Surface level introduction to autism in women. It’s a short read so of course it won’t be very in depth but I wish it had talked more about how society treats young girls with autism in terms of being punished for the same behavior as autistic boys, or the fact that many specia interests are “normal” so they go overlooked as a sign of autism (like reading, pop music, horses, etc).

I did like the illustrations and could relate to some of the things mentioned. Also important to note two things: this book does use the Asperger’s label which we know now is not an appropriate label. Second, the traits talked about for women and girls are not accurate for everyone. I’m assuming these traits are used to demonstrate differences based on basic research but it’s important to remember autism is a spectrum. For example, the author says that autistic women have an easier time socializing compared to autistic men when that’s not always the case. So I do kind of wished it was emphasized that SOME autistic women have these traits instead of positioning it as “this is how autistic boys behave and this is how autistic girls behave” when that’s not the case for everyone.

Overall it was a quick read and I found it reaffirming in my diagnosis (because like many I still question if I’m actually autistic). I’d still recommend but I’d recommend reading this in tandem with a more thorough discussion, such as Unmasking Autism by Dr Devon Price, to fully understand the autism spectrum in women and non-binary people!