Autism Spectrum Disorder in Boys VS Girls.
- Dec 11, 2020
- 5 min read
Today, we are talking about the different behaviors between girls and boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder. For years, we are cooped up with the idea that signs of Autism are universal across gender. THAT IS NOT TRUE! Most statistics reveal a ratio of 4:1 (boys to girls in Autism), though surprisingly it should be 2 to 1. Why? This is all thanks to the unique talent that girls possess - camouflaging.
Here are important points making girls different from boys under the spectrum.
Camouflage
Camouflage, commonly used among animals to hide from predators to avoid danger. It is the use of a combination of illumination, colors, gestures to disguise themselves as something. As humans, let alone those under the spectrum, most of us at some point in life, would disguise ourselves as someone we are not by masking unfavorable traits, traits that are considered inferior or 'out of the norm'.
Situation 1:
At a family party, all extended family members have just arrived. There are at least 20 people including the group of kids. A child is told by my mom to stay for a short while with a group of other kids of similar age, as a mom has to settle the food for the party.
For boys...
Camouflage seldom exists among boys. Males are simpler in expressing their emotions due to biological differences, they are also less conscious of what others think of how they appear socially. Thus, when asked to be in an uncomfortable situation, faces of terror and disinterest are present within seconds, while they blatantly say 'No!'
For girls...
Girls are experts in camouflaging. they are often more self-aware. Thus, when asked, you responded 'Okay' despite the enormous amount of stress and fear. You joined the group of kids, sitting at the periphery of the group, observing them playing harmoniously, the feeling of hopeless was so strong that she could not react much initially. Then, you decided to do exactly what they are doing, dressing up dolls in silence, rarely responding to the others. No one realizes the terror and discomfort you are suffering, the group of kids including you seem to blend in really well, playing the dolls. 'Perhaps she is just shy or introverted.' they think.
In the outside world, you are an angel, but as soon as you get home where you are more comfortable with who you are, you can be abrasive, explosive. Some describe them as devils in the house.
Imitation
For girls,
To camouflage, we need to know what behaviors are socially acceptable and what is not, this is often done by observation through television and books. They would learn the manners, tone even the accents. because it is in this imaginary world that they are not bounded by social rules. Even if they are not socially accepted in the real world, at least they have their own bubble to lean on where they can be themselves, without the pressure to act in a certain way.
For boys,
Boys are simpler, neither are they bothered to observe nor imitate one's behaviors. Symptoms as mentioned in (link of first autism blog), are often easily identified especially under social situations where they have the most where they have the most difficulties.
Situation 1:
During a conversation with your friends, a friend talking about the recent death of his family member, his eyes were teary, his brows were constricted as if he was about to cry. despite his upsetting face, you continued asking the details of the death. Then, your friend's face is reddened, he is on the verge of having a breakdown.
For boys:
As soon as you realized you have made a social mistake, you become really upset, your face is now reddened, you become abrasive due to the hopeless situation that you don't know how to react.
For girls:
As soon as you realized the mistake, you said 'I am sorry, I made a mistake.', it is this remarkable way of recovery that hides their symptoms, making them less susceptible to be diagnosed. 'Typical kids make these mistakes anyways.' they think.
Special Interests
Boys and girls are similar in this area. They enjoy engaging in imaginary worlds, they have their imaginary friends, be it horses, dolls, or superheroes. As mentioned above, girls may learn to imitate and copy behaviors learned from fictions.
For boys: star wars, star treks, dinosaurs, machines.
For girls: dolls, animals like horses---talk about recite social situation, they will give voice-over to each other
In terms of future pathways, girls are often more interested in fiction more than boys do. Why? As mentioned, girls learn to copy behaviors from fiction, what is more, is the fact that emotions and feelings are explicit in books, they learn what behaviors associates with what emotions. There are never social games where they have to someone's emotions by reading faces. some girls can be interested in fiction, creative writing, animations, ending up as great writers or even illustrators!
In general, the autism population can end up in the psychology field due to their difficulty in social situations. They would dedicate their careers to deciphering the social code like body languages, facial cues.
Identity problems
Self-identity problems are more common among girls due to more self-awareness. They often cover their true self while putting on a fake mask, imitating the gestures, pitch, accents from socially popular models.
Anorexia is an example of a result of the norm, 'Being thin is socially acceptable and popular'.
This constant pressure of making sure they are behaving suitably can lead to detrimental psychological problems. Having put on a mask continuously, they can begin to lose their sense of self, this is especially apparent as they enter adulthood where the world is no longer about playing babies with friends or gossiping over someone in school. There is less predictability in social situations and that they start to reveal their true self, they cannot bear this fake mask anymore. This is when diagnosis becomes more obvious, explaining why females are often properly diagnosed in their 20s-30s.
Note: The information above presents the common features that occur in the population under the spectrum, it is based on years of clinical observations, symptoms may not be definitive.
Today's blog has been really informative but it has been so much fun picking up pieces to the puzzles and figuring out the overwhelming
Unfortunately, our blog cannot cover all the details so to end, if you are interested in discovering more, check out this video/lecture about the differences in Autism in girls and boys
If you are a reader, check out this two amazing books called 'Pretending to be normal' and 'Aspergirls' illustrating the feeling of being a girl under spectrum from a first person point of view.
So that is all from me. Hope you have enjoyed discovering all these amazing abilities and features of genders under the spectrum. Don't forget to leave me a message about what you feel or anything in general.
Have a great day and don't forget to smile!
Joyce Lau
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