Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age

As an autistic woman who also has a sister with an autism, we found the structure of this book amazing and easy to follow. It has both empirical evidence and studies as well as accounts from 30 different female aspies and their experiences as children and adults with the disorder, as well as their parent’s experiences with it. This book gave me a new sense of self love and power I didn’t know I had. It made sense of all my “quirks” and “deficiencies” and reminds me that as autistic people, we are not disabled, but “differently able” as others say. We just work differently than neurotypical people and that’s ok. We also have unique quirks and talents.

I purchased four books from Amazon doing research on women with autism/Asperger‘s that were never diagnosed at a young age. This was the best book ever. I have highlights on almost every page.There are small sentences or paragraphs included on how women who are on the autism spectrum feel about certain things in their life. I could relate to so much of it. Thank you so much for writing this book! I’ve always known I was different. Thirty years ago I thought I was “kind of” autistic. I stopped telling anybody that because they would laugh at me. “You can’t be kind of autistic” But I had several traits. I did not bang my head And I did not flap my hands but I’m still autistic nonetheless. It all just came together with this book. I am who I am and now I’m not going to listen to any more bullying because someone else’s false beliefs of who they think I am or should be. There’s nothing wrong with me. I just think & react differently than others.TEN ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to Sarah Hendrickx!

I recommend this book to any woman who suspects themselves to have ASD, as well as anybody who knows someone who either suspects themselves, or is diagnosed, as it provides so much insight for a better understanding.

I’m really glad I read this after seeing it being talked about/suggested on Reddit. A lot of it resonates with me and it was nice to read about fellow aspies and I learned some new things about myself along the way.If you love a female that has autism I recommend this book, even if you think you might be on the spectrum it’s a good read and kind of nice to know you’re not alone :)

This book was an excellent read. It was easy to get through, written in a very approachable manner, and provided many perspectives to help make sense of how different people might think about similar situations. I found it incredibly insightful. I also have found Sarah Hendrickx videos on YouTube that very much add to and expand on this content. If you are a woman or afab or your socialization was feminine gendered and you've been diagnosed as an adult, this book may be helpful for you to understand yourself a little better. If you are a friend or family member looking to support and adult or wonder what adulting on the spectrum may mean for a younger girl in your life, this may provide a look into what's going on in her head and help you step into her world a bit.

After many people suggested to me the possibilities of having adhd I decided to look into that fact, during my research I came across some information about autism so I delved further into that. Months passed and after discussing it in depth with my partner we came to the conclusion that I may be on the spectrum, and while searching for studies I found this book. After purchasing this book I was convinced that I had to be. I did see a doctor about it and sure enough !!If you want to know more about women on the autism spectrum or think you, yourself may be on the spectrum I recommend reading this book and discussing the possibilities with your doctor!I haven't finished the book I'm not going to lie (perhaps my adhd brain there, as I can never finish anything I start), so I'm not sure if it discusses anything about how to live on the spectrum or how to manage life better. But I hope one day I can manage to sit down and finish it!

This is a great read for anyone who has been a recently diagnosed adult or for folks in the field of psychology. After reading this book so many things resonated with me and gave me comfort that I'm not the only one experiencing some of these 'quirky traits.'What I enjoyed most about the book is the mix of personal and research-based accounts. Since there is not much research based data about women with AS it was great to read the real life experiences woman young and old have gone through. This book is an important starting point hopefully having more understanding and compassion for getting folks accomodations and support where needed.

I bought this book to help my child, it ended up helping me as well. After reading it, and having almost identical experiences to the women in this book, I decided to have an evaluation as well. Still waiting on the results, but this book opened my eyes. I am truly grateful for the women who’ve contributed to this book and the professionals who are putting their time and effort into research and education.

one of the best books I ever read... if you are an autistic woman or care for one, it is THE book.

As a 60yr old who has only now plucked up the courage to seek an ASD referral, this is a very relatable and useful resource. As I write I am about halfway through the book, but reading the example quotes is definitely helping me remember experiences from my younger life while helping me frame them as evidence.The book is logically set out and progresses through life stages. While previous reading on autism has provoked "me too" moments, this book helps me to categorise my evidence into a logical framework that will hopefully assist both myself and any assessor to understand my personal journey.The writing style is very approachable, and peppered with quotes from both other autistic women and parents of autistic children. It's probably the most helpful text I have read during my two year journey to this point. Thoroughly recommend it!

Un livre complet, pertinent, d'une finesse et d'une justesse rarement égalées. Le TSA chez la femme est mal diagnostiqué, peu connu, victime de biais sexistes qui ont des conséquences graves pour ces personnes. Tous les sujets essentiels sont abordés même la sexualité et l'approche est vraiment loin des clichés que peuvent nous rabâcher même de soit-disant spécialistes.Ainsi par exemple, la notion d'"abus" vis-à-vis de la personne avec TSA n'est souvent abordée que concernant la question sexuelle. Alors qu'il n'y a pas que ça et que ce n'est pas forcément le problème majeur de ces femmes dans leur vie quotidienne. L'abus de naïveté, de vulnérabilité peut revêtir bien d'autres formes et avoir des conséquences dramatiques (notamment l'extorsion financière). Une personne avec TSA qui parle de ce qu'elle connaît puisqu'elle le vit tout en étant apte à le théoriser. Finalement, des personnes comme elle sont bien mieux placées que la plupart de celles qui prétendent parler des premières sans vivre avec ce handicap, avec une vision souvent déformée par leurs propres biais psychosociaux. Merci à Sarah Hendrickx pour ce remarquable travail.N'hésitez pas à me faire savoir si ce commentaire vous a été utile :)

I liked the simple way in which the book is written. It helped me understand myself better. I felt identified with other women’s stories.

One of the most insightful books about women and Asperger!