Karl Lundin Remnélius

I am a licensed psychologist and currently work as a postdoc at the Center of
Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND). My main
research interests are sex/gender differences in autism and autism
manifestation in girls/women. Research shows that girls with autism are
diagnosed later in life compared to boys, which means that support,
adaptations and tolerance from the environment are also delayed. Recently
published studies also suggest that delayed diagnosis can increase the risk
of mental health problems. In addition, we know that the risk of suicidal
behaviors is elevated among autistic people, and this risk appear to be
particularly increased in autistic women.
These research findings indicate the need for more knowledge regarding how
autism and the experience of being autistic may differ for girls/women and
boys/men, and whether risk factors for mental illness and other negative
outcomes are different for autistic women and men.
My PhD project includes several studies: in a qualitative study, we have
explored professionals' perspectives on and experiences of gender differences
in autism. The study is published in the journal Autism and can be
found here. In another study, we investigate the relationship between
autism and eating problems (such as selective eating, sensory sensitivity and
inflexible routines at meals), and whether this relationship looks different
for girls/women and boys/men. This study is part of the twin project entitled
the Roots of Autism and ADHD Twin Study in Sweden (RATSS), was published
in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and can be read here.

Camouflaging
Another research interest of mine is camouflaging, that is, strategies to
mask or compensate for autistic traits in social situations. In a recently
published study, we translated the self-assessment Camouflaging Autistic
Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q) into Swedish and evaluated it in Swedish
settings with the help of a sample of autistic and non-autistic participants.
The study is published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
and can be read here. We are currently following up the findings in this
study, looking into the link between camouflaging and quality of life using a
co-twin control design in the RATSS sample.