Why the Education Community Needs to Understand Autism
Carol Allen's 2019 interview on dyslexia, technology and autism in girls, updated with CDC data and research on masking and how teachers can support girls.
Autism in girls often looks different and is masked at school. What CDC data and research show, and what teachers and families can do.
In this 2019 CoffeED interview (part two), Carol Allen, education advisor for technology and inclusion in Hartlepool, England, discusses dyslexia, technology and the view that many girls with autism present differently and mask their difficulties at school. A section added below explains what current research says about autism in girls and what teachers can do. Part one of the interview is here.
In part two of this interview with Carol Allen, education advisor for technology and inclusion and the Senior Education Advisor for the Hartlepool Borough Council in the U.K., we hear about the presentations she will be making on dyslexia, autism and technology, and other key topics in the world of edtech.
Part two in a two-part series. View part one here.
Barriers in EdTech
In terms of technical support, Allen believes the barriers facing dyslexia education are, at present, being well addressed. Whether it’s Apple, Google, or Microsoft, most major technology companies are providing plenty of offerings. Allen expands, “To my mind, nobody with dyslexia should be disadvantaged by not having a technology solution that’s personal to them and portable, whether it be cloud-based or something they carry around─whatever works in their situation.”
The problem may lie in support of the technology itself. Allen points to well-structured programs for teaching reading and literacy like the OJ programs, and Wilson Reading Systems but sees a lack of overall built-in support. “The bottom line is we also need to get tech support. The two can go hand in hand,” she says.
Understanding the Reach
According to Allen, it takes conferences like FETC to get to the bottom of why technologies aren’t always reaching the people who need it most. It centers around communication and a realization that presenters and educators should avoid the assumption that information perceived as commonplace is adequately described and disseminated to all parents, schools, and teachers.
“This is why FETC and all the other conferences are vital. I don’t know about you, but, sometimes, I get up to speak, and I [experience] ‘impostor syndrome.’ You think, why am I doing this because everything I’m going to say is so obvious and so everyday. [But] then, every single time, people are scribbling or asking for notes. Sometimes, parents come up crying thanking you, and you’re thinking, ‘you shouldn’t be crying, and you shouldn’t be thanking me. I haven’t done anything magical. I’ve just told you what’s available.'”
Allen wraps up the interview with a peek at her FETC presentation entitled Autism and Technology: Different for Girls? Over the last three to four years in the U.K. and other countries, the question of doing a better job addressing the needs of girls with autism has come to the forefront. Allen sees dramatic shifts in understanding the dynamics and diagnosis of female autism.
Editor’s note (2026): This event has taken place.
Autism in the Classroom
As she explains, “When I first started working and doing presentations, I used to say that autism is primarily male; it’s mostly boys who present [with signs of having autism]. I had worked in special schools and special ed for years. All my classes with autism were mostly boys. I had the occasional girl. [But] what I used to say is that she’s the most difficult; she’s very profound and very difficult to work with. I [would] use slightly different techniques. With all the work [that’s happened] over the last few years, we’ve uncovered a whole group of girls who have autism, but present in a different way [than] the traditional views of children with autism. [Many] mask it incredibly successfully at school. A lot of them do quite well, but they suffer incredibly from anxiety; they suffer incredibly from social problems [and] the girls suffer even more.”
Autism in girls: how it presents, why it is missed and what teachers can do
Carol Allen explains above that Allen used to say autism is primarily male, and that work over the last few years has uncovered a group of girls who have autism but present in a different way from the traditional picture. Many, Allen says, mask it very successfully at school, yet suffer from anxiety and social problems. Autism in girls has been studied more closely since, and this section sets out what is known, what remains uncertain, and what that means for a classroom.
What the numbers show, and do not show
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates autism prevalence from health and education records for 8-year-olds in 16 U.S. communities. The 2022 data, published in a 2025 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, give about 1 in 31 children overall: 49.2 per 1,000 boys and 14.3 per 1,000 girls, a boy-to-girl ratio of 3.4. That ratio has narrowed from 4.2 in 2018 and 3.8 in 2020, but the report cautions that the decline could be deceiving as a sign of better identification of girls, because the absolute gap between boys and girls widened over the same period, from 27.7 to 34.9 per 1,000. The CDC’s data page adds that autism can have different signs and symptoms in boys and girls, which can affect how it is identified, and that there are no clear explanations for the difference in numbers. In short, the figures show that girls are identified less often, and they do not settle how much of the difference is real and how much is missed identification.
What masking means
Researchers use the words camouflaging and masking for efforts to hide autistic traits, such as copying peers’ social behavior. A 2021 study in the journal Autism by Joanne Halsall, Chris Clarke and Laura Crane interviewed 8 autistic adolescent girls, 8 mothers and 7 educators at a mainstream school with specialist resource classes. It found that the girls found it hard to hide their autism while fitting into both settings, and that camouflaging affected their relationships, learning and mental health. A 2023 doctoral dissertation by Brittney Goscicki, using ratings and interviews with 22 autistic adolescent girls in general education and their mothers, found camouflaging most often in general education classrooms and with teachers and neurotypical peers the girls did not know well, and least often at home or with neurodivergent friends. Both are small studies, and the second is a dissertation and not a peer-reviewed article, so they describe patterns worth noticing and not firm rates.
What teachers may notice
The CDC’s signs and symptoms page lists features that include strict routines, upset at small changes, unusual reactions to sounds, textures or other sensory input, anxiety or excessive worry, and delayed learning or cognitive skills. It also notes that a child with autism may not show all of these behaviors, or any of them. Allen’s point above is that a girl who is quiet, compliant and doing well academically can still be struggling. Concern about anxiety, social difficulties or exhaustion deserves attention even when behavior in class looks calm.
What a school can do
- Listen to families. A parent may see a different child at home than a teacher sees at school.
- Do not rely on one source. The CDC says clinicians typically combine caregiver reports with a professional’s direct observation, and that no single tool should be the sole basis for diagnosis.
- Refer when concerns persist. A school psychologist, the family’s doctor, or a developmental specialist can carry out a proper evaluation. Teachers observe and describe, and they do not diagnose.
- Make support available without waiting for a diagnosis, for example predictable routines, quiet spaces and a trusted adult to talk to.
- Include girls in staff training, as Allen’s presentation does, so that the picture of autism that teachers hold is not limited to the traditional one.
A parent or teacher who is concerned about a particular child should talk with a qualified professional, and this section is general information and not a screening tool.
For more, see edCircuit’s Special Education Guide.
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