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How Can We All Do Better By Our Autistic Girls?

TPGA is observing Autism Acceptance Month by featuring accounts from autistic people about the differences accommodations (or lack thereof) make in their lives. Today, five women talk about about the under-recognition of autistic girls, the long- and short-term effects of going without supports and accommodations, and what autistic girls and actually need to succeed and be happy. Photo: Steven Depolo (Flickr) [image: Two smiling African-American girls, on a swing set.] Autism is different for girls, and not only because fewer girls than boys get autism diagnoses. Autistic women and girls tend to have different traits than autistic boys do, and are also socialized differently — leading to many of those girls being overlooked or misdiagnosed well into adulthood, plus leading most of their life without the supports that could have made their lives much easier. It gets even more complicated when autistic girls are also racial minorities, and/or from low-income…

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Autism Acceptance Month 2014: Olley Edwards

This month we’re asking our autistic community members What Do You Want? What Do You Need? We’ll be featuring their answers all April long, right here. Today we’re having a conversation with autistic advocate and parent Olley Edwards. Please read, listen, and share. What are some things you like people to know about you? I am a undiagnosed Autistic UK woman, not undiagnosed due to lack of symptoms or cringe-worthy and naive experiences but undiagnosed due to lack of awareness of gender differences in autism traits by the doctor I saw at that time. I work to raise awareness of gender based traits of AS and support diagnosed and undiagnosed AS (autism spectrum) females and their families. I do this by making short films, writing books, attending talks, and public speaking. I am a single mum of three daughters: ages fifteen, eleven, and six. My eldest is neurotypical, eleven year…