r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 5d ago

Neuroscience New study finds online self-reports may not accurately reflect clinical autism diagnoses. Adults who report high levels of autistic traits through online surveys may not reflect the same social behaviors or clinical profiles as those who have been formally diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

https://www.psypost.org/new-study-finds-online-self-reports-may-not-accurately-reflect-clinical-autism-diagnoses/
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u/Zerewa 5d ago

Oh, no, I was definitely caught early as "something is wrong with this kid", just dismissed, because girls cannot have ADHD or autism :) I was also very typically boy-autistic.

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u/poppermint_beppler 5d ago

Yep, me too. Parents, doctors, and teachers ignored the issues I had, and autism was never suggested because I was a girl even though I had meltdowns, barely talked at all and couldn't read social cues.  "Would have been caught early" has existed for less than 20 years for girls and women on the spectrum. Most women alive today who are self-assessing to find answers did not have the option to be diagnosed or even assessed as children.

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u/adoreroda 5d ago

Yes, it is a myth that autism is always or mostly caught early. There is lots of bias towards particularly women and people of colour in diagnosis. Women in particular are instead to believed to have personality disorders instead of autism as autism has historically been seen as a "boy's disease" even if those girls act just like boys do symptoms wise

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u/apcolleen 5d ago

A lot of non whites with autism are considered confrontational and hostile or worse "uppity" for just being people asking basic questions to be able to navigate a situation.

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u/PenImpossible874 3d ago

My childhood friend was diagnosed as a kid with autism and ADHD and she's a girl. But she's also white and upper middle class.

Working class people and People of Color never get diagnosed with anything until it's too late. Autism, ADHD, cancer, autoimmune disease, you name it.

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u/Zerewa 3d ago

Fun fact, I'm from a multi-generation family of intellectuals. White, too. Not US, so there's that for your US centric world view.

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u/PenImpossible874 3d ago

America has a racial caste system. Not all countries do.

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u/Zerewa 3d ago

Still, even a large number of "upper caste" people got undiagnosed. It's not a caste thing, really.

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u/PenImpossible874 3d ago

The white people in America who are undiagnosed are either girls or poor boys.

America's caste system ranks people on their skin color, gender, sexual orientation, family wealth, and religion.