NEWS

Autism – It’s Different For Girls

Rebecca Thair
By Rebecca Thair,
updated on Nov 1, 2017

Autism – It’s Different For Girls

Largest ever study shows support can be better tailored

Autism

Autistic women and girls struggle more with organisational tasks than their male counterparts, according to the largest ever study into executive functioning in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), published in Autism Research.

With the ratio of male to female people with ASD being 3:1, most previous research focused on the male perspective. Recognising that autistic females struggle more with these two elements means that future support can be better tailored.

Researchers interviewed the parents of 237 autistic children between the ages of seven and 18 (79 girls and 158 boys). They found that females with autism have more weaknesses with executive functioning and adaptive behaviour.

These two functions relate to how well someone can manage decisions and organise information, such as the ability to understand a sequence of steps in a daily routine.

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