The Under- and Misdiagnosis of Women with Autism Spectrum Disorder (2025)

Women with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are a considerably underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed population. The literature identifies several factors at work, including the female vs. male phenotype in ASD, societal norms shaping women’s behavior, and how these factors become barriers that impact women’s ability to be correctly diagnosed with ASD. This situation leads to inefficient diagnostic tools and limited clinician awareness of the female phenotype in ASD. I review current diagnostic tools for ASD in children and consider how to improve diagnosis by recognizing the differences in ASD in females.