Navigating the hidden spectrum: A case example of late identification in women

In recent years, the recognition of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adults—particularly women—has gained significant attention within the medical and psychological communities. Autism diagnoses are usually made in childhood. However, many individuals, especially women and girls, remain undiagnosed well into adulthood and only realize the connection to their struggles much later in life (Lai & Baron-Cohen, 2015). This phenomenon, known as late-onset or adult-onset diagnosis, is becoming more common as society’s understanding of autism continues to evolve (Hull et al., 2017). Recent research has suggested sociocultural perceptions and gender behavior norms may cause female individuals to socially hide autistic traits (Grosvenor et al., 2024).