[Female Aspies] - Is this List Credible?

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this list was VERY instrumental in my seeking a diagnosis. Supremely helpful to me, personally

Max, you definitely have a point there – but I personally fit that profile, and have sensory issues when it comes to showering (first cold and dry, then cold and wet, then hot and wet, then cold and wet, then cold and dry – ugh, it's a nightmare of different feelings, rapid-fire!) So I definitely need to keep it as easy and simple as possible.

It's safe to say I'd much rather obsess over my special interests than take a shower

Given the fact that autistic people tend to have executive function problems, I would say that Max's guess that the ratios are similar for both NT and AS women is incorrect.

However, I think that there's a lot of pressure on women to be well groomed and well dressed at all times so it's understandable if and when you find us doing those things.

I also think the list has to be taken as "possible traits" rather than "you have to have all of them." So none of them will be true for everyone. But then, I don't think the list is primarily true for women and not so much for men, so eh.

Here are a couple of examples of the type of AS females I was thinking of, who obviously spend a good amount of time grooming. I realize they might not be typical of all AS females. But I'm pretty sure that if you are going to try to identify AS females, by how well they take care of their hair, you are going to fail badly. Because the majority of AS females take care of their hair just fine, while there are some NT females who don't. As a matter of fact if I saw a women who was un-groomed or who has messy hair, I would suspect that she has issues, other then ASD. Like maybe Schizophrenia or something, but not ASD.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyUco0sxoaU[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaRcaGjiAXA[/youtube]

I take excellent care of my hair in the sense that it is very healthy. I just don't spend time doing fancy styles and things like that. But it is usually in a neat ponytail or French braid or regular simple braid or it is down with a simple headband. But I do keep it clean and very healthy. But the sports I do require me to wear helmets so since I wear them often it is best for me to keep my hair simple and easy.

If you are going to identify autistic women, then looking for those who do not take care of their hair and nothing else will net you a mountain of false positives, but such a list is not intended to present each trait in a vacuum. Rather, it is a list of traits that exist in context with each other - not all of them all of the time, but maybe all of them some of the time and some of them some of the time and some of them all of the time.

One of the things that is impaired in autism is self-care and adaptive skills, which taking care of hair falls under.

Another element is that there is a spectacular amount of pressure on women to do hair and makeup and nice clothes and so on, so you're probably going to see autistic women trying to maintain these things at various points.

Also, I suspect most people who do youtube videos are going to try to look their best for the video. That's easily arranged on a schedule and may not reflect how they are outside of that context.

I think our grooming habits depend on what kind of sensory issues we have. I LOVE taking showers, it is one of my favorite things. So I take a shower and wash my hair at least twice a day. I feel really miserable if I don't shower at least twice a day because I can feel and smell everything that builds up on my skin and hair...oil, dust, whatever I have touched through the day.

My hair is short so I don't have to style it other than smoothing it down with my hands. I don't use anything like hair gel or makeup. Putting almost any kind of stuff on my skin feels heavy and some things feel downright suffocating. My skin needs to breathe. I just use a very light moisturizer on my face if I need it. I don't like having to put lotion on my hands but I have to in cold weather. My hands dry out and crack really badly this time of year.

I am very fussy about my clothes. They have to be comfortable, but I like to be dressed up.

You make a good point Dainthus. I love showers too because they are very soothing for me. I love water in all forms. I used to be a technical swim instructor and when I am in water I feel very comfortable. And I try to use as organic and holistic products so they are also very soothing for me. The scents of essential oils rather than artificial scents found in many mainstream products are actually therapeutic and I love them. And I also find that the textures of the organic products are very soothing and wonderful as well so when I get to use these products it encourages me to have much better hygiene. And I find that if I don't keep my hair or body clean they get very very uncomfortable and I can't stand it. So I like the way I feel when I am clean and well kept. I don't like the sensations of dirty hair or a dirty body. I am actually pretty sensitive to that. And I can't stand dirty teeth. I had to have emergency surgery once and I was upset that they would not let me brush my teeth first because they had to get me to the OR ASAP. I hate the sensation of my teeth if they are not smooth and clean. It's funny the lengths I will go through to brush my teeth.

Is it just me or does anyone else find that blue bow in that girl's hair a little weird? I had a similar thought to the black flower in the hair of the girl in the video that Jakeday posted. I know it's just a style but I don't really understand it because it's not actually holding any hair back. If I wear a barrette or a bow I use it to actually pull some hair back and hold it. I don't really understand just sticking a bow or barrette in just to have it sit on my head. I can't quite make sense of that. Am I the only one who feels that way? I don't mind that she likes to wear it that way, it's her head and it's her bow, she can wear it however she wants, I just don't get it.

I can't stand dirty teeth either! I like to eat in bed so sometimes I fall asleep right after I eat a snack, and I'm too tired to get back up and brush my teeth. But I will keep waking up over and over again feeling how dirty they are until I have to get back up and brush them.

I use natural/organic products for everything, for soap and shampoo and dish/laundry detergent too. I am like you skibum, I love the scents of essential oils. Lavender and rose are my favorites. I like EO lavender shampoo.

I can't tolerate any kind of artificial scent. If I walk through one of those stores that sell perfumed candles or bath products I get a headache. Bath and Body Works is hell on earth.

What are some of your guys favorite products? (Maybe you can pm me so we don't hijack the thread, if you don't mind). I've been using some scrubs that feel good, but they have funny neon colors! I find it weird that we wash ourselves with dye! Does that make sense?

I really like EO shampoo and conditioner. They have strong, natural scents. They are a little expensive but I find 32 oz bottles sometimes at TJ Maxx for $8.99 which is an awesome price

I haven't tried any other EO products but I just ordered some, since Amazon has some of them for 20% off http://www.amazon.com/gp/coupon/eo-and- ... =&plpage=1

I like One with Nature bar soaps, I think the cheapest I have seen them is on iherb.com

I haven't used a scrub in a long time so I can't really recommend one. You could make your own, there are recipes all over the internet for homemade scrubs. I wouldn't use anything with dye in it.