1 out of 54 children in the United States are currently affected by autism, so it is likely that you are connected to someone who has autism. The history of autism is long, it took on many different names until it turned into what we know today. The first person to ever be diagnosed with autism was a man named Donald Gray Triplett, who was diagnosed by Dr. Leo Kanner in 1943. Since then, the definition of autism and methods of recognizing it have continuously evolved, making diagnoses more accurate. However, there was a group of people which these new methods often excluded: women.
Autism manifests itself in many different ways in an individual, varying from mild to extreme symptoms. People with autism may have difficulty with social communication and interactions and have behavior problems such as repeating certain words and body movements, becoming hyper fixated on certain interests, or upset when routines are changed. These symptoms can show up as early as 12 months old in a child, and most doctors recommend that the best way to combat autism through therapy is being diagnosed before the age of three. However, a large number of children are not diagnosed until later in their childhood or even teenage life.
Autism has commonly been seen as a “man’s disease” throughout history. While males are much more likely to have autism – 4 times more likely – recent research suggests that this number is a lot closer to a ratio of 1:3, and that autism in women is missed. Research suggests that autism can be camouflaged in females, and the procedures of diagnosing an individual with autism are biased towards men. Decades of studying autism in primarily male patients led to markers of autism derived from symptoms that would only be present in males. For example, hyper fixations are a common and recognizable symptom of autism. However, this symptom would often be glossed over in females because, apparently, they did not show up as intensely. This could be because the female patients had less severe fixations, but the examples in the diagnosing these fixations were mainly “male” interests, such as numbers and mathematics. Recent research involving Harvard University and University of California, Los Angeles [1] has revealed, by following girls with autism through their lives, that researchers know less than they thought about the developmental functions of autism. Different parts of these autistic girls’ brains are being activated when processing social information. While these differences would not hint to autism in a male, when compared to a non-autistic female, they are associated with autism. It seems that diagnosing autism in females is decades behind in its efficiency.
Another contributing factor to why it is easier to “miss” autism in females would be their superior ability to mask their symptoms. This is a theory which claims that females often camouflage their symptoms due to social pressure to fit in, expectations of behavior based on their gender, and their strengths with certain social skills. If this camouflaging theory is true, it would explain the discrepancies between clinician’s evaluation of a female’s autism and their self-rated and tested social cognitive abilities. To add to this, these diagnostic tools are likely not accurate for girls, so there are multiple hurdles and inconsistencies throughout the entire diagnostic process.
As mentioned before, an individual can improve their autism with therapy, especially if they start from a young age. Unfortunately, there is no cure for autism, but getting the resources to manage a person’s autism is extremely important. People with autism are nine times more likely to commit suicide, and are more susceptible to depression and anxiety. Missing autism in females is actively endangering their lives, the cause of this is the male-centric approach to autism. There are many steps that need to be taken to destroy this barrier. The stigma around speaking about autism must be removed, as well as associating it with only males. Autism does not look one specific way, it takes on a multitude of forms, and more research is the best way to gain more knowledge on how autism can differ per individual. While this research and the experiments they may entail could be expensive, there is no price on knowledge and human life. Studying autism in females further could open up new avenues in development issues and usher a greater change for equality. The general public must be more informed about autism and autism in females as well. Even without a doctorate in neurology or psychology, being open-minded and willing to learn is the best way to support these women.
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