Why was this study done?
Autistic women and girls are often not recognised as autistic because the tools used to diagnose autism have been based on what is known about some autistic men and boys. Since autistic women and girls (and other people who do not fit autism stereotypes) might look slightly different, people often think they have other conditions instead. We need tools which are better at showing who is autistic and who is not.
What did the researchers do?
We looked at all the research written about autistic women and girls (Study 1) which helped us develop our tool, the FASST (Female Autism Spectrum Screening Tool). We sent this tool out to a wide community of people. We then adapted the tool based on their feedback.
We piloted the FASST with autistic and non-autistic adult women. Participants filled in a number of questionnaires about themselves. Someone who knew the participant well completed the FASST. We compared the answers from the questionnaires with the information from the FASST.
Who took part in the study?
We had 60 adult females in total. This included 20 autistic people who were formally diagnosed, 20 autistic people who self-identified and 20 non-autistic people. Each person also had an informant.
What were the results of the study?
We hope that the results will show that it is possible to accurately screen for autism in people who might be overlooked by existing tools.
How will these findings help autistic people now or in the future?
We hope that our findings will show that the FASST is successful in screening for autism in women and girls and hope this may be expanded in the future to recognise that this may be relevant to use with people of all other gender identities. Improving access to diagnosis could help autistic people improve their quality of life in many ways.
Authors: Elisabeth Gale, Jill Bradshaw, Fiona Gullon-Scott, Peter Langdon
Background: Females are on average diagnosed later than males and there is currently little consensus regarding female and other gender presentations of autism; what we do know is that subtle or different autistic presentations are either being missed or misdiagnosed. Current diagnostic assessments may not be sensitive enough to capture subtle differences in autistic presentations between the sexes.
Objectives: A new screening tool for autism, the FASST (Female Autism Spectrum Screening Tool) has been developed. The FASST was designed to be completed by an informant. This study evaluated the construct validity of the FASST.
Method: The study involved three groups, with 20 participants in each: autistic – diagnosed, autistic – self-identified, and non-autistic. Participants all identified as female (cis-gender) and completed a battery of self-reports. Each participant also identified a study partner who completed the FASST. All aspects of the study were completed online.
Results: Data collection will be completed by the end of February. Similarities and differences between FASST scores for each of the three groups and between the FASST scores and the self-report measures will be presented and discussed. Recommendations for further use of the FASST within other gender identities will also be discussed.
Conclusion: Improvement in awareness of different presentations of autism, and access to diagnostic pathways may improve with gender-specific screening tools. Timely identification of autism across all gender identities will improve health and quality of life outcomes for autistic people.