India, March 17 -- Accumulating research suggests that the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in women is rising sharply. Studies report a more than 300% increase in diagnoses among women between 2011 and 2022, outpacing the rise in males, where diagnoses increased by approximately 185% in boys and 215% in men over the same period. Particularly striking is the increase among women aged 26 to 34, where diagnosis rates have risen by nearly 450%.

With International Women's Day just behind us, we reflect on an important question: Are current autism diagnostic criteria biased toward male presentations? If so, many autistic girls and women may have gone unrecognised for years.

ASD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition characteri...