Doctors are 'failing to spot Asperger in girls'

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I think this is a good article. I really hope that the "experts" will catch on that Asperger's can look different in different people and that female aspies may be a lot common than they think-- they just need to listen and look a bit closer.

I don't want to sidetrack this conversation at all, but this article got my attention because its description of what Asperger's often looks like in girls actually seems to describe very well how I behaved in school-- and I'm a boy!

That's exactly what I tended to do; I never had outbursts of anger-- I tended to assume that I was in the wrong and would apologize constantly (sometimes pre-emptively!). I always stayed on the periphery of a conversation, watching but not having much idea at all of how to interact.

I've got no idea what it means that this description fits me so well. Maybe it's more a matter of personality than gender?

and then being called 'fake' because all those social cues and language you are mimicking are actually that, the work of a good mimic!



maybe it is having the same syndrome?

Merle

The description of what Asperger's often looks like in girls describes very well how I behaved in school, too.
It is definitely more a matter of personality than gender.

The description doesnt match how i was. I never tried to act like others or blend in. I just acted like myself and wondered why I was getting into arguments with people all the time. I thought everyone else was a jerk because I couldnt understand why they were often in opposition to me. The aspies who learned to blend in at school were certainly one step ahead of me.

ASpotting topic

Interesting...and sad...the link between Asperger's and anorexic girls. 20% is significant. I also know about self harm and how I wanted to destroy/mutilate myself in anger, when I was twelve years old. this is a wake up call for developing different testing sets for female youth, before it is too late.

Heh, I pretty much passed my psychology courses in high school by using my common sense and observations that I've made regarding people over the years.

In my moments of outrage, it's nice to have a valid reason for BEING outraged.

I was diagnosed when I was 17/18. Until then, in elementary school I sought the protection of older students to "mother" me, but most of the time it's pretty much exactly as the articles say. My success in socializing was a matter of observation and a hell of a lot of trial and error, with quite painful and haunting mistakes. To this day, I am haunted by some of my more memorable mess-ups on the schoolyard. I'll never forget the lessons I learned from the experiences though.
The diagnosis was a blessing. This past six years have been full of growth, as I find the words in the diagnosis to explain and express myself and the problems that I have, as well as coming up with solutions.
I'm 23, almost 24, have never been in any programs for autism/AS, and most of the time, when it matters, I socialize and no one realizes I'm aspie.

But most importantly, the best thing EVER about the diagnosis, was realizing that I'm not alone. It brings tears to my eyes, I'm so relieved.

I was worried that I wouldn't be diagnosed because of what this article says. It took my psychologist a long time to be convinced. My diagnosis isn't that official though. There's no paperwork, no tests, just monitoring my behaviour, therapy sessions and looking at my early childhood.
I would not have found out that I had AS if it was not for my most unsuccessful relationship with someone that I'm still in love with. I had no idea what was wrong with me. Why did I want to do the same thing everyday. See the boy for 3 days then go back home. It was always doing the same thing, eating the same meal, traveling the exact same way, until he got sick of me and ended it. I never thought of him that much, and once I realised this I didn't know how I could be so selfish. I was under so much stress though that my AS symptoms that I have managed to hide for so long starting to show themselves. I experienced sensory problems and shutdowns, and it just got worse from then on. Actually 5-6 months before all that horror my mum told me to look up Asperger's Syndrome but I brushed off the idea that I could be autistic. My exact thoughts were 'I can't speak properly but I think my social skills are just fine.' I was trying to work out for years why I had such disorganised speech and once somebody posted a thread about it on WP I swear I almost cried.
Sorry for the rant. It's late and once I start I can't stop.

I also had an eating disorder and did self harm.

Whatever the true ratio is, it should be close to the ratio of Autistic Disorder, which is 4 males to 1 female; it has always been close to this number throughout the ages for Autistic Disorder (nonverbal and aloof as a child is easy to pick up, no matter the gender).

The high ratios like 15 to 1 shouldn't be correct if we go by the ratio of Autism.

Great article! I was also diagnosed at 28, but I think that if Asperger's had been known about, especially in girls, I would have been diagnosed earlier. I had depression for a long time, but it went away once I got the official diagnosis of Asperger's. At the lowest point of the depression, I did some self-harm, but I was never anorexic.

This is the issue I feel the most passionate about.. girls being underdiagnosed.

It is sad to say but I doubt many educational presentations and information package are being disseminated to professionals.

Most I've talked to are oblivious to asperger's in general, much less in girls.

Even some so-called experts haven't read Attwood's work on Asperger's and Girls.

This describes exactly how I got through my childhood and adolescence. I was diagnosed last year at age 44.

I think one of the problems is Simon Baron-Cohen. Please bear with me to understand.

From what I can tell Baron-Cohen had this "great" theory with regards to Autism and AS to explain it as an extreme male brain. The result was simple (and I believe fundamentally sexist), maybe this is something we should look for in boys who act atypically and kind of ignore what the symptoms might be in girls.

American Neurologists on the other hand went about it in a more scientific way, and developed the broader concept of Autism Spectrum Disorders. The concept is such, we will look for abnormal neurological development, any abnormal neurological development we will note the assets and deficits, as well as study MRIs to figure out common causality and lead to greater understanding of ASD.

I think this is why if you happen upon some pediatric neurologist pages Autism Spectrum Disorders are pretty inclusive of diagnosis where the gender ratio is not as skewed, including some which predominately effect girls.

I think the thought is atypical neurological development can effect people differently. What they knew about autism spectrum disorders is it was an atypical development of the brain, so they incorporated a wide variety of developmental disorders which shared similarities. For example, for many American Neurologists, NLD is an Autism Spectrum Disorder, while the lack of inclusion in the DSM keeps many in the psychiatric field from understanding what is going on and may lead to an improper diagnosis. Neurologists do not rely strictly on generic diagnostic manuals, and have a greater degree of categorization that leads to better DX.

The fact is diagnosis of populations is still a heavily debated subject still where there is not much agreement among medical professionals themselves over what is and is not an autistic spectrum disorder or pervasive development disorder. The fact there is a gaping difference how pediatric neurologists in America view it versus the "leading" British psychiatric expert kind of proves why there is a problem. Part of the reason I think there may be fewer diagnosis for example is the fact there are significant differences in the medical profession and understanding of ASD, and ideas such as Simon Baron-Cohen's about Autism and AS being an extreme male brain may perpetuate the problem rather than solve it. Because his ideas preclude how it effects females and how it is related to other possible spectrum disorders outside of traditional Autism and AS. Sorry for the rant, but Simon Baron-Cohen seems a little sexist to me, and I think that sexism is contributing to a less comprehensive understanding of ASD.

"Girls learn to appease and apologise. They learn to observe people from a distance and imitate them."

Not all of us learned. Some of us just wondered why making friends just didn't seem to work out, shrugged our shoulders, and concentrated on learning, hobbies, and imagination.

I learned, but it took me decades, and I'm still learning.

Nope. Lets come up for the sake of argument a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is very autistic, 5 is NT. We then add a constant for each person on the spectrum who is female. Do you see where I am going with this...?

no


Merle