Boys with Autism tend to do well academically but do girls?

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Cherrycake
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12 Jul 2010, 3:07 pm

Do they get a good job? What sort of life do girls with AS usually :?: have?



Pistonhead
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12 Jul 2010, 3:26 pm

Keeping in mind that more guys get diagnosed because of their difficulties by comparison I'm going to say that AS girls are at least better off than us.


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12 Jul 2010, 3:58 pm

I'm a female autie w/ a 3.8 GPA in 2 college semsters :)


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12 Jul 2010, 3:59 pm

There are boys with autism who do horribly at school as well as those that excel. I don't understand how you can really ask about girls in the same manner, everyone is different.



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12 Jul 2010, 4:17 pm

School bored me to death...I wasn't allowed by my parents to study what I really wanted, as it would've meant going out of town and they did not trust me...hmmm...so I didn't do great there...

However, I did have a pretty good job for about 19yrs...I think being a "like a boy with a mechanical mind, etc...", but "like a girl in that I could socialize a bit more" helped me greatly. Although I was not as valued as the guys in the mostly male business...but there were some who were very impressed by me...they could never figure me out...hehe



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12 Jul 2010, 4:39 pm

Melbi is doing dentistry...
As for social life, loner at uni, my only friend in the area is my puppy. and I have a long distant bf.
In the crowd, I just look like regular NTs. People are usually surprised when they found out I'm AS...
I do pretty well as long as I'm feeling happy. But I'm at the edge of failing at the moment due to worsen depression and anxiety for the past half year. I also had a couple breakdown in the dental clinic, which is not good at all.


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TPE2
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12 Jul 2010, 4:59 pm

"Boys with Autism tend to do well academically "

Citation needed.



Willard
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12 Jul 2010, 5:11 pm

whatamess wrote:
School bored me to death...I wasn't allowed by my parents to study what I really wanted,



Boredom was a problem for me in school, too, in that I was quite bright, but in most subjects was well-read way beyond my peer group - by the time they studied something, it was old news to me, so I could ace tests blindfolded, but refused to lower myself to do homework on a subject I had already devoured and left behind. The one exception was higher math, in which the stereotypical Aspie boy is supposed to excel. I can't focus on watching an instructor long enough to fully grasp what they're demonstrating. Same problem with college - too many rules and too much tedium. I learn better on my own.

Not that any of that answers your question about AS females, but I get the impression some of those ADHD type issues are common to a lot of us, both male and female. I don't see a lot of college graduates posting here - some, but not a lot - of course that could be because they have good jobs that keep them too busy to haunt Internet message boards. :D

In any case, IQ is rarely a problem, so I suppose it just depends on an individual's personal situation and motivations. My parents were certainly supportive and I know they hoped both myself and my NT sister would finish college. She did, eventually, but I think after awhile they just accepted that I didn't have the temperament for the demands of academic life. Knowledge, yes, most definitely - school...not so much.

So, that's a great big: :shrug:



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12 Jul 2010, 5:22 pm

I did average -> better than average in school, would have done better without ADD/concentration problems.



Apera
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12 Jul 2010, 5:58 pm

That's bull. I'm male and I've basically failed out of college.


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Callista
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12 Jul 2010, 6:18 pm

The OP didn't say "boys with autism ALL do well in school"; s/he was referring to a general tendency. Just because you don't fit the pattern doesn't mean that male autistics aren't generally good at school.

However, I tend to disagree with the idea that autistic people, male or female, are good at school. Schools are very standardized; they're made to accommodate pretty much just the one kind of learner--the neurotypical, average-IQ, no-scatter skill profiles. Autistics tend to be anywhere from a minor mismatch to totally incompatible with most school systems.

"Good at school", however, doesn't have all that much to do with being "good at learning", which is an entirely different thing; and I think you'll find that most autistics are relatively good at learning, or even excellent--especially in areas where they are self-taught or where they have found a good environment.

I'm not a good match for school; I do most of my learning on my own. My mismatch can be mostly accommodated; so I get good grades, a 3.7 last I checked, which is I hope enough to get into graduate school.


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12 Jul 2010, 6:39 pm

School was boring except for math , chemistry , and autoshop. I managed to fit in somewhat by using a ton of controlled substances . Most of my friends were more than likely on the spectrum or had some other personality disorder from childhood trauma . I would use the love of drugs and alcohol as an excuse not to talk with girls because I was frightened with any interaction with the opposite sex . I was expelled my junior year for sales and posession of controlled substance . College was much easier because no one cared if you missed class and most of the classes were so big that no one noticed me . In the end I became an automotive mechanic and I now work by myself with amazing results . I also have a wife and 4 year old son (who is AS) and life is a constant battle . Im fine at work but home is hell .



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12 Jul 2010, 6:41 pm

I did very well in high school, and the same if not better in college (female here).


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12 Jul 2010, 6:46 pm

Female on the spectrum with a 2.9 unweighted/3.2 weighted GPA cumulative.. high school..without senior year..
I can't advocate for myself, and I'm pretty slow, as far as auditory comprehension goes..which makes many jobs impossible.
I want to be a psychiatrist. O, how I doth fear the dreaded wrath of those jilted by psychiatrists. Whatever.
I don't do drugs or drink or really do anything.. :lol:
Reading and origami end up being a huge huge distraction.. 8O Probably not as distracting as a massive hangover though.


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12 Jul 2010, 7:31 pm

I've pretty much been an under achiever in school my whole life. I dropped out of Trig 3 years in a row in highschool. I hardly ever did my homework but, I did ok on tests.



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12 Jul 2010, 7:44 pm

I did very well until the point when my executive dysfunction clashed too hard with my very good memory. After that I did very well in the subjects that interested me, and failed the ones that didn't. At university I did well until depression + AS got too much and I failed a semester. Once the depression was treated and the AS was recognised, I again did very well. I'm doing my Masters, and I just got the highest GPA I"ve ever had.

Occupationally: thank God for my special interest. I have a job in that area, but it's only part-time, and will never be enough to support myself. However, it's good to have a job, and it's a good job- I get to deal with people one at a time, in the area of my special interest, and my boss leaves me alone to do my job- in fact, he respects me enough to ask me for advice on things. Also, my students don't expect me to act normal- they find it rather amusing when I start "lecturing" or address the door rather than them, or forget words.
That's not to say that dealing with people all the time isn't very difficult or stressful, because it is.

That comment about AS girls being better off is somewhat annoying; I had plenty of difficulties, but they were dismissed as "shyness"; "Rachel needs to apply herself more and be more organised"- as character flaws rather than as the result of a neurological disorder.


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