Why the rise in Autism today?
As an autistic person, I'm always scanning my environment for signs that I'm safe. As a woman, even more so. Not just physical safety, but the safety I feel around the people I regularly interact with. I rely on the assumption that people are presenting an authentic version of themselves to me. When I feel safe and trust my space, I get to drop my guard and focus on what's important.
Why we need honest and open communication.
I rely on honest and open communication from the people around me, and I trust that my partner, friend, or employer, will speak to me if there's an issue.
So what happens if they don't - and we miss any hints or subtleties? This can be a problem for some autistic people in their interpersonal and professional lives. What if someone intentionally omits info - or is deceptive - and us not having this knowledge, makes us vulnerable?
By the time we becomes aware, we're disadvantaged by:
Being blindsided. If we're blindsided by the new information, we could become dysregulated and shutdown.
Delayed processing. When we're overwhelmed, we can take longer to react, while we scramble to process our emotions. This can be take even longer if we have alexithymia - a difficulty in identifying our emotions. This makes us particularly vulnerable when we should react quickly to protect ourselves.
We become stuck. The realisation that we're in too deep can be daunting, making it harder to safely navigate our way out of the situation. This makes us vulnerable to gaslighting and abusive tactics - especially if we're doubting our perception of the situation. This us at increased risk, specifically those of us who isolate and don't have a support system due to our avoidance of social interactions.
Meltdowns. We can do this in reaction to the situation, but then our behaviour becomes "challenging" and we're at risk of not being believed, getting bullied, or being accused fo wrongdoing. This delays us getting the help we need in order to protect ourselves.
Women experience higher rates of sexual violence.
Autistic women are particularly vulnerable. Especially if they are unable to identify ulterior motives, putting them deeper in danger. According to WHO, 1 in 3 women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual partner violence in their lifetime.
Autistic woman experience higher rates of interpersonal violence and abuse
When questioning the rise in Autism diagnosis today, please remember:
Females have historically be underdiagnosed. Early research focussed only on male subjects, so this is what the diagnostic criteria was based on. Medical practitioners looked at Autism in males as the only way it presented. Females were completely omitted, because they didn't present the same behaviour as Autistic males.
Autistic females are known to mask and internalise, which is why presentation is different. Many Autistic females who tried seeking medical help were misdiagnosed with disorders like depression or anxiety, and medicated accordingly. Even today, many health care providers still don't recognise autistic presentation in females.
Fluctuating hormones can impact how well Autistic females can mask at different times of their lives. Females who masked for years, can suddently find it harder to do so later in life when faced with additional hormonal changes during childbirth and menopause.
It's harder for Autistic females to get diagnosed retrospectively when they've been masking successfully for many years. Females who suddenly struggle and display an increase in behaviours with inability to mask to the same degree, can feel shame or embarrassment when asking for a diagnosis. This is made harder by medical practitioners not understanding autistic presentation in females. After years of internalising their struggles, it can be nearly impossible for Autistic females to advocate for themselves to get the help they should have received, many years ago. Even today, Autistic females are gaslit and disbelieved, making it even harder to get the support they should be entitled to.
Increased trauma from being misunderstood. Autistic females who didn't get the support from a diagnosis earlier in life, can experience increased levels of trauma from being misunderstood or punished for behaviours outside their control. They can experience repeated trauma from years of being misunderstood or having their needs neglected. This puts them at a higher risk for being taken advantage of - and finding themselves in unsafe situations. The complex trauma can lead to additional mental health disorders or in developing unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Undiagnosed Autistic females can struggle with their needs in parenthood. Undiagnosed females can have additional challenges when faced with parenthood - more so if their role is a primary caregiver. Not understanding their own needs and triggers can impact how they parent, which has a direct affect on the wellbeing of their children.
The risk is for Autistic females is higher if they are unable to identify an abusive siutation, are isolated, and don't have a support system.
An autistic diagnosis can help us:
- understanding our needs;
- identify our triggers;
- get the correct supports;
- improve self-awareness to parent better;
- improve self-awareness in relationships;
- identify unsafe situations;
- improve our self-esteem;
- reduce our risk of mental health conditions;