While not as many females as males are diagnosed with autism, girls who are diagnosed with it grow into women who have it. Autism often goes undiagnosed in girls. Girls often get misdiagnosed or get their diagnosis later in life (like myself). Asperger’s Syndrom is nowadays referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). While the core characteristics of an Asperger profile does not differ between genders, girls and women might demonstrate different outward reactions to the profile – while every girl and woman with an Asperger profile is unique, many share certain experiences..
- As a young girl, she may know that she is different, noticing that her interests veer away from those of her peers. She may prefer having only one or two friends, or to play in solitude, having an appreciation of and focus on specific interests.
- She might demonstrate an aversion to what is popular, what is feminine, or what is fashionable. sensitive to textures, she might prefer to wear comfortable, practical clothing. She might appear naive or immature, as she is out of sync with the trends or the social norms.
- She might work very hard to “camouflage” her social confusion and/ or anxiety through strategic imitation, by escaping into nature or fantasy, or by staying on the periphery of social activity.
- She might show different sides of her personality in different settings. A girl with Asperger’s Syndrome may suffer social confusion in silence and isolation in the classroom or playground but she may be a different character at home, the “mask” is removed. At home, she might be more prone to releasing her bottled up emotions through meltdowns.
- She might be exhausted from the work of deciphering social rules or of imitating those around her to hide her differences.
- She might be anxious in settings where she is asked to perform in social situations. this could lead to mutism, escapism, or a focus on routines and rituals.
Specific Interests
Frequently, women with Asperger profiles like neurodiverse men, have intense special interests; however, these special interests can follow different sets of themes. There are no limits to the variety and depth of interests or expertise for both females and males with Asperger profiles. as always, these interests are ever-evolving with the times.
Stigma
Like males, females on the Asperger/ Autism spectrum are likely to have experienced a history of bullying.
Other Related Mental Health Concerns
Women with Asperger profiles can experience co-occuring mood disorders and often internalize feelings of frustration and failure. starting in adolescence, they have high rates of depression and anxiety. a few studies have also found an compelling overlap between autism and eating disorders.
Females with ASD’s often develop “coping mechanisms” that can cover up the intrinsic difficulties they experience. they may mimic their peers, watch from the sidelines, use their intellect to figure out the best ways to remain undetected, and they will study, practice, and learn appropriate appeoaches to social situations. these strategies take a lot of work and can more often than not lead to exhaustion, withdrawal, anxiety, selective mutism and depression.
Some women are misdiagnosed with personality disorders: Borderline Personality Disorder, Avoidant Personality Disorder, Schizoid Personality Disorder, for example.
Social Communication And Interaction Issues
- Inability to look at (i.e. avoiding eye contact) or listen to other people
- Not responding to their name, especially if they’re very young
- Resistance to touch
- A preference to being alone
- Inappropriate or no facial expressions
- Inability to start a conversation or keep it going
- Excessive discussion of a favourite topic that others show no interest in
- Speech problems or unusual speech patterns
- Inability to express emotions or recognize them in others
- Trouble with recognizing simple social cues
- Difficulty with following simple directions
- Finding other people’s responses or reactions unpredictable
- Inappropriate social interactions
- Inability to recognize non-verbal of communication
Behavioral Pattern Symptoms
- Performing repetitive movements, such as rocking back and forth
- Developing routines or rituals that cannot be disrupted
- Self-harm or self-injurious behavior such as biting and head-banging
- Repeating words and phrases (echolalia)
- Becoming extremely fascinated with a particular subject matter, fact or detail
- Being either oversensitive or under-sensitive to light or sound
- Fixating on particular objects, such as hairbrushes, or subjects
- Having particular food preferences or aversions to food textures
Appearance And Personal Habits
- Dressing comfortably due to sensory issues and practicality
- Not spending much time on grooming or hair
- Having an eccentric personality that may be reflected in their appearance
- Being youthful for their age in looks, dress, behavior and tastes
- Being a little more expressive in facial expressions and gesture than their male counterparts
- Having androgynous traits
- Not having a strong sense of identity, particularly before diagnosos of Asperger’s Synsdrome
- Enjoying reading and films as a retreat
- Using control as a form of stress management
- Usually happiest at home or in another controled environment
Intellectual, Giftedness, Education And Vocation
- They are often musical or artistic
- They may have a savant skill or strong talent(s)
- They may have a strong interest in computers and other forms of technology, games, graphic design, science and inventing things
- They may be a self-taught reader or hyperlexic as a child
- They may be highly educated but struggle in a further or higher education establishment such as college or university
- Showing passion about a course of study or a job, and then change direction or go completely cold on it very quickly
- They are highly intelligent, yet they can sometimes be slow to comprehend due to sensory and cognitive processing issues
- Trouble with holding onto a job
Emotional/ Physical Symptoms
- Emotionally immature and sensitive
- Predominant emotions of anxiety and fear
- More open to discussing feelings and emotional issues than males with AS
- Having strong sensory issues and being prone to sensory overload
- Being moody and prone to bouts of depression
- They are probably given several different prescriptions to treat symptoms
- Some might have mild to severe gastrointestinal difficulties such as stomach ulcers, acid reflux and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
- Stimming to sooth when upset or agitated
- They also stimm when they’re happy, such as by flapping their hands
- They hate injustice and misunderstandings, which could incite anger or rage
- Being prone to mutism when feeling stressed or upset, especially after a meltdown
- Being prone to temper-induced or crying meltdowns whether at home or in public
Social/ Relationships Symptoms
- Other people often misunderstand their words or actions
- Being perceived as cold-natured, self-centered or unfriendly
- Being very outspoken at times
- Being very shy or mute
- Will shut down in social situations once overloaded like their male counterparts
- They do not go out very much. If they have a partner or children, they would only want to go out with them
- They will not have many female friends or do “girly” things such as shopping
- They will have a close friend or friends at school, but not in adulthood
- They may or may not want to be in a relationship
- If a female with Asperger’s likes a male person, she can find it awkward to let him know she likes him due to fixation on him
- They often prefer the company of animals to people
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