Is it harder to detect autism in girls

Page 3 of 4 [ 50 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4 Next

Previous topic | Next topic

srriv345
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 523

06 Mar 2008, 2:50 pm

poopylungstuffing wrote:

Somehow I managed to be quiet and disruptive at the same time.

That was me, too. Moreover, some people thought I was just "acting out" for attention, or to get what I wanted. Nothing could possibly have been further from the truth. I acted the way I did because of my aspie-like rigidness and inability to handle certain situations. People just thought I was spoiled and over-emotional.

Last edited by srriv345 on 06 Mar 2008, 4:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Nico
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,671
Location: Cheshire, UK

06 Mar 2008, 2:57 pm

People just used to assume that I was quiet and shy, I would say I'm neither.

_________________
Controversy begins only where acceptance ends.

kit000003
Deinonychus

Joined: 3 Feb 2008
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Posts: 362
Location: Pensacola, FL

06 Mar 2008, 4:15 pm

I was the quiet one. the one that people would always joke... "the quiet ones are the ones you have to watch, they are the ones who grow up to be ax murderers..."

but i had a mouth on me that would cut diamonds... my 5th grade english teacher gave me a copy of Jane Eyre for christmas with a note that said "always remember, boldness must be tempered with compassion."

I don't like other people seeing me break down. so my meltdowns always happened in the comfort of my bed. panic attacks as well if i can make it there...

I have gotten violent.... i tried to strangle my little sister once....

I stopped trying to pay attention in class at an early point in elementary school and just started working ahead. So in third grade I got tested and placed in gifted. I stayed in Gifted, IB, Honors and AP classes through High School, which helped with the lack of interest in school. So my grades didn't suffer until High school when suddenly I was placed in the position of figuring out where I was going after school, filling out all those forms by myself, realising that my yearly schedule had to change. To say it lightly, I freaked, Dx'd GAD (Gen. Anxiety Disorder).

Then they shuffled me out, and I started living on my own, dealing with my issues, and realising that I have more than most people. The one that drives me the most nuts is the echolalia, I started reading up on CBT to control at least when it happens (so i could get through tests). In an article in forbe's magazine about CBT I came across Asperger's Syndrome. I just have to cross-reference things that I come across that I can't place. I read up on aspergers and went wooh... there are more people like me and I am not going crazy!!

ebec11
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 17 Jan 2008
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Posts: 6,288
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

06 Mar 2008, 9:12 pm

asplanet wrote:

Is it harder to detect autism in girls, as in my experience girls are typically more developed in certain social and conversational skills, masking possible indications of autism and seem to go out of there way to please and cover up there inabilities..

That's me! I have Aspergers, but sometimes it's hard to see unless you know me.

Amara
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 3 Mar 2008
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Posts: 52
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

06 Mar 2008, 9:39 pm

poopylungstuffing wrote:

oh gee...lets see...I was a problem child...there were no lables....I didn't hear about ADD till I was in high school....I did not hear about aspergers until years later.....There was some kind of whispering of autism someplace as I recall, because I remember my mom saying "you are not autistic, you are artistic" "Autistic people can't speak."
For some reason that word stuck in my head...my parents seemd to be in complete denial that there was anything wrong with me. They blamed the system....Meanwhile, I did horribly in school...academicly and socially....But I had really high standardised test scores..the highest in the the school once...My parents were always having conference withteachers and principals about me, but I was never in on them. I was never told what was said...oh..except for....that I did not stay on task...had trouble interracting with others..and had severe organizational troubles....

Teachers and students disliked me. Somehow I managed to be quiet and disruptive at the same time. I was really sensitive to my environment...was always always always going to the nurses office. I remember that I did not know how to dress, and would frequently dress asexually....or wear my shirts backwards....I always had a horrible haircut...Every classroom has the stereotype of ""that"" kid, and i was her....from 1st till 5th grade.

I can definitely relate to most of what you are saying here. I too had a hard time academically, especially with math, reading was also difficult for me at first but then it became one of my strongest subjects. Accept my parents weren't in denial and ADD was the first thing touched- like right away. I think I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 4. Though I don't understand why I got this diagnosis, people with ADD have trouble with organization and I can remember arranging my pencils in perfect rows in my school desk- I liked things to be in there place, so they were in easy reach and I've scored in the "genius range" on sequential tests. So no problems organizing, nope.

_________________
Vote in the Asperger's Zodiac and Blood Type polls-
For Zodiac Poll: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt58988.html
For Blood Type Poll: http://www.snappoll.com/poll/256326.php

Polls were created to see if there are correlations to AS (just for fun)

shopaholic
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 31 Jul 2007
Age: 59
Gender: Female
Posts: 594
Location: UK

07 Mar 2008, 8:15 am

I think that the only reason I was not diagnosed as a child was that no-one knew about AS back then (around 30 years ago).

