Abstract: Biases exist in the diagnostic process for autism spectrum disorder (henceforth “autism”), which result in some girls and women being diagnosed later or missed entirely. Current diagnostic tools may not capture the full range of behavioural presentations of autism, leading to under-identification. This review explores why these biases may occur, and how diagnostic procedures could be adapted to better identify autistic girls and women. We recommend that diagnostic assessments are adjusted to capture a broader range of behavioural exemplars of autism; that camouflaging of autistic traits is taken into account; and that care is taken to ensure co-occurring mental health conditions do not overshadow autism diagnosis. We offer recommendations, building on gold-standard diagnostic guidelines, for how diagnostic procedures can be improved for girls and women.

Keywords: autism, girls, women, diagnosis


中文翻译：

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改善女孩和妇女自闭症的诊断程序：叙述性回顾

摘要：自闭症谱系障碍（以下简称“自闭症”）的诊断过程中存在偏差，导致一些女孩和妇女被延迟诊断或完全漏诊。当前的诊断工具可能无法捕获自闭症的全部行为表现，从而导致识别不足。这篇综述探讨了为什么会出现这些偏见，以及如何调整诊断程序以更好地识别自闭症女孩和妇女。我们建议调整诊断评估以捕获更广泛的自闭症行为范例；考虑到自闭症特征的伪装；并且要注意确保同时发生的心理健康状况不会掩盖自闭症的诊断。我们以黄金标准诊断指南为基础，就如何改进女孩和妇女的诊断程序提供建议。

关键词：自闭症、女孩、妇女、诊断