OFF THE SPECTRUM Why the Science of Autism Has Failed Women and Girls

British narrator Catherine Bailey brings listeners neuroscientist Gina Rippon's exploration of the calamitous underdiagnosis of autism in girls and women. Braiding together the history of autism research, accounts of copious experiments, and the voices of autistic girls and women themselves, Rippon makes a powerful case that autism research has ignored its distinctive presentation in female subjects, leaving them isolated and voiceless. It's no small feat to render lively descriptions of scientific minutiae, but Rippon manages, and Bailey does her one better with her vocal delivery. Unflaggingly attentive to varied intonation and breath control such that each sentence lands nimbly, Bailey breathes life into it all, even alphanumeric strings of genetic code, inert on the printed page. Fascinating material, masterful delivery. V.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2025]