I was "aloof" rather than compliant, very academic, it didn't really bother me that I didn't have many friends.

But I DEFINITELY stood out though. A lot. I made no attempt to fit in with the other kids. If I couldn't get my own way I could be incredibly stubborn.

My teachers invariably described me as "emotionally immature" (my reaction to this was along the lines of "So what? So long as my grades are good, who cares?")

Amara
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 3 Mar 2008
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Posts: 52
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

07 Mar 2008, 8:39 am

[moved]

Last edited by Amara on 07 Mar 2008, 9:07 am, edited 1 time in total.

Sedaka
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Age: 43
Gender: Female
Posts: 4,597
Location: In the recesses of my mind

07 Mar 2008, 8:46 am

im not DXed....

i think what got me by the most was that i managed to do well in school.... and that almost didn't happen. was having some behavioral issues in elementary school, in that i wouldn't participate or anything... parents went and had my IQ tested (which they told me the doctors said i wouldn't shut up about audubon and birds for some reason!) and that landed me in a magnet school.

i used to throw lots of tantrums ect when doing homework (still have my moments!) and never had many friends... but i think being in my school was a good outlet for all my projects and interests i had cause we always had to do book reports ect on random things so it kind of blended in more.

also, i was not the prettiest kid out there..... and because of that no one liked me (kids are bastards)... and i think i grew up feeling rejected and an outcast because of that... i never really connected all these random dots until i was in gradschool @ 24 and read an article on AS.

i don't think i'm particularly a strong case of AS... i have some stims and have always had interests i pursue and tend to have issues when i get upset over something... but i can get by in a lot of social situations because i've learned to just shut up more... i learned that for some reason ppl tend to think my input is weird or unrelated or just plain incomprehensible for some reason (let's not get into how embarrassingly unfunny my humor is!)... so i tend to come off shy or aloof... i also think this is why i've never had many friends.... i've always hated parties and spend my time bouncing around on the fringe of groups of people talking to each other and always being unsuccessful at getting into any of the conversations......

i also do tend to think in pictures a lot and i remember reading temple grandin's "thinking in pictures" and when she said she, "didn't know that other people didn't think in this way" that i felt the exact same way!

being in gradschool in a neuroscience lab (have worked in two neuro programs) i have told a few professors that i work with on a daily basis... and though i don't have a DX, they at least seem to agree with me (which sometimes weirded me out that they weren't so surprised) but many people around the lab don't have a clue... but then again, i don't really interact a lot....

_________________
Neuroscience PhD student

got free science papers?

www.pubmed.gov
www.sciencedirect.com
http://highwire.stanford.edu/lists/freeart.dtl

Rainstorm5
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Age: 58
Gender: Female
Posts: 948

07 Mar 2008, 11:15 pm

Amara wrote:

I think a lot of people with AS were originally diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. I was diagnosed with ADD and Social Anxiety Disorder, and my son was diagnosed ADHD simply because he kept shaking his head from side to side and swinging his legs in class. The arranging of the pencils that you mention is an OCD trait, and I've done the same sorts of things all of my life. My doctor still thinks I'm not OCD, but I think he's wrong. I'm not an obsessive hand-washer or anything, but I have to arrange things or else they seriously bother me if they're out of order or in general disarray. At work, my desk is arranged 'just so' and I can tell if anyone's been sitting at my computer while I'm gone. I collect things, too, like porcelain cats, salt shakers and other items. I have a 2-pound ball made of rubber bands that I carry with me whenever I change jobs. It's a good luck charm. Recently I yelled at a coworker who went into my desk without permission and took several rubber bands off of it. I went nuclear. I absolutely hate it when people get into my desk and move stuff around. It disturbs my carefully cultivated 'office feng-shui.'

_________________
Terminal Outsider, rogue graphic designer & lunatic fringe.

faithfilly
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 27 Jan 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 681
Location: New York State

07 Mar 2008, 11:27 pm

KristaMeth wrote:

I have a really hard time socializing with women though probably because of their more highly developed social and conversational skills. I tense up good and hard with most women, eyes start darting around like CRAZY, etc. With men I find it much easier to BS because I don't feel that horrible pressure to make so much small talk. Men seem far more comfortable relaxing with silence and something to be enjoyed like music/tv/video games, whereas women make me feel like I need to gab gab gab to have a successful interaction.

I've heard a few aspie women say something like that. Not sure how true it is for the rest of them, though.

I think that because girls are expected to be all bubbly and conversational socialites that it may be easier to spot an aspie chick. Several guys have told me "you know, you're just like one of the guys". I think that they knew something was different about me compared to other women and that if they'd known what the hell an aspie was, they'd probably be able to point it out right away.

