Girls and Autism
Autism is dignosed 4 times as frequently in males as females. In the United states 1 in 42 males are dignosed, whereas 1 in 189 females are dignosed with autism.
Reasons autism is different in boys and girls
The medical tools we have to make the diagnosis were built for boys. Additionally, there actually may be differences in how we raise girls as well as biological differences. Differences in genetics, hormones and neurophysiology may also impact how ASD manifests in boys compared with girls. Also, girls often don't get identified as needing an autism evaluation because they exhibit less hyperactivity or other concerns that are more obvious in boys. Girls more often have socially acceptable interests, such as books or animals, making autism signals less pronounced or obvious than in boys. Girls with autism also may have better social interactions with others and may play more appropriately with toys than boys with autism, despite working much harder at these activities than girls without autism. As a result, girls may be less likely to be diagnosed with autism at all, or are more likely to be diagnosed when they are older. Many females are often misdignosed with other disorders. Stereotypes about typical male and female behaviors can cause some people to miss some symptoms.