Are you a parent with a daughter who you think could be on the autism spectrum? Perhaps you don’t know where to start in terms of reaching a diagnosis? You’re not alone.
Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 54 children in the United States across all ethnic groups and is four times as prevalent in boys than in girls. Various evidence now suggests that this is inaccurate, and more girls are living with ASD than people realize.
ASD is characterized by social communication and social interaction difficulties, according to the DSM-5 classification system. However, research suggests that criteria for diagnosis is based on scientific evidence of autism in boys. As a result, diagnosing girls with autism usually occurs later in their development than it does for males.
Due to this, many girls on the spectrum are left to go through life without the support and help they might need, unsure how to find answers to difficulties they face in their daily living. These challenges, depending on the extent and severity, can cause psychological strain for young girls as well as their families.
To help girls on the spectrum receive an autism diagnosis quicker, it is important for parents to be aware of the possible signs of autism. So, how does autism appear in girls? Let’s have a look at this topic and, hopefully, some answers will be offered in this article.
The article above is printed with permission from Autism Parenting Magazine.
You can read the entire article here.
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