‘I was just so different’: The experiences of women diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in adulthood in relation to gender and social relationships

Abstract

Existing literature exploring autism spectrum disorders within female populations predominantly utilises quantitative methodology. A limited number of small-scale, qualitative studies have explored the experiences of adolescent girls with autism spectrum disorder, but adult women have remained largely unheard. This study aims to broaden the stories told within autobiographical literature and empower those within the wider community of women with autism spectrum disorder. In doing so, it seeks to extend existing conceptualisations of experience to include socially and culturally located factors. A qualitative methodology was adopted, utilising multi-stage narrative analysis. Seven semi-structured interviews with women who received a diagnosis in adulthood were conducted. Recruitment spanned community mental health services, an inpatient service and a community support group. From the women's diverse experiences and stories emerged two broad categories related to gender identity and social relationships. The findings are discussed in relation to existing constructs of autism in women.

Friends and Lovers: The Relationships of Autistic and Neurotypical Women

“…In line with this finding, that they found it harder to identify sarcasm (a common form of relational aggression) on the TASIT 14,27 . As in previous qualitative research 19 , where autistic women described struggling to make and maintain friendships (and even conversations with others), difficulties with peer relationships, and especially with managing conflict, were linked to wider social issues by autistic women.…”

“…Autistic women may struggle with the same social aspects of the world around them as adolescent autistic girls do, potentially because of difficulties with social awareness and imagination, which are considered to be core features of autism 18 . In a small-scale narrative study by Kanfiszer et al 19 , all seven autistic women they interviewed discussed issues with social relationships. This was particularly clear in their discussions of trying to meet expectations from people around them, such as not being "feminine" (p. 665) or feeling that even when they tried to make friends, the conversation "just goes dead" (p. 666).…”

Life as a deck of cards: A perspective on autistic females’ experiences

“…The studies of Kanfiszer (2017) and of Webster and Garvis (2016) both take a fresh approach resulting from their respect for the perspectives of autistic people. This means accepting that human experience is very diverse and that there is no one ideal way to be.…”

“…Two papers in this special issue on 'Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum' consider strengths as well as difficulties of autistic people and seek to engage with their perspectives and needs (Kanfiszer, 2017;Webster and Garvis, 2016). As a result, they explore and communicate about often-neglected parts of autistic experience.…”

Towards sex- and gender-informed autism research

“…These show us that when we seek to understand the experiences of autistic women, we need to consider how autism intersects with wider environmental factors such as social support, gender expectations, socio-economic status and cultural definitions of what constitutes 'normal' behaviour for a female (Kanfiszer et al, 2017;Webster and Garvis, 2017). Furthermore, the qualitative analysis of Webster and Garvis (2017) provides an important reminder of something that has been so often overlooked and underplayed in discourses about autism: like neurotypical people, autistic people live lives that include successes as well as difficulties.…”