do we have the right dx

[mac4]

Hi

 

I am beginning to doubt that my DD has AS, she was dx in Dec. We have had so many people doubt the dx I can't help but feel their right. Her ability to socalise for much longer periods of tme has got much better, her need for the same routine is still there but she managed on school trip for two days with no help. Teachers think I'm mad, friends say she s much better she was also recently diagnosed wth Dyslexia and the interventon for this has taken away so much frustration. Could this just be dyslexia? She has always been biddable and a model pupil at school but not so at home.I feel confused and unsure don't want my daughter to given a diagnosis unnecessarily. Anyone else wth passive girl who hides problems and gets by.

[puffin]

I think that this is a pretty common feeling. Many girls are expert at copying strategies and try to 'act normal' to fit in with their peers

 

Have you read up on girls with AS? Most of the literature is written from the perspective of boys - girls do not present in the same way and are often much more sociable on the surface than boys

 

Interesting article from Tony Attwood on girls often going undiagnosed as they don't exhibit typical symptoms

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/200...aspergers-girls

 

Girls with Asperger's Syndrome

Gender Differences in Behavior and Social Interaction

© Jennifer Copley

 

Apr 4, 2008

 

Girls with Asperger's Syndrome and other autism spectrum disorders may be underdiagnosed because their social deficits are not as conspicuous.

 

Although there are 4 boys for every girl diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), high-functioning girls with autistic spectrum disorders may not be as easy to recognize due to a number of differences in their social interactions and behavior. This results from the fact that girls are more inclined to adopt effective strategies to hide their differences in social situations.

 

Invisibility Strategies

Girls with AS are adept at disappearing within a large group, staying safely at the periphery without really interacting socially. Because they are less inclined to be “bitchy” or “fickle” in their interactions, such girls are often befriended by at least one more socially skilled girl who feels compassion for her naive companion. The establishment of one or more such friendships can make it appear as though the girl with AS has a “normal” social life. However, it is the other girl or girls who generally make the friendship overtures.

 

Camouflaging Strategies

Girls with AS may appear to use ordinary gestures and facial expressions during a conversation and to reciprocate appropriately. However, in many cases they are basing these gestures, facial expressions and responses on someone they have observed who is socially adept. Additionally, they use their intellect rather than natural social intuition to choose the correct responses.

 

Due to the need to copy a more socially skilled individual in given situations, girls with AS will often wait quietly on the sidelines in new social situations until they learn the rules of the game, after which they are able to imitate the correct responses that other children have made. However, if the nature of the game changes the strategy fails, and the social deficits become apparent.

 

Seemingly Normal Interests

Autistic spectrum disorders are characterized by narrow, obsessive interests. Although boys who are obsessed with trains or bus schedules tend to stand out, there are few who question a young girl’s obsession with dolls or horses. However, the girl with AS will prefer to play with her dolls alone rather than with other children. She will probably have a much larger collection than other girls, and she will spend time arranging them in various configurations (such as alphabetical order). She will have more interest in organizing and categorizing than creating social storylines for them.

 

Avoiding Physical Activities

Because girls are less inclined to engage in rough-and-tumble play, their difficulties with motor coordination may be less apparent. Girls with AS may avoid physical activities in which their motor skill deficits would be noticeable.

 

Anorexia Nervosa

Girls with AS may suffer from other disorders that mask the underlying problem. Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa are common among those with autism spectrum disorders. Up to 23% of all girls who suffer from anorexia also show signs of AS.

 

Those with autistic spectrum disorders may refuse foods that have particular textures, tastes or smells due to sensory hypersensitivity, or have unusual food preferences and meal or preparation routines. However, because eating disorders are so common among adolescent girls, they are rarely identified as problems related to AS.

 

Psychological Escape

Individuals with AS may escape into their imaginations, in some cases creating an entire imaginary world that is more hospitable than the one in which they find themselves. In such cases, the children simply appear creative or imaginative, and few suspect AS, particularly among girls.

 

Reactive Depression and Anxiety Disorders

Reacting to social difficulties, those with AS may lapse into depression in adolescence, becoming socially withdrawn and self-critical, or suffer from severe anxiety disorders. This depression or anxiety is caused by the conflict between the importance placed on social interaction and the child’s lack of social skills. However, because adolescents are prone to depression and anxiety, conditions which are more common in girls than boys after age 11, the underlying cause may not be identified.

 

Key Differences

Overall, girls are raised to be sociable, and as such, girls with AS tend to devote more effort to learning the required social cues and scripts. Girls will turn their considerable intellectual skills to the task of analysing social interactions and conventions. Additionally, they are less inclined to develop the conduct disorders that attract notice among boys with autism spectrum disorders.

 

Girls with Asperger’s Syndrome will in many cases come across as “little professors” in the same way that boys do, speaking in a pedantic manner, displaying an impressive vocabulary and talking obsessively on subjects of interest. However, due to their stronger social abilities, such behaviors in girls are more likely to be taken for general intelligence than as evidence of an autism spectrum disorder.

 

For more information on AS, see Tony Attwood’s The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndome and The Asperger’s Syndrome Foundation.

 

References:

 

Attwood, T. (2007). The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London.

Goleman,D. (10 May 1990). “Health Psychology: Why Girls are Prone to Depression.” The New York Times.

http://autismaspergerssyndrome.suite101.co...ergers_syndrome

 

http://autismaspergerssyndrome.suite101.co...ergers_syndrome

 

Another article

http://www.newsweek.com/id/168868

[Karen A]

Hi mac4.

Ben was dx with AS a few months ago.We have also had times when we wondered about the AS dx because Ben has coped very well at times.However one thing that does appear to make a difference is how well supported Ben is in school.He currently has a very good teacher who understands him very well.So Ben is generally much less stressed.However we have noticed that when there are unexpected changes in routine or Ben becomes upsett by something we understand how he came to have an AS dx.

I am attempting now just to appreciate the times when things are going well.I don't worry that Ben might have more support than he needs because I am not sure this will always be the case.Ben starts at Secondary school in September so with a major change on the horizon I am reluctant to change anything.

I was explaining to Ben the other day that when he is older he will be able to decide himself how much help and support he needs.So if he did find that he needed little help in work or education or with everyday life that would be fine.Karen.

 

[Karen A]

http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/index.ph...+normal+passive

This link might be useful too.Karen.

[smiley1590]

im female with AS i can socialise more easily with peers when comfortable to routine and people around me i have social anxiety disorder,depression and anxiety problems but i think cope rather well in girls can be more hidden but in others signs more out there because she had dyslexia an ASD would be more likely to occur in LD's i have dyspraxia i think with right praise and encouragement,environment and support AS is seen more to 'disappear' as such! though never will! i would research into further information with books go on NAS website they have good information sources on there! good luck with any diagnosis made! do you feel more than dyslexia there? do you feel she always been 'different' than others her age group? girls tend to be more mature and be able to get on things alot more!

 

Take Care

XKLX