The Female Profile of Autism: A Guide to Clinical Assessment is an important and timely practical contribution to the growing recognition that autism in girls and women has long been under-identified, misunderstood and often misattributed to primary psychiatric disorders.

The authors structure the text into three distinct parts. Part 1 addresses the distinctive developmental and behavioural features observed in autistic women, emphasising the internalised effortful and socially compensatory strategies underlying neurodevelopmental differences. This section highlights core themes often neglected in standard texts – such as interpersonal vulnerability, sensory-emotional overload and the frequent co-occurrence of anxiety, mood instability and eating-related distress. Interspersed case vignettes and clinical reflections bring these concepts to life, with suggested readings allowing further exploration.

A real strength of the book lies in Part 2, which is the story of an adult diagnosis as described by the co-author Annyck Martin herself. The description of discussions with various clinicians along her journey was very useful in illustrating the often polarised and rigid views that can be held in regard to the female autism profile and that will inform my own future practice. This narrative approach transformed abstract principles into clear strategies that can be applied in real-life clinical scenarios.

Part 3 offers highly practical guidance on how to conduct each aspect of a female-specific clinical assessment – the Questionnaire for the Diagnostic Assessment of Autism in Females. The inclusion of example answers is particularly helpful, because it demonstrates the kinds of nuanced or subtly masked presentations that clinicians may encounter.

In terms of limitations, the book appears to struggle to clarify its audience. Although the title positions it as a clinical text on assessment, it also appears to have a purpose of advocacy and suggests approaches to management, while the narrative section appears more suited to a general audience.

Despite this, the book does fulfil its overall aim of providing a clearly defined clinical approach to the assessment of autism in females. It has prompted me to reflect on my own diagnostic reflexes, and to adopt a more deliberate lens when evaluating female patients whose developmental histories appear ‘typical’ at first glance.