Additional Atypical Autistic Traits
Unofficial (yet common) Autistic traits in marginalized folks
Disclaimer
These are unofficial and informal (non peer-reviewed), yet very common, Autistic traits in marginalized folks.
As we know, the DSM criteria for autism was primarily based on the experiences and observed behaviours of cis white males. People with marginalized identities such as people of colour, non-cis folks (trans, non-binary, and the entire 2s+LGBTQ community) are not well-represented in autism research, thus their experiences are not accurately reflected in the field of psychology’s understanding of autism.
Many women, girls, 2s+LGBTQ folks, and people of colour experience biases, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, racism, and other systemic barriers to accessing an autism diagnosis.
Further, because the common perceptions about autism in the general population — and in the fields of psychology and mental health — are so narrow, information available to the public is also not representative.
People who identify with the following traits may never come across descriptions of the Autistic experience which resemble their own, because what’s readily available is very white cis male centric.
