Autism Spectrum Disorder

report of women who experienced a late diagnostic

Abstract

Introduction: The diagnosis of ASD is a contemporary issue; however, research is focused on early diagnosis and little is discussed about reports of late diagnosis. Furthermore, including the female variable in this discussion increases the complexity of the topic. Objectives: Detail the late diagnosis process of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in women, considering whether sex had an impact on this process and what were the changes in life after receiving the diagnosis. Method: This is a qualitative and descriptive research. Three women participated in this research who were selected from social media pages that contained personal reports on the theme of their ASD diagnosis processes. The interviews were carried out via the Google Meet Platform and in person. Results: The women interviewed were between 20 and 33 years old. All reported that the diagnosis was corroborated by a doctor and neuropsychological tests. Furthermore, they mentioned the gender variable as a factor correlated with their late diagnoses. Data analysis and interpretation was carried out from a linguistic-discursive position. The discussion addressed the weight of medical discourse and the effects on subjective and linguistic-discursive relationships and positions in the women interviewed from authors affiliated with the Language Clinic and Psychoanalysis. Final considerations: This research expands the possibilities for discussion that are little investigated in the literature on late diagnosis in women. This theme is constantly explored on social media and still deserves theoretical refinement based on research that considers language and subjective constitution.