Girls are over looked

Post Reply New Topic

this is a problem a lot of people have just because a study shows something it dose not mean it happen it only means this study thinks it happens

For instance there was once a study that showed black people where much dumber then white peploe the psychologists who did this study where not bigots in any way

dose this mean the study was true?

no in fact the study was flawed in what it was really studying was how educated one was they performed the study in an area with a huge disparity in the economic status of whites vs blacks.

Anther study showed that those who eat lots ok hot dogs have higher levels of cancer.

Dose this mean eating hot dogs causes cancer?

Or having cancer makes you hungry for hot dogs ?

No it was later found that the same kind of city's that have a hot dog culture just happen also to be the same kind that have higher levels pollution the hot dogs had really nothing to do with it.

I noticed it, too. I have spoken out against it on numerous forums.

Logistically, it makes practical, as well as, financial sense to include the statistics of girls along side those of boys when reporting the statistics on Autism.

The Autism rate is higher among boys( 1 in 70 ) than girls (1 in 315). The statistical picture appears more 'frightening' for boys so it is brought to the media forefront. High rates of incidence justify allocating resources toward Autism research and other programs.

Yet, IF one were to say: 1 in 70 boys and 1 in 315 girls are diagnosed with Autism; however, an undetermined number of girls go undiagnosed:

1) You have visibly acknowledge the Autism rate for girls. This is simply inclusiveness.

2) You have alluded to the fact that it is higher than 1 in 315. It might be as high as the Autism rate is for boys, who knows ? This is an argument for investing more resources into Autism.

3) There are parents who have girls with or without Autism. The last time i checked, there were more females than males in most countries around the world. Women are very astute and notice these subtle slights. Women also have more economic power than ever before. There are a lot ladies out here raising daughters and make a conscious effort to keep abreast of information that may effect their girls. An increased awareness and involvement of women will probably bring you an increase involvement of men. This pools together untapped resources from the individual and organizational levels.

TheSunAlsoRises

I think it's because not much is known, and we manifest symptoms differently.

Primarily, having been taught to shut up and go along practically from birth, we're less likely to be aggressive, and more likely to quietly and passively internalize the idea that there's something inherently wrong with us. By wrong I mean, bad. Something that must be hidden.

I wasn't much of a mimic. I played alone, or with one other child at a time, and I learned to be silent. I do not remember a time when I did not understand that I was different, bad, inherently lesser than other children/people.

I wasn't violent or outspoken. No one raised the possibility of there being anything wrong. Until I sought treatment for severe depression late in adolescence, the standard belief was that I was "shy, backward, and stupid."

I'm torn about diagnosis for girls. On the one hand, having someone stuff antipsychotics down my throat as a child or teenager, because "that's how we treat Asperger's," probably would have killed me. I wouldn't have even the knowledge and the life I do now. I would be even more passive (and that's hard to imagine).

On the other hand, getting GOOD help could have led to a whole different world.

We need to admit what we don't know. Correct our knowledge base. That's the first step.

This is 'why' you have to include girls along with boys in the reporting of Autism Statistics.

IF you do NOT, the problem of diagnosing girls comes across as being statistically insignificant; therefore, no one will aggressively pursue the matter.


You better believe IF 1 in 315 boys had Rett Syndrome THAT statistic would be sitting right next to the much higher rate of girls with Rett Syndrome. In fact, i think there has been less than 6 cases worldwide of boys diagnosed with Rett Syndrome. And, guess what? Researchers and Scientists will duly note in interviews THAT Rett Syndrome is primarily found in girls BUT there have been cases of Rett Syndrome found in BOYS.


TheSunAlsoRises

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG7I4oniOyA&ob=av2n[/youtube]

Yep agree with the OP, there should be more awareness about females on the spectrum.

I agree that females tend to be undiagnosed, so nobody really knows if autism affects four times as many males as females.

According to the psychologist who diagnosed me, this is possibly for two reasons: (1) girls are socialised differently from boys, which may enable them to mask their symptoms more easily and (2) the criteria are orientated towards boys so if girls present differently, they may be diagnosed with a different syndrome / disorder.

Izzat so? And that's based on what peer-reviewed clinical evidence?

If socialization causes symptoms to be masked, why doesn't socialization of boys cause their symptoms to be masked? After all, parents are stressed out trying to socialize their autistic children, as socialization doesn't neutralize developmental conditions. The likelihood that boys have a higher prevalence of some criteria to be defined, doesn't mean the criteria are directed toward boys. The result wasn't necessarily intended for beforehand, just because someone decided on criteria that led to that result. One either has the symptoms or not. Permanent symptoms can't be masked. That psychologist is ignorant.




No peer-reviewed clinical evidence is needed for basic logic. One can't be unable to do something that one is able to do. Mimicing isn't different from doing. By the way, where is the peer-reviewed clinical evidence for the 1:1 ratio of females to males for autism?

