why do girls show less autistic symptoms than boys

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In America.


Also: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/a ... k-same-way




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I don't know. It just seems that boys are more likely to display more of the stereotypical traits of Autism than girls.

I was quite surprised though, when a young lad with Asperger's came to work at my place. He didn't seem very Aspie at all, even though he was definitely diagnosed with it. He seemed more like me; he didn't show any odd movements like flapping hands, didn't have an unusual gait, didn't have a very high IQ, didn't monologue about obsessions, got on with people and could do small talk, and didn't dress like a ''geek''. The only difference was he wasn't that shy, which I am. But he did actually have a monotone voice (sort of), and also never quite looked at you when talking to you (I always noticed that in his eyes). And he did tell me that he had an obsession with trains. I suppose those are the three Aspie things he had that I don't.

I didn't show less or different autistic traits as an autistic girl, I showed the same core diagnostic traits as autistic boys.

I'm a quiet female and I'm definitely regarded as odd.

Emotionless women with flat affects who show little to no interest in socializing don't really "pass" for normal.

If AS is a genetic disorder then there should be no difference in prevalence of it being diagnosed in boys and girls.

The diagnostic criteria was originally done by Hans Asperger on observation of the behaviour of 4 boys and this probably skews the diagnostic criteria toward recognition in boys.

Girls have it as well,probably as much as boys, they just don't get diagnosed as much as boys. The problem may be in the original and current diagnostic criteria heavily based in boys behaviour and not necessarily the perceived masking behaviour of girls.

unless it's sex linked i.e. on the x or y or partially influenced thereof. Considering it's a social disorder and X and Y determine gender and sexuality which are huge parts of the social aspect of the mind this seems likely.

then how do you explain autism women struggle with other women.
if,asd women can pass as ''normal''then why so many have little
or no female friends. so,do only other female notice their traits?

im glad you brought that up, even though im a girl, i do not behave as a typical 16 year old girl, but, if i were compared to a boy, we would be at an almost equal, i have trouble communication more with NT girls than with NT Boys, and NT boys are quite difficult as it is.

why is that,why are nt girls more tougher for you.do men ever think your ''different''

That is a good question. I'm a girl with Asperger's and I can appear normal in a lot of ways, but I don't have many friends at all. I have a few, but I can only count them on one hand really. I have quite a lot of acquaintances dotted here and there who I just chat to but nothing else.

I've always found it strange that I can appear normal but don't seem to have many friends. I think it might be because I am shy and timid, and sometimes too shy to express how social I can be. I am not oblivious to things; I can read body language and other forms of communication, and I have got a sense of humour. But I can only express all of that when I am not shy around someone. Also social anxiety/social phobia doesn't help either.

I think sometimes I can come across as standoffish. I have noticed that no matter how much I talk, I am still never the most popular person in the room, especially with youngsters. On the other hand, though, I seem to be quite good at flirting and being able to tell when a man likes me or when he is flirting with me. That might be the answer as to why I don't get many friends or get greeted by strangers in the street, but I can get a boyfriend easily if I could.

I would have thought quiet and aloof girls and boys were just seen as shy, and that's not terribly odd. It's the impulsive eccentric types that people seem reluctant to be around and quick to get away from.

It's really not that hard to work out. Girls are often under diagnosed in many other conditions like ADHD. It's mainly because doctors don't know what to look for or come up with another explanation for the symptoms. Usually it's social anxiety or inattentive type ADHD.

Sometimes girls show less obvious symptoms but when they do they can get misdiagnosed. Now there is this silly stereotype about less girls having autism compared to boys.

We're all affected by our autism differently. I get along better with males because I get uncomfortable around emotional and clingy people and I know a lot of women like that. There's a difference in conversation style among men and women. To me women seem to be talking about people in either a gossiping way or in giving advice for some type of issue. Men are more joking about things and telling stories in a much more factual way. The more outrageous the story the better and the language is a lot more crude. My interests might even be more common to males. I'm more of a systemizer and very rarely get these bouts of empathy, although for an autistic I do have a lot more theory of mind then you would think. That's taken many years to develop.

I think because NTs can pick up on how different we are that we'll find it harder to make friends despite getting along with a certain gender better. The more awareness we have the more anxious we are too and that's not a very desirable trait, nor is a know-it-all.

I actually have fewer male friends even though I get along with them better. I'm slowly getting more male friends though they're mainly in bands and there's hardly an average in age. Actually, no, they range from 30s/40s and sometimes 50s. I have very few friends who are around 20. I think my female friends were more open to me having autism and ADHD. It's very hard for NT men to talk about it though this one male friend has tried to show he cares.

It's never so straightforward with people though. Each and every one of us is different even if we may seem similar in some ways. Some traits I describe men have may be seen in women and vice versa. Living in Australia though it seems men always have to live up to the blokey stereotype which is both annoying and rather attractive to me. Well, I am a female and have biological needs. That's probably another reason I get on with men more but still have difficulty as I may just start daydreaming about them.

OMG, I experience the exact same.

I'm interested in this thread cause I had a run in here with an aspie lady who claimed the men at the meet ups ethier irritated her or aroused her self pity, oddly enough when I asked her if she thought it was a one way street I did not get a response .

so is it or is it not

My take sees it two ways.

1. Women are generally raised to be more sociable, so women with AS might have more practice fitting in...hence hiding their condition better.

2. Men are generally expected to be more outgoing, so men with AS stand out more...hence being recognized more readily.