Women and girls with autism spectrum disorder often don’t display the behaviours people typically associate with neurodivergence, greatly impacting when, how — and if — they are diagnosed. Autism acceptance advocate Kate Kahle makes the case for more research into this gender discrepancy, sharing her personal experience with masking, being diagnosed as a teenager and how it allowed her to understand herself better. “Autism is not a disease, and it doesn’t need to be cured,” she says. “It’s just a different way some brains can work.”