7 Signs of Autism in Women with Barb Cook (DSM-5 Symptoms of Autism/Aspergers in Autistic Adults)

Signs of autism in adults are often not immediately obvious. The symptoms of autism in 'high functioning' autistic women are often masked by well developed camouflaging skills. In this video we'll be looking at how common autistic behaviour in women corresponds to the DSM-5 autism diagnosis criteria.

About Barb Cook:
Barb Cook is a neurodivergent autism consultant and developmental educator and editor Spectrum Women Magazine. In 2018 she published the book "Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism"

Think you might be on the Spectrum? These videos will help!

CHANNEL LINKS:
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// WELCOME TO ASPERGERS FROM THE INSIDE!!

My name is Paul and I discovered I have Aspergers at age 30.

Yes, I know, I don't look autistic. That's exactly why I started this blog, because if I didn't show you, you would never know.

As the name suggests, this channel is devoted to giving you insight into the world of Aspergers.
This blog started off being just my story, but I've learned SO MUCH about my own condition
from meeting others on the Autism Spectrum that now I make sure to feature their stories as well.

I've come a long way in my own personal journey.
Now I'm sharing what I've found so you don't have to learn it the hard way too.

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// WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THIS BLOG

You can expect me to get to the point with concise useful information.
I focus on what is most important and don't shy away from difficult topics.

The best way to learn about Autism is to see it in real life ( i.e. via the stories of many, many people on the spectrum).

In this channel I endeavour to show you what Autism and Aspergers look like in real people and to also give you some insight as to what's happening on the inside.
I upload a new video every weekend with some bonus content thrown in mid-week too.
There's always new stuff coming through so be sure to check back and see what you've missed. (Is this where I'm supposed to tell you to hit that subscribe button?)

Topics Include:
- What is Aspergers/Autism?
- Aspie Tips, coping strategies, and advice on common issues
- Learning Emotional Intelligence (this is my special interest!)
- Autism in real life: stories from special guests

Everything I do is and endeavour to go deeper and take you 'behind the scenes' to understand what may, at first glance, seem 'odd'.
oh, and I love busting stereotypes and turning preconceptions upsidedown :)

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// ABOUT ME

I discovered I have aspergers at the age of thrity.
It has been my life's mission to understand these funny creatures we call humans.
My special interest is a combination of emotional intelligence, psychology, neuroscience, thinking styles, behaviour, and motivation. (I.e. what makes people tick)
My background is in engineering and I see the world in systems to be analysed.
My passion is for taking the incredibly complex, deciphering the pattern, and explaining it very simply.
My philosophy is that blogging is an adventure best shared.

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// EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING

I also run autism friendly online emotional intelligence training. So if you like my direct, systematic style, and would like to improve your own emotional intelligence skills, check it out here:

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// CONTACT

Blogging is an adventure best shared which means I'd love to hear from you!
Feel free to leave me a comment or send me and email at any time and I'll do my best to respond promptly.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this channel!
I look forward to hearing from you!

Peace,

~Paul

[fye]

So true when she said about preferring intellectual talk instead of the chitchat talk

[emblalo]

Getting good grades in school but being a complete mess at home is so me. I didn't have straight A's but always did really good in school but once I got home I didn't get anything done and was super anxious all the time.

[madebyrequest]

The eye contact thing.. I hated making eye contact, but at some point my mother told me that one of the signs of confidence and honesty is looking at people's eyes as we're talking to them. I trained myself to be able to do that because I want to be confident and seen as an honest person. But even today, I prefer to sit by someone's side rather than face to face so I could point my ear to them when they're talking instead of having to look at their eyes.

[meme-crxi]

This is eye-opening!
1. Sensory issues: tight fitting/snug clothing, all skinny jeans/yoga pants in different lengths, soft comfy tops. Natural fibers (I feel like I'm dying in polyester...can't breathe in it)
2. "Everything has its place": can't stand messiness, drains my energy. I only buy white linens because they'll always match each other. Boyfriend says all the white linens make it like a hotel.
3. Fixations: When I was young I was obsessed with the black/white combo, among other things. Mom finally broke me out of it but it took...years.
4. People touching me...mostly women w/that light touch/gentle hug...ugh. My whole body tenses...I wanna run away but then have to apologize to spare ppl's feelings. DON'T HUG ME UNLESS IT'S A BEAR HUG. No we can't hold hands unless you're squeezing my knuckles.
5. School was confusing and exhausting and loud and....cold. Took a nap until dinner every day bc I was so drained. There were days I'd rather starve in my room than have 1 more human talking at me or around me.
6. The babysitting fiasco. Not every teenage girl is prgrammed to care for young children for hours on end. I thought those hours would never end lol.
7. Several family members/friends have said I have a low tolerance for noise. Especially when trying to focus... mindfulness exercises were very helpful.
8. Food restricting...when I'm overwhelmed/upset, etc I won't eat for hours until I'm back to normal. I never even saw the cafeteria during lunchtime. 20 yrs later it's still a nightmare scenario.

