Doctors failing to spot Asperger Syndrome in girls

[amber32002]

www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/12/autism-aspergers-girls

Interesting article in the Guardian/Observer about how autism experts are agreeing that they're often failing to spot girls with an ASD because they're nearly always looking for typical boy-behaviour.

Totally agree.

That's a really good link. I have spent the last hour going through autism and adhd as well.

I presume that the current diagnositc criteria that's used is the same for boys.

I'm struggling with how to word this - but is there commonality of 'symptoms' between girls with aspergers and, if so, I wonder what they are (based on what is already known)?

It is crap.

Having been "seen" by a community paed who only seems to know about classic autism, and who thinks that AS is purely about language, I am sure that he is only looking out for "boy" symptoms too.

Generally, as the article says, we can manage one friendship at a time whereas the boys struggle more. We tend to be more socially-focused, so we'll try to please even if we can't see what we're doing properly and have no idea why we have to do these weird social things in that way. We tend to obsess about girl's things like animals, particular tele programs, famous stars, types of jewellery etc. Questions about stamps and trains and cars and museums are often (not always) completely irrelevant. A fair number of women with an ASD tend to be bisexual or lesbian, whereas the men are very male.

We tend to form our own support communities for ASDs, since males with an ASD tend to react differently to us to things.

As for paeds who think it's a language problem, er, no, it isn't. Language is a part of it, yes, but only a part.

My friend recently had a diagnosis of ADHD via her sons consultant.
Both of her sons have high functioning autism (excuse the terminology it doesn't look quite right)diagnosed at 5 and 3 yrs old.
The consultant made a remark about how it was obvious where in the family it came from and was really surprised that it had never been mentioned to her before.
She is 35.

It is a good article, in that it raises awareness.

Thanks Amber

Glad that there is support out there.