We’re not imagining it

Guest blogger That Autistic Feminist refutes the gaslighting of late-diagnosis-denier Uta Frith

In a guest post, writer and autism advocate That Autistic Feminist replies to autism ‘expert’ Uta Frith, who has recently made it her business to deny the experience of countless late-diagnosed adults, particularly women. This is an excerpt from an article originally published on Substack. Read the full article here

Not content with singling out Chris Packham, Uta Frith has now turned her attention to late-diagnosed autistic women. In an interview with the BBC, she says the rise in autism diagnoses is driven mainly by females. She points out that as a ‘group’, an anxiety or OCD diagnosis might suit us better.

I don’t know where to start with this assertion of Uta Frith’s. My instinct would be to analyse it from a feminist perspective and conclude that women are being dismissed, a familiar feeling in women’s lives under patriarchy. We’re not allowed to have something for ourselves; in this case, claim an autism diagnosis. We’re not being good girls and staying silent and swallowing down our issues as our grandmothers did.

Uta Frith’s statement feels like gaslighting – telling late-diagnosed autistic women that we’re imagining we have autism. Instead, Uta wants us to believe that we’re just anxious and stressed. This is so insulting and hurtful and makes me think of the famous noughties car insurance advert with Michael Winner chanting the phrase: ‘Calm down, dear’.

My life history tells me that I’m not just anxious or stressed; like many late-diagnosed women, I’ve spent years suffering bullying, isolation, PTSD and unexplained breakdowns. I am shy and socially awkward and get tongue-tied sometimes, which has led me to go mute in certain settings. I get rejected by my peers all the time; that’s not just anxiety, it’s very clearly autism…

Continue reading this powerful article free on Substack.

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