For much of my life, I navigated a world that often felt bewilderingly out of sync with my experiences. It was as if I were constantly trying to decipher a language I only partially understood, struggling to piece together cues and contexts that seemed to come naturally to others. This persistent sense of being an outsider in my own life led me on a quest for answers—a quest that, at the age of 46, culminated in a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

In retrospect, the scientific insights into the brain activity of females with ASD, detailed in the journal article referenced, illuminate aspects of my own experiences with startling clarity.I hope you find it interesting as well. Below are the brain regions this journal article referenced and how they would present daily.

1. Left Superior Temporal Gyrus (STG) – Enhanced Activity:
   • Life Example: A young woman with ASD might be particularly sensitive to sounds, finding even the hum of a refrigerator or distant conversations to be overwhelming. While in a café, the blend of music, chatter, and the espresso machine might make it challenging for her to focus on her friend’s words during a conversation. This heightened auditory processing could be tied to the increased activity in her left STG.
2. Left Superior Frontal Gyrus (SFG) – Decreased Activity:
   • Life Example: When planning a group project, a female student with ASD might struggle with organizing the tasks and deciding the roles for each member. She may have a clear vision of the project’s end goal but find it challenging to break down the steps and delegate, reflecting difficulties associated with decreased activity in her left SFG, which affects planning and decision-making.
3. Left Middle Occipital Gyrus (MOG) – Decreased Activity:
   • Life Example: During an art class, a girl with ASD may have trouble interpreting abstract paintings. While others discuss the emotions conveyed through the chaotic brushstrokes and color choices, she might focus on the individual elements without integrating them into a cohesive emotional narrative, relating to the decreased activity in the left MOG involved in visual processing.
4. Bilateral Superior Parietal Lobule (SPL) and Bilateral Precuneus – Decreased Activity:
   • Life Example for SPL: A woman with ASD might find navigating a crowded market challenging. Keeping track of directions while processing the multitude of shop signs and avoiding bumping into people could be overwhelming, illustrating the role of the SPL in spatial orientation and sensory integration.
   • Life Example for Precuneus: A girl with ASD may struggle to recall personal experiences when asked to share a memory in class. She can remember facts but may have difficulty vividly re-experiencing past events or imagining future scenarios, reflecting the involvement of the precuneus in episodic memory and self-processing.
5. Correlation with Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) Scores – Right Precuneus:
   • Life Example: A teenager with ASD may be misunderstood by her peers due to her unique way of expressing interest and affection. She might not engage in typical social banter but shows her care by remembering intricate details about her friends’ preferences. This sincere but atypical social communication, correlating with changes in the right precuneus, might not always be recognized by others, impacting her social interactions and friendships.

In conclusion, the variability in brain connectivity, particularly within the Default Mode Network (DMN) and related networks, underscores the complexity of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This variability manifests in both hypo-connectivity (reduced connectivity) and hyper-connectivity (increased connectivity) within different regions of the brain, contributing to the diverse cognitive and sensory experiences of individuals with ASD. These findings suggest that the traditional view of ASD as simply a disorder of social skills is incomplete. Instead, ASD involves a broad array of neurodevelopmental variations that affect not only social interaction but also sensory processing and cognitive function. Understanding these neural underpinnings is crucial for developing more effective personalized interventions and supports that address the specific needs and experiences of individuals with ASD.

Zhang, Y., Li, N., Li, C. et al. Genetic evidence of gender difference in autism spectrum disorder supports the female-protective effect. Transl Psychiatry 10, 4 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-0699-8

Hull, L., Petrides, K.V. & Mandy, W. The Female Autism Phenotype and Camouflaging: a Narrative Review. Rev J Autism Dev Disord 7, 306–317 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-020-00197-9