The Female Autism Phenotype and Camouflaging: a Narrative Review

University College London

Indexed incrossref

Abstract

Abstract Autism is more commonly diagnosed in males than females. One explanation is the ‘female protective effect’: there is something inherent in being female which reduces the likelihood of developing autism. However, evidence suggests that the condition is underdiagnosed in females, perhaps because females express their autism in ways which do not meet current diagnostic criteria. This review explores evidence for a female-typical autism presentation, the Female Autism Phenotype (FAP) and the component of camouflaging (compensating for and masking autistic characteristics) in particular. The evidence so far supports the existence of a female-typical autism presentation, although further examination of the…

Citation impact

573
total citations
FWCI
31.29
Percentile
100%
References
100
Citations per year

Authors

3

Topics & keywords

Keywords
  • Autism
  • Psychology
  • Presentation (obstetrics)
  • Narrative
  • Developmental psychology
  • Masking (illustration)
  • Narrative review
  • Clinical psychology
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Gender equality
No related works found for this paper.

Funding