Wow! . . . you describe my experiences exactly! Thank you. It spares me from having to think how to describe it. :wtg:

_________________
"Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word." – Isaiah 66:2

chella
Raven
Raven

Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Posts: 124
Location: in the toaster

07 Mar 2008, 11:28 pm

I was diagnosed with all sorts of things that never really seemed to fit. I had little parts from a lot of disorders, illnesses, etc. I know for me there were lots of things I never knew weren't normal, so I never thought to mention it. So the psychiatrists only had more obvious symptoms that could fit into lots of things. I'm still just discovering all the different things about myself that are because I'm an aspie and it's shocking at times. If it wasn't for me researching to find out what could explain the way I am, I don't think I'd have ever found out from a psychiatrist.

_________________
I'm an alien sent from the present, to tell you it's the future.

Rainstorm5
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Age: 58
Gender: Female
Posts: 948

07 Mar 2008, 11:52 pm

chella wrote:

If it wasn't for me researching to find out what could explain the way I am, I don't think I'd have ever found out from a psychiatrist.

Agreed - far too many psychologists are too quick to make a diagnosis 'by the book' when they see a few key signs of some disorder. It took me ten years of researching for myself just to find out what was really wrong with me. Problem with psychology is that it's not an exact science and there are so many symptoms that can apply to so many different disorders that they're actually very lucky if they get it right the first time. Had I not been researching info in regard to problems my son was having, I would have never known about AS, or at least would have never thought it would have applied to me. Other than a few social-skill problems, I've blended into society pretty well, mostly by parroting the behavior of NTs - something I didn't even realize I was doing until I became more familiar with AS. In fact, I had to convince my doctors to look beyond my anxiety symptoms and search for a deeper cause. Sometimes all they need is a good shove when you finally hand them enough evidence to sway their opinion. I honestly wish I'd have known about this condition when I was in my teens. My life would have been much different today, had I known.

_________________
Terminal Outsider, rogue graphic designer & lunatic fringe.

Amara
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 3 Mar 2008
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Posts: 52
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

08 Mar 2008, 12:17 am

Rainstorm5 wrote:

chella wrote:

If it wasn't for me researching to find out what could explain the way I am, I don't think I'd have ever found out from a psychiatrist.

I know what you mean. I'd been searching for an explaination for the way I am for about 2-3 years and then while researching one of my obsessions (Death Note) I stumbled across a page that was pointing out how L displayed some symptoms of AS and as I read the symptoms I was going "This sounds just like me." And as it turns out my psych actually noticed I displayed some symptoms of AS and he never told me...my mom just informed me of this today so she knew too. Isn't there some legal obligation for my psych. to tell me if he suspects I might have been misdiagnosed? So I'm not stumbling around blindly for three years?

Rainstorm5
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Age: 58
Gender: Female
Posts: 948

08 Mar 2008, 12:33 pm

Amara wrote:

... as it turns out my psych actually noticed I displayed some symptoms of AS and he never told me...my mom just informed me of this today so she knew too. Isn't there some legal obligation for my psych. to tell me if he suspects I might have been misdiagnosed? So I'm not stumbling around blindly for three years?

Unfortunately, they're not required to tell you anything. However you and/or your parents should be allowed access to your medical records. Problem is that even though you may be able to get your hands on the paperwork, the terminology may be so esoteric in nature that you may or may not know what your symptoms/diagnoses were. I saw my medical records for the first time when I reached 30 and changed doctors when I moved across the country. I read through them and maybe only understood a 1/3 of it, and what I did understand, I couldn't relate to anything specific. Thing is to always ask questions. One doctor told me a few years ago, "I'd explain it in detail, but you wouldn't understand it." My reply was, "Try me. You might be surprised."

_________________
Terminal Outsider, rogue graphic designer & lunatic fringe.

Amara
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 3 Mar 2008
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Posts: 52
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

08 Mar 2008, 3:11 pm

Rainstorm5 wrote:

Amara wrote:

I see. Maybe I should try to get a hold of my records then, though you're probably right I probably wouldn't understand much of it.

Danielismyname
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 2 Apr 2007
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,565

09 Mar 2008, 5:30 am

A psychiatrist I saw for almost two years always thought I had AS, but he refrained from telling me for some reason or another. Perhaps he thought it didn't matter compared to my other "problems", perhaps he doesn't like labels (which he told me), or perhaps...whatever.

In the end, the ASD was the cause of all of my "problems".

Got a nifty autism diagnosis from him at the age of 25 (DSM-IV-TR), albeit with really high-functioning attached (which I agree with).

Page 3 of 4 [ 50 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4 Next

Jump to:

Is it harder to detect autism in girls Post Reply New Topic

Is it harder to detect autism in girls