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What is Autism?
Autism is a long-lasting condition that exerts influence on a person’s way of communication. Autism becomes recognizable in the first three years of childhood of a person and can affect an individuals behaviour, learning and social skills for their entire lives.
Autism, in other words, is often understood as dissimilarity in thinking; people who have autism have a different vision to view things differently, without the understanding that either situation can be right or wrong.
It’s also known as a spectrum disorder, which shows the massive range of hurdles that people with autism might confront. For instance, some people may face struggles in several situations. It will have a significant effect on their everyday life, in contrast to the fact that others might have only one or two difficulties, making their lives less complicated.
You know that autism has different effects on people, but you can also understand that people can separate the symptoms into three major groups: the ‘impairment triad.’ Below, the three main groups are mentioned:
- Internal contact problems (verbal and non-verbal language)
- Social contact difficulties (social skills)
- Difficulty with social imagination (the capacity to grasp other people's ideas, emotions, and behaviours)
Autism in Girls and Women
Autism is a disorder that affects both men and women. Nonetheless, it has been seen that up to five times more men are diagnosed with autism than women.
How Does Autism Present Itself Differently in Women?
With the help of many types of research, surveys and suppositions, it results in the fact that women are either misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed when it comes to autism. The results of surveys taken show that in several circumstances, the behavioural characteristics of autistic women differ significantly compared to those of autistic men, but do you know how exactly they vary? Stay tuned to find out!
Autism behaviour
Autistic women often present the behaviours that are mentioned below:
- More significant social restriction skills
- A craving to communicate directly with others,
- A likelihood to be shy or passive
- Fascination towards creative things
- Better lingual abilities developmentally
- More interests that usually centre on animals or people
Many of the behaviours that autistic women carry are positive, but there are few negative traits too! Both positive and negative behaviours make it essential that you know about all of them if you are too genuinely interested in acknowledging that autism in women requires proper diagnosis.
On the other hand, here is a few more complex behaviour that women with autism can show, for your better understanding:
Socialisation
Women with autism are inclined to be more aware of the need to socialise. Although they have fewer communication skills, autistic women often duplicate what people of their surroundings do and usually imitates the tactics required for social communication. Women with autism are not likely to begin a conversation, but can easily keep up the conversation when initiated by someone.
Careful with words
with autism prefer to use their words carefully. Instead of making irrelevant remarks, they will put their words where necessary, with a good enough purpose, and not use small talk to begin a conversation.
Imagination
Women with autism frequently form an elaborate fantasy world. They are more likely to grow a colourful imaginary world or enjoy a delight in getting away into creative ideas. However, an autistic boy would instead grow robust, focused and expert interests.
Difficulty in understanding different situations
Women with autism may face difficulties to understand different situations. It’s pretty usual for autistic girls to misapprehend the social orders and be incautious of interacting with different status people. The problem can also cause women with autism to become worried or aggressive if they don’t get why their surroundings are getting more fame than them.
Depression
Women with autism are more prone to encounter high risks of depression and worries. The risks usually begin from their adolescence period, and they are known to commonly grow mental health issues, including misery, fear, and eating disorders. In many cases, women with autism in their teenage are coming to the hospital; being undiagnosed as women with autism.
Solitude
with autism are likely to have fewer friends than usual. During their adolescence, Precisely, they are most likely to feel lonely or isolated from different friend circles. The issue makes it more difficult for them to interact with other people. As a result, they feel upset about it.
Teenage trauma
Women with autism find their adolescent quite traumatic. Whereas any other adolescent child can have difficulties coping with their age issues, women with autism are more likely to fight even more as they get to know more about their sexuality, relationships, and puberty. The occasions mentioned above can be provoking them to understand more, and they might be open too much small information regarding the events.
Symptoms of autism
Women with autism frequently face struggles to associate with others. The difficulty can result in a wide range of symptoms, such as:
- Helplessness to look at or listen to people
- No reply or reaction to their name
- Reluctance to touching
- A choice for being alone
- Improper or no such facial body language
- Incapacity to begin a conversation or keep one going
- Uncontrolled talk about a favourite cartoon character with no consideration for the reactions of others
- Speech difficulties or abnormal speech types
- Helplessness to show emotions or understand them in others
- Difficulty realizing simple social cues
- Struggling to follow simple directions
- Inability to foresee someone’s response or reaction
- Improper social interactions
- Incapacity to recognize non-verbal forms of communication
What is the most effective therapy for autism?
