Os reflexos das normas de gênero no autismo em meninas

Abstract

This study aims to understand how gender norms reverberate in the behavior of autistic girls. To this end, we will analyze the possible influences on underdiagnosis, social camouflaging strategies (masking), and the educational development of girls. Historically, autism has been studied from a predominantly male perspective, resulting in a diagnostic bias that neglects how the condition manifests in girls and women. The theoretical framework is based on Butler’s (2003) concepts of gender, which discuss performativity and the social deconstruction of identity, and Beauvoir’s (1967) problematization of the historical conception of femininity. Furthermore, we draw on Foucault’s (1999, 2001) studies on the normalization of bodies, Scott’s (1995) reflections on gender as a category of analysis, Moscovici’s (2007) theory on social representations, and bell hooks’ (2018) critique of the naturalization of patriarchal domination. This is a qualitative study, based on a bibliographic review and a survey of the state of the art on the topic over the last ten years (2014–2024), including research by Salgado (2023), Silva and Mendonça (2022), Loureiro (2024), Costa (2020), Cassaguerra (2024), Brunetto and Vargas (2023), Miranda (2023), Vasconcelos (2022), Ferreira (2018), Hull, Petrides, and Mandy (2020), Teixeira (2023), Freire and Cardoso (2022), Rosa (2024), and Nascimento et al. (2025). The results highlight three main points: diagnostic tools, developed based on male parameters, do not consider the atypical ways in which autistic girls express the condition; schools and society reinforce gender norms that encourage the compulsory masking of autistic traits, making identification more difficult; and masking negatively impacts mental health and educational development, leading to emotional overload and difficulties in school socialization. Additionally, the difficulty in recognizing autism in girls perpetuates their invisibility in educational settings, causing their needs to be frequently overlooked or misinterpreted, which hinders the implementation of appropriate pedagogical practices. It is concluded that underdiagnosis and social camouflaging are reinforced by a social structure that imposes rigid behavioral expectations on girls, making it essential to deconstruct stereotypes that limit the recognition of neurodiversity and contribute to making the school environment less inclusive.