Autism Spectrum Disorder

Female Autism Test: “Am I Autistic?”

This free female autism test covers traits and signs of autism that commonly manifest in women without intellectual or language disability. Share your results with a licensed mental health provider who specializes in autism in women.

By ADDitude Editors Verified Updated on August 29, 2024
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Many women learn that they are autistic later in life1, and gender bias contributes greatly to diagnostic delays. The ways in which autism generally manifests in women and individuals assigned female at birth often diverge from “classic,” male-centric views of autism. Autistic women, for example, are often more motivated to understand, connect, and enter relationships with others. They are often more driven to fit in, and will go to great lengths — from studying neurotypical behavior to suppressing certain behaviors — to hide social challenges, which can mask their autism.

Autistic women with strong coping skills, low support needs, and who do not have an intellectual or language disability are more likely to be overlooked. (Some individuals call this “high-functioning autism,” though autism advocates urge against the use of functioning labels. “Functioning labels aren’t a good way to think about autism,” reads part of a statement by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. “We all have things we are good at and things we need help with. Using functioning labels makes it harder for us to get the help we need, and for us to make the choices we want. Instead, we should talk about people as individuals.”)

Answer the questions in this self-test and share the results with a licensed mental health professional who specializes in autism in women.

Most social interactions feel effortful for me. I feel like I’m constantly trying to figure out others and understand what’s “normal” to do or to say.

I consciously study how other women interact in social situations and try to copy their behaviors.

I constantly worry about whether I’m doing a good job of fitting in with my peers.

In social situations, I feel like I’m ‘performing’ rather than being myself.

I feel exhausted, almost burned out, after prolonged interactions.

My interests and hobbies often take over my thoughts. I enjoy spending hours focusing on them. When I like something, I become a superfan of it.

I have an overactive imagination. I can spend hours building a fantasy world rich in elaborate detail.

I feel emotions intensely. I become easily overwhelmed by my feelings. It’s difficult for me to cope when I’m stressed, anxious, or upset.

I often play with my hair, tap my fingers, rock, flap my arms, or engage in some other repetitive behavior.

I am pretty set in my ways. I have fixed, highly specific ways of doing things. Doing just one thing differently is enough to throw me off for the rest of the day.

My senses can sometimes feel all over the place. I can be either under or overly sensitive. I avoid bright lights, loud noises, strong smells, certain foods, and other things that aggravate my senses. Or, I find myself constantly moving, chewing on something, and seeking some form of sensory input.

Can’t see the self-test questions above? Click here to open this test in a new window.

The questions in this female autism test are informed, in part, by criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), research literature and screeners on autism in women2 3 4, and from the ADDitude ADHD Experts webinar titled, “AuDHD Guidance: Why Autism is So Difficult to Diagnose in Women and Girls with ADHD” with Karen Saporito, Ph.D. This female autism test is designed to screen for the possibility of autistic traits and symptoms in women, especially women without intellectual or language disability and with low support needs, and it is intended for personal use only. This female autism test is not intended as a diagnostic tool.

Female Autism Test: Next Steps

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1 Milner, V., Colvert, E., Hull, L., Cook, J., Ali, D., Mandy, W., & Happé, F. (2024). Does camouflaging predict age at autism diagnosis? A comparison of autistic men and women. Autism Research : Official Journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 17(3), 626–636. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3059

2 Brown, C. M., Attwood, T., Garnett, M., & Stokes, M. A. (2020). Am I autistic? utility of the girls questionnaire for autism spectrum condition as an autism assessment in adult women. Autism in Adulthood : Challenges and Management, 2(3), 216–226. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0054

3 Bargiela, S., Steward, R., & Mandy, W. (2016). The Experiences of Late-diagnosed Women with Autism Spectrum Conditions: An Investigation of the Female Autism Phenotype. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 46(10), 3281–3294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2872-8

3 Autistic Girls Network (2022.) Autism, girls, & keeping it all inside. https://autisticgirlsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Keeping-it-all-inside.pdf