A notable treatment approach is called applied behaviour analysis for people with ASD (ABA). Among healthcare professionals, ABA has been widely known and used in many schools and treatment centres. To enhance a variety of skills, ABA promotes optimistic behaviours and discourages negative behaviours. One of the most commonly used autism therapies for both adults and children is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). It refers to a variety of strategies intended to use a reward system to facilitate healthy behaviors. There are many forms of ABA, including: Preparation for discrete trials.
Behavioural pattern symptoms
People with autism, most of the time, acquire repetitive patterns to do things that are hard to break.
Some of these patterns involve:
- Doing repetitive movements, such as walking back and forth
- Growing routines or rituals that can’t be interrupted
- The urge to self-harm, that includes biting and head-banging
- Using the same words and phrases repeatedly
- Becoming overly attached to with a specific thing or fact
- Understanding the sensations of light and sound more or less strongly than others
- Obsessing over specific objects or things
- Growing individual food preferences or having disgust for certain types of food
How are the symptoms different in women?
The indications of autism in women aren’t very unalike from those in men.
You might beware that women and girls with autism are more likely to mask or hide their symptoms so that people can’t recognize. The trait of camouflaging is specifically usual in females at the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum.
Common ways of hiding symptoms include:
- compelling themselves to form eye contact during conversations
- forming jokes or phrases beforehand to utilise in a conversation
- Imitating the social behaviour of others
- Mimicking expressions and gestures of surrounding people
Whereas both males and females with autism can hide their symptoms of autism, this trait is more commonly seen in women. The camouflaging is high in women and can explain why they’re less likely to be diagnosed with autism.
Comparison of autism traits between men and women
- more social struggles and trouble communicating
- Less likely to adapt situations
- less of a will to become focused on a particular matter
- more emotional issues
- more intellectual
- More language problems
- more behavioural issues, such as acting out and becoming hostile
What causes autism in women?
Autism is likely caused by many factors and features, involving genetics and environmental factors. We believe that women might be born with genetic protective factors that reduce their chance of autism.
There’s a prominent theory known as the “extreme female brain” theory. It’s focused on the idea that fetal exposure to certain high levels of female hormones in the uterus might impact brain development.
As a result, a woman’s mind might centre more on comprehending and classifying objects, characteristics that are usually connected with the brain.
The consequence of hormones on brain development isn’t well known yet, giving this theory some crucial restrictions. However, this is still a beginning toward understanding how autism develops and why it appears more in boys than girls.
Is there a test for autism in women?
There’s no medical test that can determine autism. It can be a challenging procedure that frequently needs going to different types of doctors.
If you have a feeling, your child could be on the autism spectrum, immediately make an appointment with their doctor. The doctor may refer them to a child psychologist or paediatric neurologist depending on your child’s symptoms.
If you believe that you may have undiagnosed autism, start by talking to your nearby doctor. A psychologist can also help you understand your symptoms and find out other possible causes.
Autism can be very extremely difficult to identify at an older age. You may need to see a couple of doctors before finding out who recognises your symptoms and concerns.
If possible, try to ask your close family members or friends about any possible gesture you might have shown as a child. The method can help to portray your doctor with a better idea of your childhood development.
All over the procedure, keep in mind that you are your most important supporter. If you ever have a feeling that your doctor isn’t taking your anxiety seriously, speak up your problems or find someone else for another opinion.
How is autism in women treated?
You might be aware that there are no specific treatments for autism; medications are one of many ways to assist in controlling particular autism-related symptoms or disorders that may co-occur.
There are many types of physical, occupational, and talk therapies that can help you better communicate with the world around you and manage your symptoms.
The bottom line
Autism pops up to be more visible in boys than girls, and we are beginning to better understand the differences in how boys and girls experience autism. Even though this is encouraging for future generations; women who think they might have autism still encounter hurdles getting a diagnosis and finding the right treatment.
I am sure you are now aware of autism in women, you have finally come to an end of a detailed blog about it! Because autism in women represents them unusually, and as a result, it often goes unnoticed, now that you know the symptom and behavioural patterns, make sure to always cross check them and come to a conclusion.
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