Gender Bias (against females) in Diagnosing Autism

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@ Thelibrarian: Of course it's not. And I have said nothing to indicate that it is so I have no idea why you are asking such ridiculous questions, take a chill pill. At the risk of becoming highly repetitive this thread is about a study proving gender bias against females - find a similar one about males and we can discuss it.

...for good measure, my post @ 6.43pm in which I responded directly to your question above me as to whether it was "OK if males were misdiagnosed":

As to under dx and spectrum some is this subconscious gender bias that autism is a male disease. But also new studies show that duh since the male and female brain is very different, most to some girls with an ASD present differently than boys. Also some girls with an ASD seem to be able to take on the persona of an NT at least superficially however this causes exhaustion, stress, anxiety and a fractured identity and at some point later in life many of us just decide to stop faking being NT and be ourselves.

The "bias" is questionable in my opinion. It's what happens when Politically Correct politics masquerades as science. Why do I think this? I find it very hard to believe that the medical profession is engaged in a conspiracy to misdiagnose women; instead, they just don't care about either sex. What isn't questionable is that misdiagnoses occur, and often. My point is that it's no less just when males are misdiagnosed than when females are. If we agree, and you are willing to fight for fair diagnoses for everyone, then we agree, and there is no further point in this conversation

I was bullied by girls, boys and adults from a very early age and even in adulthood some adult bullying. The most cruel was always from NT girls and women. I am sory but women are vicious backstabbers sometimes and very competitive and insecure. Books on this subject have been written such as "Mean Girls" and "Odd girl Out" etc. NT women can be very covert and extremely passive aggressive so for a person male or female on the spectrum it can be almost impossible to interpret the cues. Plus the bullying female can act like they are the person's beat friend but to an NT they could recognize the insincerity but to those of us with AS who rely on words and can't interpret the non verbal cues can't see the deception and then we are heartbroken when we find out.

As to under dx and spectrum some is this subconscious gender bias that autism is a male disease. But also new studies show that duh since the male and female brain is very different, most to some girls with an ASD present differently than boys. Also some girls with an ASD seem to be able to take on the persona of an NT at least superficially however this causes exhaustion, stress, anxiety and a fractured identity and at some point later in life many of us just decide to stop faking being NT and be ourselves. Plus for myself I have never been very good at faking it. And I point out most women with an ASD aren't consciously taking it. We just start acting in ways we have been pressured to or as an unconscious coping mechanism. I can and do use so ial scripts when I first meet new people but I can't sustain small talk for long or on subsequent encounters so if there is no strong mutual interest or connection then the people see me as aloof or guarded or weird and stop including me.

I grew up before anything but classic autism existed as a dx. Even boys didn't get HFA or AS dx because that dx did not exist at all in the late 60's and 70's. Our parents were told we would grow out of it. Because I am charming on first meeting and good 1:1 in a low stress low sensory environment like say a co I seller or therapist office and I am female I don't know if I will ever get a dx so right now I am on the fence at 45 about obtaining 1. My Aspie score is 171/200 Aspergers and 50/200 NT Very likely Aspie and my AQ is about 38 on average so maybe those numbers would help get a dx.

I agree with everything you say except for your utilitarian slant on things. If we view each other as individuals, then, as you note, it is just as wrong to misdiagnose males as females. If the feminists have their way, the males will be left out in the cold whereas I'm advocating that ALL aspies receive a correct diagnosis regardless of numbers or anything else. We will do much better if we work together rather than dividing ourselves over ridiculous issues.

Uh wow, you really do have a big chip on your shoulder there!

I'm old enough at 50 years old to recognise when feminists are trying to hijack a situation (and yes it does happen which is why I'm not a big fan of feminism) But I don't think this is one of those situations. It wasn't feminists who made me aware of this issue in the first place, it was male practitioners concerned about a very real problem!

If we are going to make sure that everyone gets a fair diagnosis, then its important that females don't get left behind as a result of people not being aware that there is a problem of them being overlooked or misunderstood.

Uh I have presented a very fair and unbiased argument - but you are so incensed that you can't even see it. As for 'lobbing insults' all I said is that you appear to have a very big grudge there, an observation not an insult.

No one here has suggested a conspiracy, or that women should have more rights than men, if you took a deep breath, calmed down and re-read the thread you will see that this whole argument is way overblown.

As for acting my age, is throwing a public tantrum and turning on anyone who doesn't agree with your argument acting your age?

You have a nice day.

Uh wow, you really do have a big chip on your shoulder there!

I'm old enough at 50 years old to recognise when feminists are trying to hijack a situation (and yes it does happen which is why I'm not a big fan of feminism) But I don't think this is one of those situations. It wasn't feminists who made me aware of this issue in the first place, it was male practitioners concerned about a very real problem!

If we are going to make sure that everyone gets a fair diagnosis, then its important that females don't get left behind as a result of people not being aware that there is a problem of them being overlooked or misunderstood.

That's not feminism, it's simply approaching a problem with a desire to see fair play for everyone.

Very interesting study. I've long wondered whether boys are actually more likely to have autism or whether the skewed gender ratio was due to bias in diagnosis. This study shows that there's definitely some bias in diagnosis, though of course it still doesn't show that the bias is the only reason the ratio isn't officially 1:1.

Noun

whataboutery (plural whatabouteries)

(informal, pejorative)

Protesting at hypocrisy; responding to criticism by accusing one's opponent of similar or worse faults.  [quotations ▼]
Protesting at inconsistency; refusing to act in one instance unless similar action is taken in other similar instances.  [quotations ▼]