why do girls show less autistic symptoms than boys

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i just came back from a party put together by the Autism Recourse Center, it was great i had a lot of fun. i got along with all of them, mostly conner because we are both more verbally polite. everyone at the party were boys except me, which i had no problem with, when my dad came to pick me up, he said that i was WAY more adapted than them, and that i could almost pass as normal, i already knew this because i worked on my behaviour and communication skills a lot. why are some girls with autism, more adaptable to life than boys?

If you're only going by an event at which you were the only girl, then it's not really a fair comparison. At your age, girls are often more socially adept than boys anyway, regardless of neurology.

I have met autistic men and women, of differing ages, and I would say that it depends very much on the individual, and the situation. I can think of one young woman in particular who definitely doesn't blend in, and is very obviously autistic. Other autistic women I've met are more adept in social settings, which may have something to do with being older and having more life experience. I've met young autistic men who aren't obviously "off", and others who are.

The neurotypical women have generally better social skills than the neurotypical men, the cognitive profile of the neurotypical men is more systematic and more autistic than that of the neurotypical women. It would be no surprise to me if this applied to the autistics as well, that autistic men were in general "more autistic" than the autistic women.

I definitely don't think it's wise to make a sweeping generalisation like that from one event with only one female there. Also, your Dad may be biased - I know my parents would be.

As a child there were certain traits that I exhibited that were praised as good behaviour which if displayed by a boy would have been pathologised. For example, not speaking unless spoken to. I was very socially passive and this was considered 'nice', 'quiet', 'good girl' behaviour. If I had been a boy then that would have been seen as odd, undesirable and concerning. Unfortunately because the adults in my life at the time viewed me as good for not interacting they never addressed it. I think it's far more likely that girls are viewed more positively for traits which do not serve us positively than boys, where people recognise that those traits are a hinderance not a help.

I'm posting this particular article as this stood out to me.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... d-point-iq

How about not replying when your name is called in the register? If you were diagnosed because you're polite and speak when spoken to, then isn't it your normal behaviour that has been pathologised and wrongly diagnosed?

girls are actually more likely to be severely disabled by autism. However for moderate cases it comes down to culture! The way that many parents raise girls is actually similar to the kinds of therapy used to treat ASD. Boys are raised differently and don't benefit as much from standard parenting.

This sums up my thoughts.

I think it's just the difference between girls and boys.

Boys tend to be a lot more extroverted, outgoing, "rambunctious," or any other number of adjectives to describe them being lively, active, always on the go etc.. and since they tend to be a lot louder & more physical, their behavioural traits come across much stronger.

Girls tend to typically be a lot quieter, more reserved, are more often introverted, participate in quieter pastimes etc & thus their autistic traits don't tend to shine so brightly and obviously to those observing them.

That's my take on it, anyways.

I would say this has a lot to do with it. Girls, at least Aspie girls,.are more likely to "pass." Aspie girls are also more likely to commit suicide, and to develop severe anxiety, crippling depression, social anxiety, agoraphobia, AvPD, et cetera et cetera.

That is defiantly a culture thing rather than a natural thing. My experience has been the opposite. Girls are social and loud, boys are just kind of around for the ride with the exception of a few eccentrics / rich kids.

You've completely missed my point! Boys are likely to be thought odd for not initiating interactions, but girls aren't. Saying that my diagnosis is wrong because you think somebody must have misinterpreted a childhood behaviour they didn't even notice as unusual (because I'm female) is ludicrous! That doesn't make any sense at all. I was not diagnosed as a child because Asperger's was not a even a possible diagnosis back then and my IQ was far too high to be given a classic Autism diagnosis in spite of my apparently being far more obviously Autistic than most of the people posting on here (if they describe themselves accurately). Anyone who knows me would laugh themselves silly at you questioning my diagnosis! Also, I'm Deaf: I will never respond to someone calling my name. Not initiating face to face social interaction ever, in my entire life, is not normal and is quite frankly the least of the massive list of Autistic traits I have, but it is a good example of why more mildly Autistic females than me are not diagnosed - Which is what we were discussing.

Everyone's different. Although I tend to show Aspie symptoms more often than others....

Males get diagnosed more often with autism because girls present the symptoms differently and there's an incredible bias about diagnosing them. And we do seem more adaptable. I'm a systemizer despite being female though but I'm able to mimic social skills from other people.

I agree with this to a point, however my sister is more outgoing than me and I have known some passive autistic boys.

That's completely your perception, I've never heard or thought that. I always thought that boys could get away with being aloof and distant than girls because it's more expected from them.



You mentioned that your socially passive behaviour was overlooked, while in boys it would be pathologized. When has being polite and speaking when you're spoken to a sign of autism?



A bit presumptuous.



That's if I was questioning your diagnosis and not your assertion that being passive and polite will be pathologized in boys as autism.



I'm not telepathic.

I pretty much agree with ChameleonKeys. It seems females that are quieter might come across as stuck up but not odd. Yet guys who aren't outgoing are not only seen as odd, but regarded with fear.