TITLE

We Don’t Really Understand Autism In Girls, And That’s A Problem

DESCRIPTION

A study of about 800 children with autism found gender differences in a core feature of the disorder, as well as in the youngsters’ brain structures.

A recent study comparing boys and girls on the autism spectrum found that there are gender differences in both the behaviors and brain structures of the children.   The study points out that girls with autism have been overlooked due to the fact that most studies focus on boys due to the overwhelming number diagnosed with autism as compared to girls.   Boys show more overt restrictive and repetitive behaviors than girls with autism which may lead to greater diagnosis and studies of boys.  Further the brain areas affected in autistic children differ in boys versus girls.   The researchers state that more needs to be investigated and that new diagnostic and treatment protocols may need to be developed for working with girls who are autistic.

SOURCE

Huffington Post, September 8, 2015, by Carolyn Gregoire

Original Source
Girls and boys with autism differ in behavior, brain structure
Stanford Medicine News Center, September 2015

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/autism-girls-study_55e9b2fce4b03784e275a2c0

(shortened URL)   http://tinyurl.com/q6mhhls

Original Source:   http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/09/girls-and-boys-with-autism-differ-in-behavior-brain-structure.html

(shortened URL)   http://tinyurl.com/nfq2p86

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•What is autism?
•How is it diagnosed according to the DSM 5?
•What are the symptoms of autism?
•How is it diagnosed according to DSM 5?
•According to the article, what are the differences between boys and girls?