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Just like with my ADHD piece, since putting out my ASD piece, a number of people have come to me who are struggling, or think they might have it, or have daughters who have it. Of course, my advice is to see an expert. But I thought I'd make a thread of resources that helped me;
When I was having mini breakdowns about my diagnosis, my Psych told me to youtube it. There are loads of women youtubers who are on the spectrum. Charl is my fav, she's a tattooist who makes content to help de-stigmatise ASD in women and girls.
She does some great collab videos with "The Aspie World", who is just brilliant and has a backlog of informative videos. It's important to note that ASD does present very differently in women, but there's still a lot to learn from him.
This Ted Talk by @JacdenHouting debunking ASD myths is relatable, and a bit mind blowing. She is an Australian ASD researcher who has ASD. She advocates for the Neuro-Diversity Paradigm - if you don't know what that is, watch the video.
Many women with ASD are artistic and creative, so there is a tonne of amazing work out there to help you understand Autism better, if you just have a poke around. Rebecca Burgess created a very handy webcomic illustrating the "spectrum" as a colour wheel. https://theoraah.tumblr.com/post/142300214156/understanding-the-spectrum
And @petite_gloom is an incredible artist and illustrator who creates work about her experience with ASD, and also is my favourite new artist, I'm obsessed. https://www.instagram.com/petite_gloom/?utm_source=ig_embed
Also, Shauna Poon is a photographer with ASD, and she did a brilliant series on Autism called "The Absence of Normal". https://theabsenceofnormal.tumblr.com/
Just like with everything else, there is a lot less representation for women with ASD in the media, but if you want to see yourself, or experiences like yours on screen, I recommend watching Amélie (2001), Kiki's Delivery Service (2004) & The Beautiful Fantastic (2016)
((Don't ask me why they all have cute dark bobs, I think that's the universal hairstyle for 'quirky' women, and ASD is often confused with 'quirky'.
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I highly recommend @JoshThomas87's 'Everything's Going to be OK'. It not only is the first show to feature characters with ASD played by actors who have it, it also shows a range of different experiences with Autism, actually demonstrating how diverse the spectrum can be.
I'm deeply aware that so far I've highlighted mostly white-centred media and representation. If you think women are underrepresented, for Women of Colour it's, well... ooft. But there is stuff! Like this great feature on Morénike Giwa-Onaiwu by Salon. https://www.salon.com/2017/03/15/listen-black-female-and-autistic-hiding-in-plain-sight/
And Sarai Pahla really hits me in the guts with this Ted Talk about how one of the most challenging things when you're a woman with HF ASD is dating lololol Women are expected to be good at it, but traditional relationships kind of work against our brains.
And one of the best things about Sarai Pahla's talk is that it genuinely highlights how ASD fits into intersectional feminism (where it is extremely overlooked).
Not to make this a Ted Talk about Ted Talks, but it is one of the few forums that has platformed women with Autism Spectrum Disorder to speak about their experiences. This by Tashi Baiguerra is about being a successful actor diagnosed suddenly with ASD.
A few key lessons I've learned about ASD in women over the past year or so;
1. Don't bother with online self-diagnosis check lists. They are usually outdated or modelled on men with ASD, and everyone's experiences and symptoms are different - hence why it's called a 'spectrum'.
1. Don't bother with online self-diagnosis check lists. They are usually outdated or modelled on men with ASD, and everyone's experiences and symptoms are different - hence why it's called a 'spectrum'.
2. There are a lot of potential comorbitities (other disorders that tend to appear in women with ASD), including ADHD, depression, anxiety & eating disorders. Understanding your ASD can help with treating these other problems. Or at least, it's helping me.
3. There isn't anything inherently "wrong" or "bad" about having ASD. Society isn't built for neurodiversity, and it takes a lot of energy and patience to accomodate everyone else's neurotypical expectations. It's OK to be angry about that, because it's bullshit.
4. There are loads of advantages to having low needs ASD. The 'superhero' cliché is extremely patronising and really undermines how lonely and difficult having ASD can be for a person, and the ppl around them. *HOWEVER* ASD does kinda give ppl superpowers, or... unique skills.
Women w/ low needs ASD tend to be great actors, artists, musicians, writers, scientists. I'm not fond of retroactive diagnosis, but there's profound evidence that many of history's most brilliant women may have had ASD. Such as Virginia Woolf, Marilyn Monroe and Emily Dickinson.
5. You may have noticed all of those brilliant women died from suicide. It's a trend in women with ASD, especially if it goes undiagnosed. Not only are women with ASD more likely to have other mental health issues, they are also more likely to isolate themselves from the world.
Which, I guess, brings me to my final big insight - if you are in a circumstance where the experiences above ring true to you, you're probably the least likely person to reach out and seek help, but please trust me when I say that you won't regret asking. You aren't alone.
The Graphic Novel 'Camouflage' is a helpful primer, especially for anyone trying to understand their own diagnosis, someone close to them, or if you're a teacher and need an easy resource. If I were to recommend one thing to read, it would be this. https://www.booktopia.com.au/camouflage-the-hidden-lives-of-autistic-women-sarah-bargiela/book/9781785925665.html
Anyway, this thread went on way longer than I intended. Thank you for coming to my ted talk and please look out for each other. 
And this is my ADHD piece, for those asking, I wrote it when I was in the thick of denial about my ASD, but they do exhibit some similar symptoms. https://humanparts.medium.com/the-lost-girls-6719fd516918
