Differences between males & females with autism

Written on 15th Jan 2015 by Alex Lowery

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Someone called Pamela Mortimer asked me online to write an article about the differences between males and females with autism. I thought this would make an interesting topic to write about so I decided to do it. I know that there is a lot of talk and debate about the difference between males and females with autism.

It is known that autism effects far more males than it does females. Or at least this was thought to be the case for years. However, many experts now believe that autism is just as common among females. It’s just that it’s harder to recognize, so it doesn’t get diagnosed as often in females. There are also more women getting diagnosed with autism now than what there used to be. This is possibly because they’re now better at detecting autism than what they used to be. Going by what I know about females with autism, I actually think this would make sense if it were the case. The thing is autism often does affect females differently from the way it affects males.

Females with autism generally seem to be more Sociable than what males with autism, and are often better at “Pretending to be normal” in a way to put it. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying this is always the case. There are some really severely autistic females, and I have even known some high functioning autistic females that are even less Sociable than I am, so I’m not stereotyping by any means. However,  autism generally does to manifest itself differently in females.  I know quite a few females with autism, and the majority of them actually seem really Sociable and talkative, and less obviously autistic than males. Often they can be too Sociable at times. Now this doesn’t mean they don’t have Social difficulties. They just have difficulty in understanding  the Social rules, & knowing what’s appropriate, etc. They often are just as awkward socially as males are, but just in their own way. They are better an mimicking the norm. Again, autism is individual so I am very much generalizing here.

One thing that’s often said about males with autism is that a lot of their traits are like ordinary male traits on steroids, and by that I mean… Traits that you’ll likely find in your average male but they’re far more advanced in those on the spectrum. I also think in the same way, females with autism may often have regular female traits on steroids. A few females with autism have said that they are extremely sensitive to what people say to them. Many get hurt and upset by the mildest constructive criticism or joke that’s not meant to be taken seriously. This is only what females on the spectrum have said. I’ve not actually experienced it really. Many females with autism also often do seem to have more empathy than what males have.

I hope you found this article helpful. I know it’s shorter than my usual ones.

 

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