How Autism Presents in Girls

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a very varied neurodevelopmental disorder that can present itself in many different ways for different individuals. Women can be affected differently than men, for example. That’s why ASD is referred to as a spectrum, because there is such a wide spectrum for how different individuals might be affected by it.

If you look at just the data alone, you would think that boys are affected much more than girls are by autism. After all, boys are almost four times more likely to receive an ASD diagnosis than girls are.

In recent years, there has been some thought in the medical world that these stats might be a little misleading. Some posit that it’s possible that girls aren’t less affected by autism than boys are, but rather present their signs and symptoms differently, which can lead to them being misdiagnosed or having a diagnosis missed altogether.

Below, we take a look at how autism presents in girls.

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The Typical ‘Model’ of Autism

People who have autism are generally affected by two behaviors — a deficit in their social and communication skills as well as repetitive or restricted behaviors. While autism will present itself in many different ways, as mentioned already, these two categories of behaviors typically present themselves in all children with autism, in one form or another.

The severity to which the behaviors present themselves can vary greatly. So, for instance, “high-functioning” individuals with autism might not have as much difficulty with social and communication skills when compared to others on the autism spectrum.

Some medical experts, though, have pointed out that this “model” of autism can tend to only paint a picture of males. A major reason for that is the model was created based off research studies that focused only on boys.

While many girls on the autism spectrum fit this model in some ways, they might be quieter naturally. Their behaviors might not be as restricted or repetitive, or those behaviors might present themselves in different ways than boys.

All this is to say that girls might not stand out as having autism when compared to their boy counterparts. This can make it more difficult for parents, caregivers and even trained professionals to correctly identify the early signs and symptoms of autism in girls and then accurately diagnose them with ASD.

The Trouble with Masking

Another major reason why girls may go undiagnosed with autism, or be misdiagnosed with something else, is that they tend to “mask” their autism symptoms more than boys do. That is to say that girls are more likely to try to hide their traits of autism, or even overcompensate to hide them, so that they fit in with their peers more.

They may mimic their peers more than boys do, which makes it seem to “untrained eyes” that they are on the same developmental level as these peers. In many ways, many girls don’t present their autism signs and symptoms until later in life, when they are faced with more significant challenges and can no longer mask them well.

How Autism Presents in Girls

Again, autism affects every individual differently, whether they’re a boy or a girl. That being said, there are some typical ways in which autism presents in girls.

They might rely on their peers to speaker for them or to guide them throughout their day, especially in school settings. Because of this, they might exhibit different behaviors at home than they do at school, since they’re no longer mimicking their peers.

They might be very passionate about certain things, but their overall interests might be limited. To this point, they might hold conversations with others, but might only be able to, or might only be interested in, speak about topics that they’re interested in.

Girls might also be extra sensitive to the various sensory challenges around them. This means they could be especially sensitive to strong smells, bright louds and/or loud noises.

They might get frustrated easily and have trouble managing their feelings. When they experience these challenges with emotions, they might have outbursts that don’t seem to fit their age.

Because of all the masking, they might experience anxiety and/or depression at stronger levels than boys on the autism spectrum do.

Trust Blue Gems ABA to Diagnose and Treat Autism

There’s mounting evidence that autism presents itself differently in girls than it does in boys, which might mean that autism isn’t a male-dominated developmental disorder. That’s why it’s so important to know and identify the common signs and symptoms of autism from an early age, so that an appropriate diagnosis can be given.

At Blue Gems ABA, we have a team of experienced therapists who administer applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy, to all of our patients. This hands-on, science-based approach to learning and behavior helps children on the autism spectrum gain the social, communication and daily life skills they might struggle with.

To learn more, please contact us today.