Includes bibliographical references and index.

PART 1 Introduction -- Where are all the autistic girls?: an introduction / Barry Carpenter, Francesca Happé and Jo Egerton -- What does research tell us about girls on the autism spectrum? / Francesca Happé -- PART 2 Girls and autism : the lived experience -- The advantages of autism: a personal journey / Katie Buckingham -- Raising the voice of the lost girls / Carrie Grant -- Introducing What we want the world to know / The Girls of Limpsfield Grange School and Sarah Wild, Head Teacher -- Black girls and autism / Venessa Bobb -- Girls Group: respecting the female identity of girls with autism in a school setting / Sharonne Horlock -- PART 3 Girls, autism and education -- Leadership issues in the current educational climate / Rona Tutt -- Building a specialist curriculum for autistic girls / Sarah Wild -- Included or excluded?: school experiences of autistic girls / Jane Friswell -- Girls who can't help won't: understanding the distinctive profile of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and developing approaches to support girls with PDA / Ruth Fidler -- PART 4 Autism, adolescence and social networks -- What do we know about the neuroscience of autism in girls and women? / Meng-Chan Lai -- Mental health and girls on the autism spectrum / Tina Rae and Grace Hershey -- Friendships on the autism spectrum / Felicity Sedgewick and Liz Pellicano -- Help us make our own way: talking to autistic women and girls about adolescence and sexuality / Gillian Loomes -- PART 5 Autistic girls looking to the future -- Girls for the future: transitions and employment / Jo Egerton, Helen Ellis and Barry Carpenter -- Supported teachers supporting girls: a whole-school model of support for the education of young people with autism / Sarah-Jane Critchley -- Run the world, girls: success as an adult autistic female / Rachel Townson and Carol Povey -- Epilogue: a call for action / Wenn Lawson.

"Often thought of as a primarily 'male' disorder, girls with autism have long gone unidentified, unnoticed, unheard and unsupported -- sometimes with devastating social and mental health consequences. As current research reveals a much more balanced male-to-female ratio in autism, this book provides crucial insight into autistic girls' experiences, helping professionals to recognize, understand, support and teach them effectively. Drawing on the latest research findings, chapters consider why girls have been historically overlooked by traditional diagnostic interpretations, identifying behaviours that may be particular to girls, and exploring the 'camouflaging' that can make the diagnosis of autistic girls more difficult. Chapters emphasize both the challenges and advantages of autism and take a multidisciplinary approach to encompass contributions from autistic girls and women, their family members, teachers, psychologists and other professionals. The result is an invaluable source of first-hand insights, knowledge and strategies, which will enable those living or working with girls on the autism spectrum to provide more informed and effective support. Giving voice to the experiences, concerns, needs and hopes of girls on the autism spectrum, this much-needed text will provide parents, teachers and other professionals with essential information to help them support and teach autistic girls more effectively.".