the ability possibly to develop superficial relationships. They lack the skills and the confidence to build stronger relationships."

He said: "And finally, a woman or a girl may have difficulties with poor attention and focus, so they're often distractible. They have difficulties with following conversations. They struggle to concentrate on tasks for long periods."

According to the NHS, many girls with autism have historically gone unrecognised or undiagnosed due to several factors. Mental health issues are often the primary diagnosis, which can mask underlying autism, leading to inadequate support.

This can result in loneliness, depression, social isolation, and increased emotional vulnerability, including self-harm and eating disorders, ultimately affecting academic performance and future opportunities.

The National Autistic Society notes that various theories have been proposed to explain the diagnosis gap, but none have been proven conclusively.

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