Reasons why girls are difficult to get asd diagnosis till later compared to boys
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Anonymous
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DS has asd diagnosis at age 3 with no typical symptoms for autism. He was talking, playing with other kids, no lining up toys, no tantrum and happy playing with every kids. It was so something was off with inconsistent eye contact, missing some social cues, being quirky and being inflexible sometimes etc all added up to get asd diagnosis at age 3.
Now it is my DD's turn to be suspicious of asd even though I have seen no signs of it. She has great eye contact, playing with other kids, get almost all social cues, like to comfort others, happy and chatty. She loves to share and knows how to express her emotions. What could be the sign that raise red flags? I have heard that some girls don't get officially diagnosed till teens or adults, why? |
Anonymous
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Well, if autism is just being quirky and missing some social queues, than you have to wait until they are older to see the quirks and the more demanding social situation. Just like with academic ability- age shows the gradients in ability.
Autism that causes disability is seen before age 3. |
Anonymous
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Nothing in your description of your daughter raises any flags for ASD, OP. I understand worrying that she may be diagnosed later, but I also think you shouldn't worry until you have reason to worry.
As PP said, the social demands for girls don't become more complex until they're older, so many don't struggle until then. Also, ASD is more prevalent in boys than girls, so there's some confirmation bias there, too. |
Anonymous
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My daughter was diagnosed at 3.5 and the psychologist said some providers may push back on the diagnosis because symptoms are subtle. The biggest reason why we went was because of her speech delay and we learned that she had delayed echolalia. Besides that, the psych pointed out that there’s lack of joint attention and reduced eye contact. She also mouths objects when she’s anxious.
She was diagnosed as level 1, but as she is now 4, we see her challenges in social interactions, mainly with peers. So although subtle, these issues were visible after we got the diagnosis. I was frankly shocked when we got the diagnosis, but now that I looked into it more, it makes sense. There are also books that go in depth about girls with autism if you want to read it. Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age" by Sarah Hendrikx. This was what our psych recommended. |
Anonymous
This has been our experience. My son presents like yours and at 5 years old, our specialist says that while he displays some signs of autism (similar to your son) it’s not clear enough to make a diagnosis at this point. Some mildly presenting kids like your son may not even get a diagnosis, depending on the doctor. Maybe girls with autism don’t present as severely in general- or with the most common symptoms that would warrant an early diagnosis -and therefore like most subtle or nuanced cases, are diagnosed later on average. |
Anonymous
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Reasons I've heard are that
1. ASD girls with gendered special interests like dolls and princesses are are assumed to just have "normal" behavior 2. ASD girls have more social motivation, on average, than boys I think ASD girls on average may also be less likely to display disruptive behaviors that lead teachers to recommend evaluating. |
Anonymous
| Why are you desperate for your daughter to be autistic? |
Anonymous
Np I was told only boys get Autism. I knew something was off and despite being tested twice only received the diagnosis at 13. Women and girls don't matter in our society that's why |
Anonymous
Why do you think the op is 'desperate' to have her dd be Autistic? Maybe she just wants to be able to give her the support and help she may need but, how can she know if she doesn't have a diagnosis? |
Anonymous
It sounds like someone other than OP has expressed that they suspect OP's daughter has ASD. Also, what is wrong with you? |
Anonymous
| People looked at me like I had two heads when I said I suspected my daughter was on the spectrum when she was young. She is an easy compliant smart kid. Well was, until life got more complicated to navigate in the teen years. Testing is finally about to start, and again I trust I've always known the answer. Whatever the results of the testing, she will do better knowing. |
Anonymous
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Op here. I don't think my daughter is autistic, but gene is running in the family. Developmental pediatrican told us to get her evaluated, and 1 year after, we were told that she has changed her mind. However, psychologist thinks we should proceed with evaluation because there are many red flags from.evaluation forms filled out by teachers. She called the developmental pediatrican for discussion, and they now both want to proceed with asd evaluation. I am not sure what the red flags are, other than I know she has speech delay and hyperactivity. Her speech delay does somehow affect her social interaction with girls.
I am not desperate for my daughter to be autistic. I am just lost back and forth that I don't see any signs on her. |
Anonymous
Wow way to generalize! That's helpful! |
Anonymous
| Best book to read is “Is This Autism” by Donna Henderson and Sarah Wayland. It will explain a lot. |
Anonymous
That PP posts garbage like this in every thread about ASD1. |