The Lost Girls of Autism: How Science Failed Autistic Women - and the New Research that's Changing the Story

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'A truly fascinating must-read' Elinor Cleghorn, bestselling author of Unwell Women

'Powerful and well-researched. The Lost Girls of Autism shines a much-needed spotlight on a critical issue' Dr Maureen Dunne, author of The Neurodiversity Edge

The history of autism is male. It is time for women and girls to enter the spotlight.

When autistic girls meet clinicians, they are often misdiagnosed with anxiety, depression, personality disorders or receive no diagnosis at all. Autisms male spotlight means we are only now starting to redress this profound injustice.

In The Lost Girls of Autism, renowned brain scientist Gina Rippon delves into the emerging science of female autism, asking why it has been systematically ignored for so long. Generations of researchers, convinced autism was a male problem, simply didnt bother looking for it in women. But it is now becoming increasingly clear that many autistic women and girls do not fit the traditional, male, model of autism. Instead, they camouflage and mask, hiding their autistic traits to accommodate a society that shuns them.

Urgent and insightful, this is a searching examination of how sexism has biased our understanding of autism. Informed by the latest research in psychology and neuroscience, The Lost Girls of Autism is a clarion call for society to recognize the full spectrum of autistic experience.

Reviews

A truly fascinating must-read -- Elinor Cleghorn, bestselling author of Unwell Women
A vital call to action. Timely and engaging, Rippon charts a bold path forward to revolutionize research, understanding, and support for autistic women and girls. -- Dr Felicity Sedgewick, neurodiversity researcher and author of Autism and Masking
Powerful and well-researched. The Lost Girls of Autism shines a much-needed spotlight on the critical issue of autistic females being overlooked and misdiagnosed for far too long. -- Dr Maureen Dunne, author of The Neurodiversity Edge
Highly accessible . . . important -- The Observer on The Gendered Brain
Excellent . . . It will put weapons in the arsenal of those trying to tackle sexism -- The Sunday Times on The Gendered Brain
A treasure trove of information and good humour . . . thought-provoking -- Cordelia Fine, author of Testosterone Rex, on The Gendered Brain

Author Bio

Gina Rippon is Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Neuroimaging at the Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, Aston University, where she has used brain-imaging techniques to investigate patterns of brain activity in developmental disorders such as autism. The author of The Gendered Brain, she lives on the Warwickshire/Northamptonshire border, England.