Boys Vs Girls

[NobbyNobbs]

After reading several articles stating that the 1-4 girl/boy ratio in autism may only be because of missed diagnosis in girls, i started to wonder how many girls there are with a diagnosis within (or in the family of) the posters here. not scientific, but i noticed there are more female AS people than i would have expected so now i'm curious.

Edited September 17, 2008 by NobbyNobbs

[warrenpenalver]

also remember on this site you have to take into other factors such as the male tendancy to not seek help, and other factors.

[NobbyNobbs]

i know, i was more relying on the parents who post to give it a little balance. i think theres no true way to know how many autistic/AS people of each gender since theres a lot of us running around undiagnosed, i was just curious about the little sample here

[mandyque]

I have added one to the girls, but it is my daughter, not me, who has autism.

[madme]

one of each.

[bikergal]

I'm AS and my daughter is diagnosed with ASD.

[mossgrove]

The ratio is very hard to calculate, not least because Autism is often seen as something boys have, and girl's issues can be overlooked or put down to something else.

 

That is changing though, and there are more and more girls being diagnosed with Autism. As far as this forum goes the active membership is overwhelmingly female so I would expect a much higher proportion of girls thatn for the population at large.

 

Simon

[Zosmum]

Added 1 for the girls

My dd Z is 12 dx ASD, ADHD, Dyspraxia and complex learning diff's

[sarahponari1]

I have aspergers and my youngest daughter was dx with ASD in March

[peppa]

My dd diagnosed HFA and niece ASD, also likely hood of my nana having AS.

[smiley]

ohhh, we're's the 'both' button!?!

[NobbyNobbs]

i thought about that but then there would be a variable i didn't want so... i ignored it

[lacrowther]

After reading several articles stating that the 1-4 girl/boy ratio in autism may only be because of missed diagnosis in girls, i started to wonder how many girls there are with a diagnosis within (or in the family of) the posters here. not scientific, but i noticed there are more female AS people than i would have expected so now i'm curious.

[Creamcake]

Hi, recently diagnosed with Aspergers, female 36 years old, but interestlingly I have a slightly elevated testosterone level which is treated with anti-androgen medication.

[pookie170]

I wonder what brain types are most common in ASD females? That might sound weird, but I once did a test (we did it at school a part of a report, actually...) and it revealed that I had a male pattern brain.

 

(No laughing at the back, thank you!! Just grateful I've avoided Male Pattern baldness, thus far! Though I might suit a swish l'il combover....)

 

No surprise to me at all, tbh, but IF ASD's truly are more common in boys than girls, then might it not be likely that the chances rise of the above being true for DX'd females?

Just a thought.......

[NobbyNobbs]

but the other argument is that ASDs are missed in girls because they are often percieved as positive behavious. i went through my primary school reports yesterday and every single year the teachers put i was overly independant, isolated and withdrawn, but seemed happy in my own world. nothing was picked up because i was pegged as a shy little girl with a good imagination

[kirstie]

I have added my daughter too, but she has Autism not AS. I already have 1 son with AS and another with Autism. I had been so confident when she was born that everything would be ok this time- how niave can you get?????????

[barb]

I have added my daughter too, but she has Autism not AS. I already have 1 son with AS and another with Autism. I had been so confident when she was born that everything would be ok this time- how niave can you get?????????

 

 

my son 10 is autistic and my daughter 23 is aswell

[CEJesson]

I'm a Boy with AS!

[julie1]

my son has autism he is 13 now but we were told when he was 4, my daughter is 10 she has social comunication disorder and a severve language disorder. but she really is no different to her brother. the onlt difference has got to be is that he is not bothered about being alone, and my daughter wants to have friends but cannot sustain any friendships.

[peaches]

After reading several articles stating that the 1-4 girl/boy ratio in autism may only be because of missed diagnosis in girls, i started to wonder how many girls there are with a diagnosis within (or in the family of) the posters here. not scientific, but i noticed there are more female AS people than i would have expected so now i'm curious.

