1. Exploring the experiences Autistic of females: an emancipatory approach
Marianthi Kourti

2. Overview of my previous research
Took place online
Recruited participants from online groups of autistic women
Asked the participants what are the main things they wanted to talk about
Five focus group discussions emerged: school experiences and special interests, gender and personal identity, misdiagnoses and comorbid conditions, emotional regulation and sensory sensitivities and personal safety.
Significant findings include: all participants not identifying with the stereotypical presentation of the female gender, more likely to shutdown than meltdown, difficulty creating and maintaining friendships with online friendships being easier, variety of different misdiagnoses prior to receiving they autism diagnosis, not knowing how to keep themselves safe and staying safe because of luck
The process of this research project affected significantly my awareness of my own autistic identity
This group of participants had some unique characteristics. Most participants were involved in some sort of autism advocacy, even if entirely online and were discussing autism issues regularly as part of the autism groups I recruited them from so may have been more aware of the average issues the autistic community faces than a theoretical “average” autistic person.

3. My experiences as a Specialist Mentor
The majority of the young people I support have little to no knowledge of their autistic identity and what it may mean for them and their needs
For the majority of them it is not their primary identity (or one of their primary identities)
Many of them have internalised medicalised opinions about autism or stereotypes of autism as part of their identity (e.g. “I can’t socialise, I am autistic” or “I am autistic therefore it’s impossible for me to lie, so people should believe everything I say”)
Many of them have been infantilised significantly from their families, a fact they are not aware of nor are they aware of its significance
Some of them find their autistic identity as conflicting with other identities (e.g. Christian) and find it very hard to integrate seemingly non relevant identities with each other
Many of the autistic women and non-binary individuals I support have intense interest in social justice matters, which is rarely the case for the young men I support
Many of them have no interest in being involved with an autistic community of any kind

4. Autism and Gender identity
Autistic people either try really hard to fit in or try to stand out (it never seems to be the “accidentally fit it” situation that many NT’s seem to be experiencing)
One autistic person may try both of those things in different times in their life
Autistic people will either try really hard to follow gender rules (often as a way to blend in or as a way to understand others and society), or will break many, or all, of them
Autistic people will often use their styling choices to “make a point” about who they are (e.g. colourful, “eccentric” clothing) or will dress in the most nondescript way possible (e.g. a wardrobe full of blue jeans and black tops)
As a result, autistic people may end up in two opposite sides of the spectrum: either trying really hard to be compliant by “obsessively” ticking boxes or be completely fluid and non- complacent
Many elements of life that have been traditionally attributed to gender choices are really baffling to autistic people (e.g. clothing, interests, sports, professions, lifestyle choices etc.)
There is still no language to describe the gender experiences of people on the autistic spectrum (for example an autistic woman is often described as a “tomboy” and autistic men are often described as “geeks” because they display behaviours that are simply “autistic”)

5. Emancipatory autism research
My previous work was an emancipatory piece of research which the participants directly shaped and directly benefited by. It was also a piece of research that defined me as a person in many ways, as it was the means through which I discovered my autistic identity
Moving forward, I want to research gender and autism more and more specifically I want to find out how gendered upbringing has affected the sense of gendered identity on autistic people
I plan to use some form of participatory methodology in all my research in the future as I have seen how empowering it can be for the participants and that it can provide rich and complex data

6. Challenges to consider with participatory/emancipatory research
Philosophical framework (Critical realism vs Postmodernism/social constructivism)
Intersectionality of identities (particularly when it comes to engaging with different groups of participants such as I plan to e.g. women and gender non-binary individuals)
Power dynamics between participant groups and individual participants
Power dynamics between researcher and participant groups
Careful consideration of all the participants’ identities and inclusion of participants whose primary identity might not be the autistic one
Offering alternative recruitement and participation methods for less verbally abled individuals

7. Thank you for listening!