A W E

Autistic Women Everywhere is a free worldwide autistic-run initiative and resource developed for autistic women, including gender-diverse people on the spectrum and those interested in autism. AWE is not a commercial enterprise. It is a project nurtured by its founder, Michelle Dorothy Riksman. The various circumstances that can lead girls and women to an autism diagnosis bring important insights into autism as it presents in females. The diagnostic criteria for autism have long been geared toward boys, leaving girls undiagnosed and autistic women misunderstood. It is not uncommon for autistic women to be misdiagnosed or to not receive an autism diagnosis until later in life, if at all. There is a need for a better understanding of how autism presents in girls and women. By providing a platform for women of all ages to share their lived experience of autism, this website answers questions and shines a light on the manifestation of autism in females.