I agree that Aspie girls should be represented better. It's frustrating, isn't it?

The boy/girl thing isn't just an Aspie thing, though. It runs across the board. Societal perceptions aside, there are basic differences between men and women that just are. For example, men tend to focus on one thing well and women multi-task like breathing.

Being that Autism wasn't even heard in general society until the 70's and it wasn't until the 90's that anyone heard of Asperger's syndrome, I don't think "they" even understand what Asperger's is yet. I read so many things that are wrong. Like this from: http://www.yourlittleprofessor.com/girls.html

"The characteristics of Asperger's are similar to autism, the primary difference being that they're milder."

GRRRRRR!! ! Just because my "symptoms" don't BOTHER somebody else, my "symptoms" are JUDGED to be milder. I doubt that very many people could survive inside my head. I use up a lot of my energy navigating from here to there thinking of things most people don't even have to consider. I would not call it mild. Do these people who write this crap ever actually just TALK to an aspie?

So, I think others have said and I agree; education is the key. It will take a minute, though. I've been living with this all my life (I'm 52) and I'm barely starting to get a handle on what's been going on. How can I expect the un-afflicted to understand?

Well I mostly agree......but new studies have found not every female has a perfectly female brain, and not every male has a perfectly male brain. Meaning some females would present their AS symptoms very simular to the way guy would and vise versa. You say women can multi-task like breathing? well not this woman....I'm better at focusing on one thing.

I was using generalities. I should have specified. You're right, no one fits exactly, especially aspies, I'm noticing. I've also been called man-ish a few times but I think it's mostly because of my directness and perceived confidence - and my giant size. Women aren't permitted to be straightforward and aggressive, for some reason, unless they're tiny; then they're just cute. Most men find me intimidating, especially cops and coaches.

Maybe I'm just pointing out the obvious but male and female socialization skills are inherently different. A diagnosis of AS isn't going to magically level the gender differences.

Girls tend to mimic others, pick up on social cues more readily than boys. A girl with AS may do this to some degree but it is impaired. I watched my own daughter routinely fial at social interactions simply because she is blind to the subtle cues in communication. Becasue she is naturally outgoing, animated and eager to aprticipate, she was overlooked for her difficulities time and time again. I had to point out that when asked if she has friends she will always say 'yes' because her teachers taught her that her whole class were her friends. She has no grasp on the sublties or variations on the concept of 'friends'. But, at first glance, it sure looks normal. Someone who knows autism looks a little closer and her difficulties are clear as day.

Other girls tend to mother/mentor those they feel are 'weak'. I've witnessed this time and time again in our Girl Scout troop. This does not happen as readily, if at all, in boys. It is a female trait. A girl could easily get to middle school or beyond and never be noticed for her difficulties.

Boys tend to have more instances of acting out - more disruptive behaviors that call attention to them early on. girls tend to have less severe behavioral problems that can be 'written off' as 'typical girl'. Crying meltdowns are much less suspect in girls than in boys. A quiet girl who cannot follow the pace of a conversation is simply thought of as shy. with a boy, this sort of behavior may get him into bullying situations or fights because boys tend to tolerate these differences less often. other boys 'call him out' for being 'different' and adults take notice. Girls are bullied too, but girls are much more likely to be emotionally cruel which is much easier to hide than a playground fist fight.

You cannot deny the gender differences and simply saying AS should present the exact same in boys and girls is ludacris. As far as I know, the only conditions that present unilaterally are infectious diseases. Most medical conditions show gender variations, the most significant example of this was in studying heart disease - women present differently, but no less seriously, than men. Women used to die of preventable heart disease in vast numbers simply because it was thought that women didn't get it and were never screened.




Mimicking is no different from doing?!

I can read a line of German text outloud but still have no clue what I'm saying. Just because you can somewhat mimick an action doesn't mean you understand what it is you are doing, why you are doing it or why others require that action to feel comfortable around you. Doing does not equal understanding. You canNOT fake it until you make it. These things can all be learned, with varying degrees of success, but mimicking without the background education does NOTHING but help you hide in plain sight and even then, not well.

Or 3) clinicians don't take girls seriously when they present with autistic symptoms:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 101332.htm

I know I link this a lot, but institutionalized sexism in medical research and diagnosis is a fairly big thing, and unfortunately routine. This makes all statistics suspect.

I found it interesting that Russell Barkley reported there were no actual symptomatic differences in presentation of ADHD in males and females, beyond those differences identified in the general population. I rather wonder/suspect that similar is true here. Many of the differences you outline do seem to be related to different expectations and socialization between genders - girls are expected to be more social and outgoing, and more empathy and compassionate, and so on, while boys are not. This is reflected in observations about autistic boys and girls, as you pointed out.

Who made that claim?

Oh, and saying "it's logical, therefore it doesn't need to proven" means that there is no evidence to back up your assertion.