Or could it be that girls are exposed to specific socialization processes that train them to be compliant and conforming, to not ‘act out’ or rock the boat, to fly beneath the radar? Of course, it could also be an entanglement of the two – another version of the ‘biological script playing out on a social stage’.

we are definitely moving towards trying to generate a picture of how each autistic individual experiences the world and away from trying to match them to a preconceived (and possibly male-biased) picture of what they should look like.

Brain responses to social rejection, and their sources, are very similar to those associated with actual physical pain.7 This provides important clues that negative social experiences may be powerful driving forces in shaping human behaviour.

even have to actually happen. Just the anticipation of what might happen, what sounds you might encounter, what social rules you might break would be enough to trigger your alarm.

think we need to be very careful about dubbing anything as ‘male’ or ‘female’. Not least because we would be short-changing any autistic males or gender variant individuals whose autism presents in more chameleon-like fashion, in exactly the same way that females were short-changed for so long.

All girls are under immense pressure to fit in and to be a certain way according to what they are told being a girl means. It’s even worse for girls with autism because they are also trying to fit in with what being a human means.

One of the outside influences on the brain that social cognitive neuroscience has explored is that of negative social experiences such as bullying or rejection, a constant theme in many of the discussions I’ve had with autistic people. And the very brain mechanisms that swing into action in the face of such nastiness are the mechanisms that best se

We now know that the passive, shy façade might well be disguising potent levels of distress.

So, the profiles may be similar, but the need for intervention and support is rated as lower. Are girls really less affected by their autism?