A characteristic of autism is having interests that can be unusual in terms of intensity or focus (APA, 2022). The interests or ‘passions’ can initially develop in the pre-school years, with each interest having a ‘use-by date’ from months to decades. There can be a collection of specific objects or information on a specific theme, which may be age-appropriate, such as information on a specific animal, person or event, or the interest is eccentric, such as avidly collecting yellow pencils. Considerable free time is spent engaged in the interest, and much of the knowledge associated with the interest is self-directed and self-taught. The interest is chosen because of some aspect that is appealing to the autistic child, adolescent or adult. The degree of expertise can be extraordinary and lead to success in competitions or a career.
The interests serve many functions (Attwood, 2015). These include:
Autistic girls’ passionate interests show core features similar to those of autistic boys but differ in content and presentation, which affects recognition and support. They may gravitate towards interests that are considered more socially acceptable, such as dolls and soft toys, animals, arts and crafts or popular culture (Sutherland et al., 2017; Whitlock et al., 2020), which facilitate social engagement with their peers (Brown et al, 2024; Grove et al, 2018). Autistic girls often express a strong desire for social connection, and their interests tend to focus more on acquiring social information such as reading about friendship, makeup and fashion, rather than the scientific, gaming and solitary pursuits of autistic boys (Edwards et al., 2023; Libster et al., 2023).
As autistic girls’ interests are more likely to overlap with socially normative hobbies, this may make them less likely to be flagged as diagnostic markers by teachers, parents, or clinicians, potentially delaying an assessment for autism (Attwood, 2015; Henault & Martin, 2025; Houy-Durand, 2024).
The interests of autistic girls often lie in the creative arts, such as drawing, creative writing, dance, or music. Their artwork can have considerable attention to detail, photographic realism, and an interesting use of colour. The artworks are usually associated with a particular interest, for example, oil paintings of horses. There may be exceptional abilities, such as singing with perfect pitch, learning multiple foreign languages, or exploring and communicating emotions in musical compositions and dance performances. This is in contrast to the difficulties the autistic girl or adolescent has with understanding and communicating emotions using speech and body language.
An avid interest in reading fiction can include collecting and reading many times the novels of a specific contemporary author, or a fascination with classical literature such as Shakespeare’s plays, the stories of Charles Dickens and Roald Dahl. This is not necessarily to achieve success in English literature at school, but rather from a genuine interest in the great authors and their works. The autistic girl can escape into an alternative world and may consider writing fiction herself. This can be the starting point for a career as an author. Reading and writing fiction can also serve as an indirect remedial activity, helping to learn more about the inner thoughts of others through reading text rather than reading body language and facial expressions in everyday life.
During adolescence, some autistic girls can develop an intense interest in fantasy worlds. The interest can be in science fiction and fantasy novels, but also fairies, witches and mythical monsters. An intense interest in the supernatural could be confused with some of the characteristics associated with schizophrenia, and clinicians need to be aware of the qualitative and functional differences between a passionate interest in the supernatural and the early signs of schizophrenia.
A young autistic girl may have an interest typical of her female peers, such as collecting Barbie dolls, but she may have a collection of many more dolls than her peers. The dolls are arranged in a particular order, and she usually does not share her Barbies' playtime with a friend. She may use the dolls as figures to represent real people in her life, re-enacting events to improve her comprehension of social situations, much as replaying a video can help to interpret what is happening in a complex scene in a film. The dolls can also be used to rehearse what to say in prospective situations, and can become alternative friends who, perhaps unlike real girls in her life, are supportive, inclusive and kind.
Another constructive way that autistic girls and adolescents can learn about social relationships and expectations is to watch television soap operas avidly, becoming an intense interest (Attwood, 2015; Cammuso & Knapp-Ines, 2024; Hill, 2024). The unfolding drama provides a voyeuristic insight into interpersonal relationships and a potential script for real-life encounters. The interest in soap operas has value in being a window to the social world. This activity also provides a ‘safe’ vantage point from which to observe and absorb knowledge on friendships and more intimate relationships. However, the role models and screenplay may be over-dramatised and inappropriate if the autistic girl or adolescent uses the verbatim script in real-life situations.
