The Big Picture: Autistic girls face a double marginality: neurotypical expectations for females and stereotyped expectations of autism. The current approach is to wait until there’s a crisis before providing support in educational environments. Current autism training is insufficient. Schools must not rely on diagnostic tools primarily assessed against male characteristics.
Study Type: Qualitative research
Participants: 10 women ages 19 to 38
Key Findings:
- Lack of Support: Most autistic girls didn’t get support in school since 80% didn’t have a diagnosis by age 18.
- Bullying: Girls often feel they have to mask to avoid bullying. “I wasn’t really clocking that it was bullying until a teacher raised that [my friends] were bullying me. I was like, ‘Oh, no, I need them to like me. Oh, no matter what I do.
- Lifetime Effects: The stress of the “Academic Trap” frequently manifests in co-occurring conditions like struggling with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), POTS, and autonomic dysregulation.
- Well Behaved: “I’d often get told, ‘she’s really good, but she doesn’t do enough [in class discussions]’. But there was never any real concern, because I did well, and I wasn’t disruptive.” – Hope.
This study notes that one limitation was that those who no longer identify as women but may have been socialized as girls throughout school weren’t included, though they should be in future studies.
Access Status: [FREE / OPEN ACCESS]
Direct Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/disabilities6030051
Source: Gordon, Angela, et al. “What Can the Retrospective Experiences of Autistic Women Reveal About Supporting Autistic or Potentially Autistic Girls in School? An Exploration of School Experiences Based on Diagnosis During or Post-School.” Disabilities, vol. 6, no. 3, June 2026. Gale Academic OneFile Select, dx.doi.org/10.3390/disabilities6030051. Accessed 6 July 2026.
Adult Autism Insights 