A new longitudinal study out of British Columbia reveals something many families already know: autistic girls are being overlooked—and the consequences show up all the way through school.
Using over 4,000 anonymised student records from the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care, researchers tracked autistic students from Kindergarten through high school and into post-secondary. They wanted to know: does gender shape the educational journey? The answer is yes—especially in the early years.
Autistic girls wait longer for recognition
The data shows that nearly half of all students—regardless of gender—wait five years or more after Kindergarten to receive an autism designation. But the delay is longer for girls.
This matters. Because while boys and girls stayed in the system at similar rates, girls were less likely to graduate—and when they did, they were less likely to earn the credential most associated with post-secondary access: the standard BC Certificate of Graduation.
Girls were also more likely to leave school with no credential at all.
These gaps can’t be separated from the patterns in diagnostic delay. In British Columbia, funding and school-based supports are typically tied to formal designation. If that doesn’t happen until Grade 5 or 6—or later—children may be denied critical accommodations during their most formative years.
No differences in post-secondary transition—but only for those who make it that far
Interestingly, once students reached the post-secondary system, gender differences largely disappeared. Among students who graduated and moved into public post-secondary education in BC, there were no significant gender differences in program type, timing, or participation.
But that apparent equity masks another problem: fewer than half of all autistic students in the study ever transitioned to post-secondary at all.
Girls’ struggles are not because they need less help—but because their help arrives too late
This study affirms what many autistic women and girls have long described: the diagnostic criteria for autism have been historically biased toward male presentations. Girls often mask their traits—working hard to camouflage their distress, adapt socially, and fly under the radar.
At Fund BC Education, we’ve heard many stories of girls being denied support. Parents of autistic girls report that their daughters’ mental health concerns are dismissed, downplayed, or misinterpreted—often until the situation becomes critical.
Our daughter was in constant pain, couldn’t eat, and stopped growing—but the district said her mental health wasn’t ‘extreme’ enough for support. We had letters from doctors. A referral for autism assessment. Clear evidence that her mental health had reached a point where she was physically unable to function. But the district said no to an H designation.
A Parent
The study notes that this camouflaging is costly. It leads to later diagnosis, less support, and poorer long-term outcomes. As researchers note, girls may need to exhibit more severe traits—or co-occurring intellectual or mental health diagnoses—before professionals recognise their needs.
Policy implications: when gender bias is built into diagnosis, equity can’t wait
The study’s authors call for earlier screening, better gender-sensitive diagnostic tools, and tailored supports—especially in schools. They argue that educational attainment is a social determinant of health, and that every delay in support carries long-term consequences.
For families, this research provides important language to bring to IEP meetings, support appeals, and service planning. If your daughter is struggling, this data gives weight to what you already feel: that her needs are real, even if her profile doesn’t match outdated stereotypes.
And for systems, the message is clear: it is not enough to celebrate inclusion. We must fund it. We must train for it. And we must build tools that work for all genders—not just the ones the research has historically focused on.