To achieve social inclusion with peers and avoid being bullied due to being alone, adolescent autistic girls may suppress their autistic characteristics and observe, analyse and imitate their peers, creating a social mask and able to ‘wear’ the right face for the situation, blending in through social mimicry rather than connection. They know the ‘script and dress code’ and change their personality according to the social context (Bernardin et al, 2021), much as a chameleon changes colour according to the background.
Their observation of their female peers' conversations can include the recognition of their peers' interest in and appreciation of fashion and makeup. An adolescent girl can then develop an intense interest in clothing, hairstyles and cosmetics, becoming overtly feminine. She now has a ‘currency’ of friendship and a potential career in the fashion industry.
The passionate interests of autistic girls provide connection, identity and coping strategies amidst the challenges of navigating a world that often misinterprets or overlooks their needs.
We are excited to present our Autistic Girls, live webcast on Thursday 7 November.
This half-day session celebrates the strengths, curiosity, and emotional depth of autistic girls, while addressing key challenges that often go unnoticed.
Topics include:
This session draws on current research and decades of clinical experience to provide practical, affirming insights for families, educators, and professionals.
For those interested in exploring adulthood, our Autistic Women [Guy please add hyperlink here] webcast on Friday 7 November extends these themes into later life. It focuses on identity, self-advocacy, mental health, and navigating relationships and workplaces while remaining connected to one’s authentic self. Together, these two events provide a lifespan perspective on understanding and supporting autistic girls and women.
American Psychiatric Association (APA) The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition- Text Revised (1952, 1980 and 2022)
Attwood (2015) The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome Revised London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Bernardin, C.J., Mason, E., Lewis, T. et al. “You Must Become a Chameleon to Survive”: Adolescent Experiences of Camouflaging. J Autism Dev Disord 51, 4422–4435 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-04912-1
Brown, C., Bernardin, C., Beauchamp, M., Kanne, S., & Nowell, K. (2024). More similar than different: characterizing special interests in autistic boys and girls based on caregiver report. Autism Research, 17(11), 2333-2345. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3216
Cammuso, K., & Knapp‐Ines, K. (2024). Autism in girls:‘Camouflaging,’ social functioning, and diagnostic dilemmas. The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, 40(6), 1-6.
Edwards, H., Wright, S., Sargeant, C., Cortese, S., & Wood‐Downie, H. (2023). Research review: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of sex differences in narrow constructs of restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests in autistic children, adolescents, and adults. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 65(1), 4-17. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13855
Gordon, A., Fox, L., & Asbury, K. (2024). What can the retrospective experiences of autistic women reveal about supporting autistic or potentially autistic girls in school? Doi: 10.31219/osf.io/hse29
Grove, R., Hoekstra, R., Wierda, M., & Begeer, S. (2018). Special interests and subjective wellbeing in autistic adults. Autism Research, 11(5), 766-775. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1931
Henault, I. and Martin A. (2025) The Female Profile of Autism: A Guide to Clinical Assessment London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Hill, J. (2024). ‘If I behave like the stupidly kind character maybe I will stop being accidentally rude to people’: does reading fiction inform the social understanding and masking behaviours of autistic females?. English in Education, 58(3), 206-221.
Houy-Durand, E., (2024) L’autisme au feminine: une enigma Clinique. La Presse Medicale Formation 10.1016/j.lpmfor.2024.02.003
Libster, N., Knox, A., Engin, S., Geschwind, D., Parish‐Morris, J., & Kasari, C. (2023). Sex differences in friendships and loneliness in autistic and non-autistic children across development. Molecular Autism, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-023-00542-9
Spackman, E., Smillie, L. D., Frazier, T. W., Hardan, A. Y., Alvares, G. A., Whitehouse, A., & Uljarević, M. (2023). Profiles of circumscribed interests in autistic youth. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 17, 1037967.
Sutherland, R., Hodge, A., Bruck, S., Costley, D., & Klieve, H. (2017). Parent-reported differences between school-aged girls and boys on the autism spectrum. Autism, 21(6), 785-794. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361316668653
Whitlock, A., Fulton, K., Lai, M., Pellicano, E., & Mandy, W. (2020). Recognition of girls on the autism spectrum by primary school educators: an experimental study. Autism Research, 13(8), 1358-1372. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2316
