Aspergers and Girls
Rudy Simone, a woman with Aspergers, writes books about coping with Asperger Syndrome, and about why we need to focus more on screening for Aspergers in girls.
Often females are underdiagnosed because their behaviors are seen as odd but within the realm of acceptable behavior for girls, or because they’re so good at mimicking what other girls are doing that people don’t realize there’s a problem.
Listen, she’ll tell you more:
Our stims (soothing behaviors) are often considered normal for girls, rocking, twirling until the world is spinning, singing, playing alone, tidying, straightening and arranging, watching our favorite programs over and over…it’s just a little girl being a little girl, albeit a slightly unusual one. Our early savant skills and special interests also fall under the heading of normal for girls: reading, music, art, culture and animals. What parents don’t realize is that when little Hannah is in her bedroom she’s not reading 30 books a week, she’s reading the same book 30 times.
Go read the whole column and look for her future columns at Psychology Today.
