Are female Aspies Less Likely To Be Textbook Case?

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I am curious if females with AS are more likely to be atypical aspies than textbook AS?


I'm not a textbook case.

I'm not a textbook case either. But I'm a textbook case of ADHD though.

Between the traits of two spectrum labels, I'm closer to textbook autism than Aspergers.

I just don't have a severe comorbidity or any other overlapping condition that caused visibility or inability to compensate, consequently having Aspergers for an official diagnosis.


My SPED teacher (who observed me for 10+ years) explicitly stated that I'm a hybrid of both AS and I exhibit all autistic traits.

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I think that since all the variations of several neurological developmental disorders have been amalgamated into one umbrella diagnostic term, there is no longer such a thing as a stereotypical case of ASD.

I think that is the thing with Asperger Syndrome too, I think that as well as neurological make up,
a persons upbringing and influences in early life can have an impact as to how such a person will turn out.

Although, come to think about it, I do know that my second cousin is what I would call a stereotypical Asperger Syndrome dude. or is it he is a stereotypical IT nerd.

As he is very pedantic, superiority complex, nerd type of bloke. Nice enough bloke i believe, but just too IT for me.....

I believe the "textbook Aspie" involves these traits:-

- Prefer to be alone
- Completely socially clueless
- Too honest, cannot lie
- Flaps hands and rocks
- Nerdy
- Special interests with trains
- Excellent at maths, science and IT
- Unable to understand or express feelings, lack of emotion
- Brilliant at memorizing facts, numbers and train/bus routes and schedules
- Lack of empathy
- Undateable
- Follows rigid routines, has meltdowns if unable to
- Doesn't have a good relationship with NT parents or other NT family members

I don't think I have any of those, and the ones I may have aren't exhibited typically:-

I don't like being alone too much, and I value social interaction, social acceptance and relationships.

I am not completely socially clueless. There are some social skills I have naturally, others I have learnt. I can just be socially awkward, which isn't the same as being clueless.

I do lie. It isn't hard.

I never flap my hands or rock. If I do 'stim' it's the more socially acceptable type.

I am not nerdy in the slightest. I may be wimpy, but not nerdy.

I don't have special interests, but I used to have obsessions with certain people. But never trains or Star Wars or Pokémon. Boooooring!! !

Science, maths and technology have always been my WEAKEST subjects. I am a lot better at creative subjects such as drawing and writing.

I am EXTREMELY emotional and I can understand my own, and others, emotions. Also people often say that I'm very expressive with my emotions, more so than some NTs!

I am no good at memorizing facts and numbers or bus timetables or other things like that. I'm very good at remembering my past (which I read somewhere that this is something Aspies are unable to do)

Ok, I think we all know here that I do not lack empathy.

I find dating easy. I have been with my boyfriend for 6 years, and been living with him for 3 years, with no issues. He's NT.

I do like to have a weekly routine but I can adapt to change and I don't have a rigid routine.

I have always been very close to my mother, a very healthy mother-daughter bond. I'm also very close to my other family members too.

After I was diagnosed and read up on Asperger's Syndrome trying to find out if I really had it, because the diagnostician didn't seem very competent to me, pretty much every description or case I read didn't seem to match my experience at all. It wasn't until I looked up 'female' symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome that I found something that fit and concluded that my diagnosis was likely right.

I think text book cases only exist in . . . well . . . textbooks

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I'm more interested in rock n roll bands than I am mathematics and trains.

I know an autistic man who's special interest is football. But otherwise his autism is quite obvious.

My specific diagnoses is PDD-NOS so I think it is safe to say I wasn't a 'textbook' case.

I somehow manage to be what I think is very “textbook” while at the same time being very un-stereotypical. I think I basically fit the diagnostic criteria very obviously but at the same time don’t fit most stereotypes (except not liking social interaction or being around people). Hearing about how “female autism” is supposed to be so different and easy to miss/misdiagnose just makes me feel even more isolated because I can’t relate to it at all. But then again, I’m usually the exception that supposedly proves the rule.