British author Holly Smale believes Lisa Simpson, one of the fictional characters in the animated TV series "The Simpsons", may actually be an "undiagnosed" autistic girl.

"Lisa Simpson is a very clever girl with a rigid sense of right and wrong, social difficulties, no friends, and an extreme hyperfocus on her interests and hobbies," the bestselling writer of "Geek Girl" books explained.

Smale, who herself was diagnosed as autistic two years ago, has been particularly keen to identify female characters who may have an autistic tendency.

She added that women are often better at masking their autism traits. Smale, too, admitted that she made attempts to mask her traits, including making "painful" eye contact and trying to seem less "aloof".