Have you ever wondered why Asperger's Syndrome or Autism is more common among boys than girls?

Question

I think that there are a lot of girls and women out there on the autistic spectrum that have not been diagnosed. I'm not trying to argue that it is as common in girls as it is in boys. I'm interested in the possibility that there is a whole population of autistic girls and women out there who have been undiagnosed or misdiagnosed or misunderstood.

I'm curious about what people think and I'd also like to hear from women/girls who have autistic traits.

Answer 1

Supajenn has the right idea, but has her stats wrong.
Color blindness is a sex-linked trait so I will explain how colorblindness is inherited to explain how the sex-linked traits work.
You don't inherit colorblindness. You FAIL to inherit color vision. Color vision is carried on the X Chromosome. So if a girl gets one faulty X, it is likely the 2nd X will be normal, therefore, she will get colorvision. A male on the other hand, is XY. He has only one chance to inherit color vision. If he gets a faulty X - That's it. He's color blind. That's why a man is 10 times more likely than a woman to be color blind.

Dr Geri Dawson believes there are several genes, not just one gene, required for a child to be autistic. If one of those required genes is on the X chromosome, the boys is at greater risk than the girls.

But Dr Dawson suspects there are actually a different set of genes that make up male autism, than those that make up female autism. I doubt that. My brother has a boy AND a girl with autism. The odds of two non-identical siblings both having autism is rare enough. If they inherited it through different genes, that would be just too freaky of a coincidence!

Answer 2

No, I don't think that's true at all. There is plenty of research that shows that there are just a fewer number of women who have diseases than men in general. The reason for this is because of the differences in sex chromosomes. A woman has 2 X chromosomes. A male only gets one. If the mother is a carrier of a particular disease, the daughter has a 50/50 chance of getting the disease/being a carrier or not being a carrier at all. So within the 50% chance of being a carrier/having disease, it means there is only a 25% chance of having the disease. Men however, will have the disease no matter what. If the mother is a carrier, his only X chromosome will be infected, and therefore he will be infected.

Answer 3

They're both right in terms of boys/men having higher cases of disorders then boys, it's a genetic issue. BUT, it is well known in the autistic community that girls ARE misdiagnosed or under-diagnosed, because their symptoms are usually more mild then boys, making it harder to detect. There are some who do get it severe, but for the most part, they're usually harder to detect. And who knows, maybe because there is a higher incidence of autism in boys, maybe those diagnosing it just aren't looking for it in girls.

Answer 4

it incredibly is not any longer probable the incapacity, it incredibly is the character thats substantial. even no remember if it incredibly is Aspergers. i'm in basic terms no longer a type of shallow people. i do no longer think of those with Aspergers are stupid. the those that do think of this, is using fact they do no longer understand or are in basic terms ignorant. you will hit upon a female pal some day, each and every from time to time it is going to take a on a similar time as using fact the wonderful information everybody is harder to hit upon. lots of persons are in basic terms too judgemental and impatient. as quickly as you will locate the splendid individual, you will by some capacity experience it, and that they'll experience it too. additionally in basic terms proceed being your self and settle for it. Be a superb individual, yet no longer in a creepy way. additionally be humorous too and understand different persons too.