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No no no I mean the anxiety aspect... skibum said something about anxiety being prominent in females with autism and I was trying to say that anxiety is prominent in both! I should have been more specific....

Last edited by salowevision on 19 Aug 2017, 2:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sorry, I should have been more clear in my wording. I have noticed, in my personal interactions with Autistics that I know, that male and female Autistics seem to handle anxiety differently and I have noticed that we tend to be anxious about different kinds of things. I did not want to open up a detailed talk of this because I am only speaking from my own experience. But I have also noticed from my own observation, that the Autistic females I know, including myself, tend to be a lot more anxious a lot more often than the Autistic males I know. So I used the word especially. Sorry if it caused confusion.

I sometimes make the assumption that when people read my posts, they realuze that I am speaking from my own personal experiences. If I make a clinical or documented observation, I will state that I am doing that and cite the source when I can.. So if my statement was mistaken for an absolute about genders, please forgive the misunderstanding.

skibum, it's all good! No worries!

Last edited by salowevision on 19 Aug 2017, 7:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Oh! I apologize- I should have played closer attention to what you wrote . You're absolutely correct- anxiety is common all across the spectrum, and autistic females may be more anxious in some cases, but that doesn't mean males can't be either !

No worries StampySquiddyFan!

Welcome to WP. I also suffer from anxiety. When I tell people that I have AS, they don't believe me. They tell me that I'm too articulate and that I seem too comfortable around people. I asked one person how she thought an autistic person looks, she said "Down Syndrome. They're both related, aren't they?" Not quite. I also get told that I care too much about my grooming and hygiene, so I can't possibly be on the spectrum. Maybe hygiene is one of my special interests. Hello!

From what I've read, if I have autism at all I have the feminine variety , because it appears females appear to 'pass' a lot easier than males ( not sure how true that is , as maybe it all depends on how bad you suffer and how good you coping mechanisms are ) .

Yeah, I know males who have the "female kind" and females who have the "male kind." I think I'm closer to the male kind, but I have a lot of those "female autistic traits" as well.

I am in touch with my feminine side so it's no issue for me but I'm sure some of my male family members will find it hilarious if I told them that I thought I had female autism , the sarcasm would never end

I bet they would! Not something you want to tell people . I can imagine that conversation going really well (sarcasm). I'm laughing imagining it !

Hahahaha, beyotch, puh-leeze!

It's so sad, that we seem to be at a point in Autism Awareness, where most people know the word Autism, but have no idea what it means, and of those who do, it's the ones with the least understanding of the disorder, who do most of the talking.

There are such a tiny number of Autism experts who have actual experience with autistic ADULTS, and the condition presents so differently post-puberty, than it does in children, that professionals familiar with one have no business diagnosing the other, and professionals with no practical experience in either, should just STFU.

All this talk of male autism and female autism... I'm pretty sure it's not gender specific as far as symptoms are concerned. The reason why females with HFA are under diagnosed is because to be introverted and socially inept is considered fairly normal behavior among NT females. Males are expected to be bombastic and socially adept. When we're not; it raises questions about our mental/emotional health.

I carry a lot of issues that are far more common among female NT's than male NT's. I have severe depression, mood swings, I'm highly ruminative and I have acute anxiety. I've done a lot of research on the spectrum. Based on what I've read these are all symptoms of PEOPLE with autism; not specifically females or males.

It's true that males and females present differently. Like me; I am severely depressed but I don't really show it. Moping and expressing myself in that way is just not something that comes naturally to me. I'm dreadfully suicidal; but you'd never tell just by looking at me. I think females are different in this sense. I think they're more expressive emotionally. That doesn't mean that male autists don't suffer; we just present differently. Males throw more tantrums (which I have been prone to do) females burst out into tears more (which I don't do very often...)

I'm kind of rambling at this point... What I'm trying to say is that while everyone's autism is unique in one way or another; I think it's a condition that sort of levels the playing field as far as gender is concerned.

To be autistic is to be highly prone to stress and anxiety; an "acute sentience" I call it. Male or female; our condition is something that makes us more sensitive to the stresses of life.