boys vs girls
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boys vs girls
| Tue, 03-07-2006 - 8:48am |
Why is it that there seems to be more boys with PDD than girls? Is it something in their wiring? Just wondering if anyone knew.
Sonya
Sonya
| Tue, 03-07-2006 - 8:48am |
From what I have been able to read on the subject it seems that they believe there are many more girls out there with PDD than what's been dx'ed. The reasoning they cite is that girls tend to be more 'engineered' to be social and that's one of the issues that usually tips off a professional or a parent about boys. Girls typically won't get frustrated and clobber someone across the room for whatever reason, boys are more physical in that sense.
All of this is theory but it made sense to me. Hope that helps.
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Studies on this phenomenon show that estrogen has a protective factor, and consequently less girls are prone to ASD than boys, about a 1:4 ratio. I have read in Evidence Of Harm (David Kirby) that female brain tissue is much more resisant to some toxins than boys b/c of this hormone. Very interesting, espeically considering that exposure to heavy metals (ei - aluminum & mercury in vaccines) have been shown to be associated with the epidemic of ASD.
Meg
There are many theories of why girls seem to have a much lower prevalence than boys. (Bobby's class is the first I have heard differently actually).
Theories range from girls are underdiagnosed, to autism is the extreme male mind (Simon Baren-cohen). In Autism in general I have heard that the ratio is 4:1, in AS I have heard it is closer to 10:1. I hadn't heard the estrogen theory before. That is interesting. I have heard when girls have autism supposidly it is more severe though that hasn't been my experience.
I think it is a mix of reasons. Some being definite underdiagnosis due to the differences between boys and girls. The diagnostic criteria tends more toward the male presentation of autism. And girls tend more to withdraw rather than act out. A quiet withdrawn girl doesn't typically stand out as radically different until she starts to have significant difficulties for one reason or another.
I think the theory of girls being more severe than boys comes in part from the underdiagnosis because for a while I would guess that the more mildly affected girls were not diagnosed as often.
To speak to the numbers of girls vs boys I will say that Cait is the ONLY girl in her aspergers program with 13 boys. It is a regional program meaning it services not only our district but neighboring districts as well. It has been running for about 4 years now and prior to Cait there was either 1 or 2 other girls in the entire history of the class.
I am sure there are a number of Aspies who are mainstreamed or perhaps don't have IEP's at all. And a good number who are in special day classes or special schools so I don't know thier numbers but I would guess it is the same. In summer school she was in a class with kids with AS from different classes in the district and she was the only girl in that class too. In fact some teachers where fighting over who got to keep her. It is all female teachers and they all want the token girl, lol.
Renee
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