Autism is one of the most difficult conditions to diagnose as it is often taken lightly. Reports emerged that a huge number of mothers remains undiagnosed as they only discovered their condition after doing their own research.
Research reveal that women are harder to diagnose compared to men. According to The Guardian, countless mothers were left undiagnosed of the condition but only stumbled upon their own diagnosis after doing their own research. More than 500,000 people are diagnosed with autism, and it was mentioned that 20 percent of them were only diagnosed upon reaching adulthood.
"There are far more undiagnosed mothers out there than we have ever thought," Dr. Judith Gould, lead consultant stated. "These women are coming to prominence now because there's more information on autism in girls and women on the internet, so they can research their children and in doing so, diagnose themselves."
Health care professionals agreed that undiagnosed mothers continually increase in numbers. It was then mentioned that autism in females is rare, thus some would be left undiagnosed.
"Undiagnosed mothers are definitely a growing phenomenon," Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, founder of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University agreed to Gould's statement. "Putting a number on it is impossible but I'm sure it's a big number because women seeking diagnoses of autism were likely to be dismissed until just a few years ago because autism in females was thought to be very rare."
A survey done by the National Autistic Society reveals that 42 percent of women were misdiagnosed, while 10 percent of women remain undiagnosed until their adulthood. The Guardian then pointed out that undiagnosed mothers are at risk of harming their children.
A research that was done by Baron-Cohen and Alexa Pohl Blakemore from Autism Women Matter mentioned that one out if five mothers with an autistic child are being assessed by social services. It was then added that six of the mothers that were assessed were placed on a rough patch as their child were forcefully taken.