And yes....2 hr limit on parties. Conversation points and appropriate responses rehearsed in advance.

I always thought I was just born in the wrong country/society.

[Sarteth]

I love how straightforward Barb is. She wasn't shying away from the fact that the medical community is still not looking at the basics and too easily fooled by the masking when it comes to women.

[AstroEssexGirl]

I find women are great at masking through school and then into the work place at the beginning but when parenting/ running a household gets thrown into the mix, it becomes too much. It’s exhausting and then the meltdowns are explosive! I’ve been called a drama queen, difficult. I lose keys and bank cards monthly. The more I try to get some order the more I just end up retreating in the corner of a room just trying to breathe!! I dread gatherings and need an exit plan so when I get overloaded I can just leave. People won’t understand because on the face of it I look like it’s all fine, when underneath I’m having constant mental breakdowns.

[ndjubilant]

I am a woman. I cannot stand social chitchat. I prefer guys as friends. I enjoy intellectual, philosophical talks and fixing things.

[UltimateValentine]

I'm 27, recently officially diagnosed. Neurotypicals will never understand how validating and how much of a relief it is to have that feeling of "it's not just me". I lived my entire life thinking that I was just "different" and "messed up"; that I would never find somewhere to fit in, and eventually- after *years* of severe depression- I had just come to accept that and have become so jaded as a result of it. Now after being diagnosed, I'm having to reevaluate... basically everything I've ever thought and believed. It's extremely difficult, but I'm getting help with it in bi-weekly therapy.

[alexstornello]

I'm so glad you're talking about autism in women. Discovering what autism really is has completely changed my life and I have my evaluation on July 1st.

[hisnewlife]

Thank you for including women, Paul. It really helps me a lot as I am a woman.

[Authentistic-ism]

There needs to be more research on adult women on the spectrum being victims of certain types of abuse. I believe there is an alarming prevalence.

[marceasusanna]

I was diagnosed at 70. I was told girls weren't autistic, just boys, so I couldn't be. I always felt "something was wrong with me". I have been in therapy since age 17. For years, I was misdiagnosed. I love cats, but I never babysat as a kid. No interest. I taught myself to act " normal". I wrote down how to act in different situations and then I would memorize how to act "normally".I need to stop cuz I'm getting overwhelmed by the memories of how badly people treated me all my life, even my own family. Need to stop.

[junenye]

I'm not sure whether I have Aspergers.
But I did these in my childhood:
-Mimicking other children's actions
-Hoarding stationery (I still hoard)
-Very keen about music
-Hard making friends
-Shyness
Anyone else?

[ginablanshard]

such a relief to hear...having discovered what I am, at 70

[Lauren-rqxt]

The touch part 😆 I HATE it if someone touches my arm or hand ...but like hugs

[SydMountaineer]

Even though women show autism differently, there's still a gender bias problem with being diagnosed, like with many other health issues. Women are very often misdiagnosed when it comes to cardiac problems, many when they are actively having heart attacks, this is a real issue that is very well known, yet it still exists - it's so prevalent that there are websites and organizations dedicated to this issue.

[raquelbuchanan]

When it comes to non-verbal I notice that I use a lot of hand gestures and body movements, very physically expressive. Also, non verbally I talk in a lot of different voices and imitate the voice of others when I am describing interactions to others.

[ToomieC]

She was pretty spot on describing me for 25 min. I’m a newly self diagnosed 35 yr old female. Listening to others like this is so validating.

[lyndacrossland]

64 and just diagnosed ☺️ I could not be happier, now my life makes sense....

[JDMimeTHEFIRST]

It angers me that if I were male, I would very likely have been diagnosed at the age of 5, not 35.