04 July 2023 , 16:15
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For many women with autism, a diagnosis won't come until much later in life, by which point they may well have experienced a number of significant challenges without any adequate support.
Until fairly recently, autism was regarded as a condition that rarely affected women, however, this is far from the truth.
Often, autistic women will go under the radar completely, according to the National Autistic Society, partly because they will be more likely to 'mask' their autistic traits.
They will also be more likely to be misdiagnosed, with traits that don't quite fit the traditional symptoms seen in men likely to get missed.
There are however some unexpected signs women should look out for, as one young woman learned after years of confusion, isolation and mental health difficulties.
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Hannah Molloy was diagnosed with autism at 17-years-old (Hannah Molloy/ Ambitious About Autism)
At first she was told she had depression and anxiety, rather than autism (Hannah Molloy/ Ambitious About Autism)Twenty-year-old Hannah Molloy was diagnosed at 17, younger than many women but still later than boys who are most commonly diagnosed before the age of 11 or even younger.
"I think having autism has possibly quite isolated me and I feel like I can't do the same opportunities that other people do," Hannah told The Mirror.
Hannah's autism manifests in common traits like special interests and misunderstanding social cues but also in crippling anxiety and depression. This lead to a misdiagnosis of depression during her teens, while her mental health collapsed and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) "didn't work" for her.
She shared: "I struggle with social interaction, I suffer with chronic anxiety so I find it hard to go out of my front door and interact with other people. I struggled a lot in high school, my attendance was quite poor, I find it hard on public transport as well.
"My weight dramatically came down, I lost about three stone in the space of three months."
Getting a diagnosis wasn't easy, as the 20-year-old felt she was "fobbed off quite a lot" and an early attempt for an autism diagnosis went astray, in what she described as a "losing battle".
At breaking point Hannah, from Greater Manchester, went back to the doctors and "bawled her eyes out". With her family's support, she finally got a diagnosis of autism after years of isolation and feeling different - but the label wasn't a relief.
She confessed: "At first I wasn't proud of it because there's so much stigma around autism, it's not talked about and people can't see autism. I think I had such a negative image in my head already about autism, I was like 'Why me? Why have I got this condition'."
The diagnosis initially worried her as she had a 'negative image' of the condition (Hannah Molloy/ Ambitious About Autism)
Now Hannah works to support other youngsters with autism through Ambitious About Autism (Hannah Molloy/ Ambitious About Autism)Autism exists on a spectrum so some people express traits without it interfering with their lives, while others are non-verbal with extreme sensory issues. Public understanding of the condition is limited, especially for girls who have a tendency to "mask".
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"Masking" is a common coping tactic used by people with autism to fit in with neurotypical environments, it involves suppressing impulses and using learned behaviours that are deemed socially acceptable. Hannah describes it as pretending to listen to someone despite the fact you are heavily distracted by the 10 other people in the room.
"I'm not concentrating on you, I'm concentrating on those 10 people around me that are talking," she explained, "But you kind of blot it out and just pretend like you're listening to this person when actually, you're not.
"Because I've not been diagnosed until later on, I have masked my whole life. At times it's been hard but I feel like many girls maybe find it a lot easier than boys do.
"We were supposed to just get on with it. I think girls go through a hell of a lot so they just go through and crack on with it.
"Girls are probably more ashamed than boys to speak about their autism. I feel like maybe girls aren't proud and they don't want other people to know. The more awareness about autism there is, the more girls are going to be speaking.
"We are seeing it now. The more evidence and the more groups that are being developed, more people are coming forward."
Hannah mentors other young people with autism and attends social groups with Ambitious About Autism, who have collaborated with Vanish for the Me, My Autism & I campaign. It aims to help girls be seen, heard, and supported while educating people on the impact of late diagnosis specifically on girls and the non-binary community.
"I've come to accept who I am and I've not let autism define me," Hannah said with a slight catch in her voice, "I definitely feel happier now and I feel happy that I'm helping other autistic people.
"It's a journey being diagnosed and you will get there. Don't be afraid and ask for help.
"Be proud of who you are, there are a lot of other autistic women out there that will support you. I always say that autistic people are really thoughtful and there will be a network out there for you.
"So don't be afraid to go and get the help that you deserve."
To find out more about Ambitious About Autism and Vanish's campaign Me, My Autism & I, visit https://www.vanish.co.uk/autism