Thousands of GIRLS may have undiagnosed autism because they

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I think this is the abstract of the article from the science daily article.

Kopp/Gillberg 2010: Girls With Social and/or Attention Deficits: A Descriptive Study of 100 Clinic Attenders
Objective: Examine clinical correlates and distinguishing features of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), ADHD, and tic disorders in girls referred for social impairment, attention/academic deficits, and/or tics. Method: One hundred 3- to 18-year-old girls referred for social impairment and attention symptoms were assessed in detail. Sixty of these girls, 7 to 16 years of age (IQ ≥ 80) were compared with age-matched girls (IQ ≥ 80) from the community. Results: Main diagnoses of ASD, ADHD, tic disorders, and “other psychiatric disorder” were made in 46, 46, 3, and 5, respectively, of the referred girls. The ASD and ADHD groups (mean age at diagnosis 8.8 and 13.0 years, respectively) had the same types and high rates of psychiatric comorbidity. Girls with ASD had more problems with global functioning and adaptive levels of daily living skills than girls with ADHD. Differences between these girls referred for investigation and the community sample of girls were very considerable across a range of factors. Conclusions: Girls referred for social and/or attention deficits usually meet diagnostic criteria for either ASD or ADHD. They have severe psychiatric comorbidities and low global levels of functioning.

Looking back on my teenage years, when I should have been into boys and makeup and dating and all that, I was in therapy for being socially awkward, withdrawn, afraid of people and basically a weirdo. I easily would have been diagnosed with AS, even as a girl -- IF there had been such a thing. I was in therapy in 1978, a full 16 years before AS became an official diagnosis. Besides the aforementioned, I rocked back and forth all the time (still do), was scared to talk on the phone, was considered very intelligent but didn't "apply myself", repeatedly tore paper into little pieces and put them in little piles, had poor motor skills (was/am clumsy as all hell), poorer hygiene, and few friends. Know what all that added up to in 1978? Low self-esteem.

I don't buy the idea that girls can "hide" it better than boys. The real issue is that girls are perceived differently than boys, treated differently and eventually will be socially conditioned to behave in different ways. I remember noticing it often in elementary school that the teachers treated the boys very differently than the girls.

While I was growing up I was not aware of anyone who understood what HFA is or what it looks like. Never mind gender, they just wouldn't have recognized it unless it was really extreme.

I think females are more likely to be viewed as having emotional issues, mood disorders or eating disorders. I was always a very picky eater, and no one considered the idea that I might have sensory issues with food. People would assume that I was dieting or had an eating disorder. I never saw anyone apply the same logic to a guy who was picky about his food. It was just accepted that a male didn't have to eat something he didn't want to eat.

I gradually did learn to hide things I didn't want people to know about, but it took a LONG time. I mean it took me a long time to even understand why a person would WANT to hide anything about themselves. Even when I figured out why it was really hard to learn how to do it.

I don't think I hid the signs when I was a kid - although they wouldn't have diagnosed me anyway as it was quite a long time ago. I have a high IQ and good mimic skills and used those to mask a lot of it, although if anyone who knew about autism had bothered to talk to me I think they would have realised quite quickly that I'm on the spectrum. Nowadays I present as a well-groomed, well-dressed professional in most situations. But it's taken a heck of a lot of hard work to get here.

I was bullied extensively at school - in a different way to how boys are bullied, probably, as it was mostly verbal and psychological. And the teachers just assumed I was lazy and awkward. Any attempt on my part to use my considerable intelligence in class was dismissed as showing off, so I just gave up studying properly when I was still a kid. I didn't know until recently how to ask for the help I need instead of getting paranoid and anxious, blaming myself and then having a meltdown. Being on SSRIs has taken the edge off the anxiety and allowed me to focus on the remaining areas I have issues with - I was prescribed them at the beginning of this year when I had a massive meltdown and was diagnosed with anxiety and depression.

I don't think it's just that we hide it better. I think that's a very simplistic view. I think there's a perception that we don't have it, because that was, until recently, the accepted truth. If people don't think it exists, they don't see it. So now that more and more professional are becoming aware that women are affected, they are diagnosing us more. And that awareness is also prompting more women to push for a correct diagnosis instead of ust being fobbed off as having some kind of anxiety disorder.

Yeah, that's what I've read and what Ganondox is referring to.

The reason that I was not diagnosed early even with non-verbal was because iParents and iGrandparents and iFamily of BAP people thought that I was verry merry berry good child and not that abnormal, and no one cared much about social development or talking anyway. But people outside my family saw the obvious signs and brought it up, but iParents didn't think there was any problem, and I am rather glad that it happened that way.