 

If they are very passive, like my daughter, the diagnosis is easy to miss for family members. I knew she was different but it was difficult to tell what was wrong. She was diagnosed as Asperger's aged 22. I still feel angry at times that so many professionals missed this, but in the 80s and early 90s you didnt hear much about Aspergers and I had only encountered a severely autistic child and knew she wasnt quite like that. When Child, Adolescent and Family Therapy team saw her when she was 14 they thought she might be depressed but wouldnt do anything about it as she refused to talk to them. Once she started secondary school I was never off the doorstep as she was always in bother, but not for causing trouble or being violent, just for not doing any coursework and not doing homework, not turning up for detention, then refusing to answer the teachers when they asked what was wrong. I just wish I knew then what I know now.

 

In the poll I voted one of each, as Im the primary carer for my grandchildren and my grandson has Asperger's. I am watching for signs in the girls too ...

 

[NobbyNobbs]

If they are very passive, like my daughter, the diagnosis is easy to miss for family members. I knew she was different but it was difficult to tell what was wrong. She was diagnosed as Asperger's aged 22. I still feel angry at times that so many professionals missed this, but in the 80s and early 90s you didnt hear much about Aspergers and I had only encountered a severely autistic child and knew she wasnt quite like that. When Child, Adolescent and Family Therapy team saw her when she was 14 they thought she might be depressed but wouldnt do anything about it as she refused to talk to them. Once she started secondary school I was never off the doorstep as she was always in bother, but not for causing trouble or being violent, just for not doing any coursework and not doing homework, not turning up for detention, then refusing to answer the teachers when they asked what was wrong. I just wish I knew then what I know now.

 

In the poll I voted one of each, as Im the primary carer for my grandchildren and my grandson has Asperger's. I am watching for signs in the girls too ...

i know all about the wonders of a late diagnosis. i was also diagnosed at 22 after a friend with AS insisted that i had it and in the end i decided to pursue it. i was always just told i was depressed, anti-social, shy, any excuse for either doing nothing at all or to put me onto drugs to mask the problems. i suspect there's a time-bomb waiting when they start to adress the issue of passive AS girls.

[julieann]

i suspect there's a time-bomb waiting when they start to adress the issue of passive AS girls.

Totally agree with you there NobbyNobbs. I work in an all girls secondary school (LSA). In just one YR 10 class of 34 we have two statemented HFA/AS pupils and three undiagnosed ASD pupils. Because these three are not disruptive and get on with their work it has been decided to ignore any learning difficulties unless parents express concerns

Julieann

[NobbyNobbs]

after i got my diagnosis i was told by 4 different people that they had always thought i had AS, but didn't like to mention it incase i got offended! i think people should have a responsibility to help.

 

oh and these people were all ones who had a lot of experience working with people with AS

[Livelife]

I've read that there are a lot more girls that most likely have the condition that's known and it's because females have different emotional responses that's why it's difficult to diagnose or that it's easily missed unlike in males where it tends to be more easier to see.

[Mihaela]

Very true, Livelife, and this poll suggests that much-mentioned 4:1 ratio is way out. (I've even seen it given as 7:1 !) Those who seriously study 'female-type;' AS suspect the ratio is around 2:1 or even less.

[Confused Traveller]

after i got my diagnosis i was told by 4 different people that they had always thought i had AS, but didn't like to mention it incase i got offended! i think people should have a responsibility to help.

 

oh and these people were all ones who had a lot of experience working with people with AS

I'm wondering if that will happen if/when I get my diagnosis. I can't believe that in almost 60 years no one has noticed that I might be struggling, and said or done something about it, even if it was in the days before Aspergers was known about and they couldn't put a label on it. Only one person has ever asked me if I have it, about seven years ago, and at the time I just said no and nothing more was said about it. It wasn't until a couple of years later that I started to realise she may have been right.

[Livelife]

I'm wondering if that will happen if/when I get my diagnosis. I can't believe that in almost 60 years no one has noticed that I might be struggling, and said or done something about it, even if it was in the days before Aspergers was known about and they couldn't put a label on it. Only one person has ever asked me if I have it, about seven years ago, and at the time I just said no and nothing more was said about it. It wasn't until a couple of years later that I started to realise she may have been right.

Things will change if/when you get a diagnosis whether its internally or externally, you can ask for help from people that will understand and try to help. But more importantly you will know and can come to terms with your situation and decide how your going to adapt to create a life that your more comfortable with.

Nothing's ever perfect but it will be start towards making things a little better.