World Autism Day: Empowering Women and Girls with Autism
Is your daughter autistic? The answer may not be
that simple as it would be if you had a son. The main reason is that the sign
of autism in girls and women are not same as those in boys and men. The sign of
autism in girls and women are missed easily, especially in the case of high
functioning autism.
According to studies it has been
observed that one woman for every nine men is being diagnosed with the
so-called “high-functioning” autism; which means autism without intellectual
disability. Whereas if we look upon the data of the females living with
“low-functioning” autism in comparison to that of males the ratio comes out to
be 4(men):1(women). Looking at the data we can easily imagine that how many
autistic women are being left undiagnosed and untreated.
To
make majority of people aware about the symptoms of autism in women and girls,
2 April is being observed as World Autism Day across the world, as declared by
United Nations. Every year the day is celebrated with a specific theme and this
year the theme for the day is “Empowering Women and Girls with Autism” which
will focus on the importance of emancipating women and girls living with autism
and thus involving them in policy and decision making in their respective
organizations to mark the challenges they face in their everyday
life.
As girls with autistic disability grow up and reach to
teenage, the gap between their condition and that of boys clearly widens; and
as they reach up to their adulthood phase they become highly skilled in the art
of camouflage (hiding) which elaborates the use of the term “invisible
disability” which is used to explain certain type of high functioning
autism.
How autism disorder is different in
girls?
Generally boys and girls with autism
disorder (AD) are similar in many ways, but some of the characteristics of AD
are different from that in boys:
- Girls/Women with
autism are more passive
- They seems to have better social
skills
- They have better communication skills as compared
to that of boys with autism
- They have fewer repetitive
behaviors and narrow interests than boys
- Autistic
girls/women have more intellectual disability when compared to boys with
autism
Ways of diagnosing autism disorder in girls:
Social Factors:
As mentioned above autistic girls or women have
more developed social skills than boys with the same disorder. Girls are good
at masking so the symptoms of the disorder remain “hidden” from
carers, schoolteachers, peers and from those who are involved in the diagnosis
process.
Although they have better social skills but they
face difficulty in maintaining a two-way relationship and thus can be bullied
during their teenage phase. Older girls with AD have more struggle in socially
as the society tends to expect different social behaviors from girls and
boys.
Sex Hormones:
According to One Theory, autistic people think,
learn and act in “male” ways regardless of their gender. This is known as
having a male profile. Generally females with autistic disorder are frequently
prescribed medications which lead to the reduction of sexual arousal. This
might lead to autistic women thinking themselves as asexual.
So let’s take a step ahead and help those women
and girls who have autism to get proper diagnosis along with treatment and
medication because a woman’s health is directly proportional to the family and
the country at large which will automatically lead to a better world.
Different types of treatment therapies for
autism:
Occupational
Therapy- An occupational
therapist uses a holistic approach for the improvement of physical, social,
emotional, sensory and cognitive abilities.
Speech Therapy- people with autism face major problems with both
verbal and non-verbal communications. Therefore, Speech therapy is considered
as the central part of the treatment for autism as it addresses a wide range of
communication problems for the people who are dealing with autism.
ABA Therapy- applied behavior analysis is one of the biggest
autism therapies in existence. Experts and doctors highly recommend ABA therapy
for the best results. ABA technique is used to bring about the meaningful and
positive change in the behavior.
Social Skills Classes- these classes help autistic people to develop
their social skills such as making and maintaining eye contact, greeting
habits, etc, which will help them in their daily life activities.
“If you are thinking that your daughter or
wife might have autism, it’s best to make an appointment with doctor as soon as
possible. A good way to start is with your general physician, who can later
refer you to psychologists, occupational therapists and speech therapists if
your wife or daughter needs them because “Autism is not a
disability, it’s a Different Ability.”
Doctors at Metro Group of Hospitals establishes special plan of treatment and
focus while addressing autism patients. We always encourage people for regular
follow-ups and abidance to the plan of treatment for better results.
For appointments and more information, call: +91 9910492867 or e-mail: metro@metrohospitals.com.
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