Gender Divide: How To Spot Autism In Girls & Boys

Autism, otherwise known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, is a type of developmental disability. There are varying degrees of autism, with people falling in different places along the autism spectrum. Autistic people interact with the world in a different way than those who are neurotypical. This means that an autistic person will communicate, behave, or learn in ways that are considered “different” from what is typical.

While autism is deemed a disability, many people with autism have an exceptionally high intellect. However, others along the spectrum may experience learning, thinking, or problem-solving challenges. Three separate conditions were merged under the umbrella of autism spectrum disorder: autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, and Asperger’s syndrome. Both girls and boys can experience autism spectrum disorder and the accompanied symptoms. However, autism can differ between the sexes.

What are the symptoms of autism?
Autistic people will start displaying symptoms in early childhood. Some of the signs of autism can include:

  • Avoiding pointing at an object of interest
  • Not looking at something when it is pointed out to them
  • Difficulties relating to other people
  • Being disinterested in other people altogether
  • Wanting to be alone much of the time
  • Avoiding eye contact
  • Difficulty understanding others’ feelings
  • Difficulty communication their own feelings
  • Aversion to physical touch such as cuddling
  • Being unaware that someone is to speaking to them even if they respond to other sounds in the same environment
  • Holding a high interest in others but having difficulty striking up conversations, playing, or relating to others
  • Repeating words or phrases
  • Difficulties in expressing their needs  
  • Not knowing how or being disinterested in playing “pretend” games
  • Repeating the same actions over and over
  • Difficulties adapting to changes in their routine
  • Displaying out-of-place or unusual reactions to environmental stimuli, such as how something smells, sounds, feels, or tastes
  • Losing skills they used to possess

Not everyone who falls on the spectrum will display all of these characteristics, but each person on the spectrum will have some.

How common is autism in boys vs. girls?
Autism is a common disorder – roughly one in every 44 children in the United States has been diagnosed. Girls are far less likely to be diagnosed than boys, and research suggests that boys are diagnosed with autism four times as often as girls. This means that for every four boys diagnosed with the disorder, there is only one female diagnosis.

How is autism different in girls and boys?

Autism can be different for each person who experiences it, but this is especially true when looking at autism in girls versus boys. Often, girls and boys with autism interact and behave differently.

Boys and girls with autism are different because:

  • Autistic girls are more likely to play and are less repetitive, whereas boys are the opposite 
  • Girls respond better to pointing and other nonverbal forms of communication than boys
  • Girls are less prone to becoming distracted and have more focus than boys
  • Young girls with autism can typically socialize without challenges, only running into issues when they reach adolescence, whereas social challenges in boys begin earlier
  • The goal of disruptive behaviors for girls is typically attention, whereas for boys it is to gain objects
  • Autistic girls tend to also have depression or anxiety more often than boys
  • The interests of autistic girls are more in line with other girls that are neurotypical, whereas autistic boys will be more interested in things that don’t seem as “typical”, such as statistics
  • Autistic girls are more withdrawn, whereas boys may be more aggressive

These differences may make it more difficult to see autism in a young girl because some of the associated behaviors aren’t as obvious.

Does autism go undiagnosed in girls?
Similarly to other disorders that affect behavioral patterns in young children, autism can often go unnoticed in girls as opposed to boys. It can be easy to miss certain signs, or the signs that are there are not as obvious as they are with boys.

Why does autism in girls go unnoticed?
There are several reasons why autism in girls can go unnoticed, and these have a lot to do with how girls interact with the world when they are young. While boys typically show signs of autism early on, girls can hide under the radar because their behaviors aren’t synonymous with what people typically expect from an autistic person before they reach adolescence. This is especially true if a girl is “high-functioning”.

Why are males diagnosed with autism more than females?
While there are several factors that go into diagnosing males and females with autism, there are some biological differences that may come into play to cause males to become more susceptible to autism than females.

Studies have found that both genetic and hormonal factors may be tied into the fact that more boys tend to experience autism than girls. In terms of genetics, the research isn’t exactly clear, as some studies suggest that a boy with an autistic family member is more likely to develop the disorder, whereas girls do not fit into that same risk. However, other studies have found no cause for predicting autism based on family status.

Why Is it harder to diagnose girls with autism?
As mentioned above, girls and boys react differently to the world around them, which is the main reason it is harder to diagnose girls with autism. Research boils this down to external versus internal behaviors. Boys are more likely to externalize certain behaviors, such as aggression, hyperactivity, or repeating themselves, whereas girls are more likely to keep to themselves and experience withdrawal. 

So is it harder to find autism in girls than boys? Since girls behave differently, it is definitely more challenging. Certain social factors also play a role in this difference, because boys tend to need a lesser score than girls on the indicators that help diagnose autism in order for medical professionals to make that call.

How can you tell if a girl has autism?
Since autistic girls tend to have less obvious signs, it can be hard to tell if they have the disorder or not. There are things you can watch out for that may make it easier to determine whether or not autism testing is required. Those signs include:

  • Relying on other girls at school to guide her in class and during social times
  • Being passionate about a limited number of things (e.g. being highly talkative and social about one thing in particular, such as TV show characters without knowing much about the plot of the show)
  • Sensitivities to sensory stimuli such as bright lights, excessive noise, and smells
  • Not interested in conversations unless talking about something she is particularly interested in
  • Difficulties managing emotions and having breakdowns that seem inappropriate to the situation or for her age
  • Experiencing a high degree of moodiness and prone to anxiety or depression
  • Difficulty making or holding onto friends or fitting in with her peers
  • Excessive passiveness even when the situation doesn’t warrant it
  • Appearing neurotypical early on in childhood but experiencing more issues with social communication as she gets older

These signs may not all be present, but if some are, it may warrant a trip to your doctor to see if a diagnosis is necessary.

Girls and boys with autism both fall under the same general umbrella; however, they experience the disorder in very different ways.

 

Featured image by Kevin Gent on Unsplash