What is the difference between Men and Woman with AS

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Yes to the above, these sound much like my experiences.
In school was mostly well-behaved: compliant with teachers-actually they were often more friendly towards me & I found them more interesting than my peers. I never seemed quite right but no one could figure out what my problem was, and since I did so well in school & didn't cause serious trouble at home, things just went along.
In junior high school, the social situation went downhill big time, since I wasn't even near being on same wavelength as smoking, drinking, & necking "popular" peers. Nor was I "into" computers, video games, or whatever "nerdy" or academic students were busying themselves with. The popular girls were just as lewd/mean/cruel as the popular boys, in how they treated me (not all of my peers were mean, thank goodness).
Fast-forward several years: Dropped out of college (for combination of reasons that only now make sense in light of recent AS dx). That was in 1994, and it was another 10 years before I got dx'd, which was first I'd heard HFA or AS labels and also first time such a name had been suggested for my lifelong emotional disturbance. Have been consuming tons of info. on this ever since, in order to finally understand some painful parts of my past through new perspective.

There are less females with AS and yeah, it is a bit different.

I remember the teachers described me as "withdrawn'' on my report card.

EXACTLY! GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT!

http://praxeology.net/babylon5.htm


Here, read that.

Agreed. It might be nice to think girls are "nice" but they can be pretty bitchy. Besides, boys can protect, nurture and understand you just as equally when allowed their freedom.

Your not alone mmaestro. I fit the girl description to a T as well. I do like math and computers though.

Reason for this thread is because I suspect someone and by the looks it that someone I think has got AS.

How do people not know it?

"How do people not know it?"

From your profile, syndiesel: Diagnosis: Not sure if I have it or not :p

Hearing some of the things you guys (and gals) are writing feels so close to home--- as a female myself, I was pretty withdrawn in school, save for a period of wild-childness in pre-k. I was kinda like that odd sock in the pile of laundry and the less noise I made the less attention I drew to that fact. I was bullied more as a younger girl than as an older one, at least physically. As a girl gets older the bullying becomes more mental as opposed to physical, it seems. They're more likely to "punch" you with words behind your back and rumors--- I don't know if there's ever a good period for girls. It helped that in highschool I had a strong interest in metal music, so I hung out with the stoners and metalheads mostly. They were used to being outcasts and also knew what it felt like to be different to some degree. But at least I had people to stand with, and it was ok then.
As a grown woman I still find it hard to relate to other women, since most of their lives revolve around children and I have no interest in that ( to my mother's dismay). I feel on the outside and have gotten to the point where I try less to befriend them in a manner that i would describe as "close". kinda sucks sometimes--- most of my efforts at L/T female comraderie/closeness have failed ( except for maybe 2 people) and i don't understand women who've kept close friendships for years and stuff. It's strange to me, and I've sure tried.

I'm like this as well...no interest at all.

God, that sounds exactly like me when I was younger...but after about the age of 9 or 10 when I went to secondary school, I think I gave up trying to break into the groups of friends and spent most of my time alone or with younger/older children.

This is a really interesting topic, since there's so little research, comparatively, on girls with AS. As a self-suspected female Aspie, there are certain symptoms I don't have, and so stick to "self-suspected." But those symptoms, according to what I'm reading here, are the ones that tend to be associated with males! So I am intrigued. I definitely don't have the computer/math interest, but I was always pretty big on collections. Stickers in particular, and those polished rock things you get in gift shops, and such.

I do take issue, along with others, to a previous poster's assertion that females are naturally more nurturing and caring -- if this is the case, it's the result of socialization more than anything else. You buy your daughter a doll, encourage her to take care of it, praise her when she acts motherly, and then say, "See, it's natural!"

(I originally mistyped "alone with others" and I think that sums AS up pretty well. )

do not have to like computers or be good at maths to be diagnosed with aspergers [there are loads of aspergans out there who can't even use computers,including males] so don't let that stop from going for assessment,aspergers as a definition is more stereotypically male because more males have it and they have been researched more,but there are females who fit the AS stereotype classically, and are very male brained,it's not an exclusive trait for girls to be the quiet,non disruptive types,and males to be the disruptive more affected ones,it can work both ways,depending on the level of the persons aspergers and no doubt testosterone has a part in this as well.

When I was a teenager, I socialized more with my church teachers than the girls in my church groups. I found adults a lot more interesting. At school, I attempted to socialize with the girls from my church, but I never felt like I fit in or that they wanted me there. I always thought they were just being nice to let me tag along, I've expressed this to an old friend I reconnected with from church and she assures me that I was indeed wanted and that it was all in my own imagination or insecurity that I thought they were ust being nice to me. LOL! I still can't believe her.

When I started High School, I was so overwhelmed with moving from a 200s tudent K-8 school to a 2000 student HS. I got lost, lost my locker, had panic attacks, ate my lunch all alone, and after about 8 weeks of this, I was so depressed I could not handle it. It was all too overwhelming for me. I faked illness for the rest of the year and was assigned a tutor who brought me my lessons. My mother was all too willing to let me do this which was probably to my long-term detriment because I never did learn to handle it. The next year, I did a repeat performance, claiming horrible depression over my parets' failing marriage. I ended up living with my grandma which was really good for me because I was basically parenting my 3 younger sibs when I was home and it was all overwhelming me. I did ok living with my G-ma, but I had a huge help in school there. My cousin was in the same grade and we got a long well and I knew some of her friends. She was my escort through that semester and I did fine. Then my district transfer was revoked and I was forced back to my own school unless Mom was willing to sign custody over to my G-ma which she wasn't.

So, I was forced back home and back into my old school. I lasted 2 weeks. LOL! I had a major melt-down and almost was institutionalized because I was suicidal. I went out on Independent Study and finished HS on my own, turning in my assignments once a week to a special teacher. It worked well for me. I got all my work, did my assignments in 2 days, then had the rest of the week to work on my obsessions and care for my siblings. I finshed all my HS course work in the middle of the senior year and graduated early. That was in '95.

I was only ever diagnosed as having major depressive disorder and given prozac which I never took, but Mom commented on how much better they made me. LOL! AS was not something I knew about until my 9 y/o daughter started having serious meltdowns last year.

I went to Junior College, had a 4.0 and did ok emotionally, but never did have friends. I had a job, but never associated with people outside of work. People thought I was stuck up. I met my husband when I was almost 20 and there was something about him that just "clicked" with me. We were like instantaneous best friends and just "got" each other. We were married a few months later and have always gotten along fabulously. He is AS too. I had a baby a year later and have been home ever since. We adopted 2 kids and are in the process of adopting a 3rd. It's nerve wracking and I really detest the social worker's invasion into our privacy, but it's the price we pay. I love my kids, love to interact and play with them, love staying home with them, and I don't ever want to go back to work or school. The social workers don't know about our AS(we're not officially diagnosed anyway), but they do know about my daughter's AS. They know we're home-bodies and don't go out much, but they applaud that since they think it's best for children with special needs.

I don't have friends. I don't like other women and I don't "get" them. They are weird. I don't like their intrusive nature. I am completely socially isolated except for some internet "friends". MY hubby and I are best friends and do everything together with or without our kids and neither if us feel like we're lacking by not having friends. I ahve severe social anxiety, general anxiety and sensory processing issues that make me very reluctant to drive or go anywhere w/out my husband. He's like my receiving blanket and thankfully doesn't mind. He keeps me centered and he knows I'm totally dependant on him. He's ok with that.

So, does this paint a picture of what a woman with AS is like? Well, I am a woman, a mother, and I am 99.9% sure I have AS. The other 1% is denial.