Autism Differences in Boys and Girls: What the Research Says

In 2017, researchers determined that approximately 75% of children with autism are boys and 25% are girls. At the time, some experts were excited to hear that these two numbers were not further apart than they are. Many believed–and many still do–that girls are often overlooked when it comes to autism screening and diagnosis. Other scientists are of the mind that boys are more susceptible to autism than girls and that it is biological vulnerabilities that account for the differences in the rate of diagnosis between the two sexes.

Genetic Vulnerabilities?

It’s true that boys and girls are different in many ways. These differences are evident on the surface but also go much deeper. A female brain is scientifically shown to differ in structure from a male brain. The outer layer, called the cortex, is thicker in females, and this could offer some protection from autism.

Chromosomal makeup also differs from men to women. Since females have two X-chromosomes, compared to a male’s one, there is a possibility that a mutated version of an X-chromosome could be overpowered by the intact genetic code of the other X-chromosome.

Masking Symptoms?

Another possible explanation for the decreased number of autism diagnoses in girls as compared to boys is the idea that girls could be masking autism symptoms. This simply means that girls may be so good at hiding their struggles, that no one suspects that anything is out of the ordinary. Consider:

●    Social skills. Girls with autism smile more than boys with autism and are better at making eye contact.

●    Imitating. Girls may be more adept at copying what their peers do in such a way as to avoid detection of any obvious signs of autism.

●    Obsessive interests. One sign of autism is intense interest in one topic or a handful of very specific topics. In girls, they might be preoccupied with something that seems gender- and age-appropriate like horses or unicorns. This sort of obsession usually doesn’t raise red flags.

●    Structure, order, and routine. These things are often a comfort for individuals with autism. In girls, a fondness for structure can be construed by some as typical feminine neatness and organization.

To put a slightly different spin on it, some autism traits mirror traits that are expected of girls. If the expectation for girls in our society is to be quiet, friendly, and obedient, girls may successfully mask their autism tendencies just by striving to meet these expectations.

Some experts think that we may never identify all the girls with autism, since autism screening tools tend to look for traditionally-male behaviors like:

●    Impulse control

●    Hyperactivity

●    General difficulties with behavior

●    Poor social skills

●    Externalizing feelings rather than holding them inside (in an inappropriate way such as yelling)

Maybe, in light of this, experts need to develop a separate autism screening tool for girls. The more we understand autism difference between boys and girls, the better we can detect and support all children with autism. Hopefully, over time, girls with autism can more easily get the help they deserve in a way that doesn’t minimize the autism symptoms that the male autism population endures.

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