It is a well-known statistic that for every girl diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, four boys are diagnosed. Current evidence regarding the genetic underpinnings of autism, which are complex and can involve many different genes interacting with one another, strongly suggests that more mutations may be required for a female child to develop autism. A current area of research into autistic spectrum disorders involves looking for differences between autism in girl toddlers and autism in boys, taking inborn and culturally determined gender differences into account, so that girls with autism may become less likely to be overlooked. . Recent research has suggested that autism in girl toddlers may actually be underdiagnosed, because the presenting signs of autism in girl toddlers may differ somewhat from typical symptoms of autism in boys. This may be especially true when dealing with high-functioning autism and Asperger’s syndrome, which are characterized by average or above-average intelligence despite the presence of autism symptoms.

Social Skill Issues in Autism in Girl Toddlers

Social skill deficits are among the foremost symptoms of autism spectrum disorders. Some researchers investigating autism in girl toddlers and children have suggested that differences in female behavior may sometimes “mask” symptoms of Asperger’s and other autism spectrum disorders. Autistic girls may be more likely than autistic boys to follow norms of social action through mimicking and imitation. Social norms in our culture generally expect girls to be more “social” than boys, so girls with autism might be more likely to make some attempt at facilitating conversation, although it may be decidedly bungled or the content may be largely meaningless. Overall, girls also tend to be more interested in socializing and more socially perceptive in boys, so in cases of autism in girl toddlers, social skills symptoms could perhaps be less pronounced than in boys. Another area of autism symptomatology in which autism in boys may differ from autism in girl toddlers is the area of imaginative play. Autistic boys often do not engage in “imaginative” or “pretend” play, as would be expected of a child their age. However, some researchers suggest that the tendencies toward these kind of activities may be stronger in girls, and autistic girls may even tend to have rich, imaginative inner fantasy lives.

Restrictive Interests in Autism in Girl Toddlers

In highly intelligent people with autism, especially in cases of Asperger’s syndrome, it is common for the person to have highly restrictive and narrow interests. A hypothetical example would be a young boy who takes an almost obsessive interest in memorizing the Latin names of fungi, though without any broader interests in fungal phylogeny, ecology, or physiology. Another commonly cited example is the memorization of train tables or other forms of rote data. Some researchers have suggested that in autism in girl toddlers and in older girls, these restrictive interests may often take a more “socially acceptable” form than is seen in boys. For example, an autistic girl might memorize every single fact about Katy Perry--- although, when questioned further, she may not be all that interested in actually listening to Katy’s music, preferring to learn facts and trivia about the pop star instead.

Although there is still much to learn about gender differences in the presentation of autism spectrum disorders, it is quite likely that autism in girl toddlers differs from autism in boys. Further research into gender differences in autism spectrum disorders may lead to more girls being diagnosed with a form of the disorder, especially if it is indeed true that autism is under-diagnosed in girls.



BRAINCORE THERAPY'S INNOVATIVE NEUROFEEDBACK FOR AUTISM