about the physiological changes during puberty and prefer to maintain the characteristics of childhood. Like boys with Asperger’s Syndrome, girls may see no value in being fashionable, preferring practical clothing and not using cosmetics or deodorants. This latter characteristic can be quite conspicuous.
These tentative explanations for the apparent underrepresentation of girls with Asperger’s Syndrome have yet to be examined by objective research studies. It is clear that we need more epidemiological studies to establish the true incidence in girls, and for research on the clinical signs, cognitive abilities, and adaptive behavior to include an examination of any quantitative and qualitative differences between male and female subjects. In the meantime, girls with Asperger’s Syndrome are likely to continue to be overlooked and not to receive the degree of understanding and resources they need.
Reference:
Holliday-Willey, L. (1999) Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger’s Syndrome . London. Jessica Kingsley Publications.
----
Asperger’s Syndrome in Women:
A Different Set of Challenges?
Meet Catherine Faherty
C atherine Faherty recognized her calling at age thirteen, when she worked with differently-abled children at a summer day camp. Since then, she has taught children and teens with autism, and now trains teachers and other professionals (locally, nationally, and internationally) in addition to consulting with parents and schools about autism. She also develops training models and manuals at the Asheville, North Carolina TEACCH Center, where she works as a psychoeducational specialist with people on the spectrum. She is the author of a workbook for children with autism and their parents and teachers: Asperger’s... What Does it Mean to Me?
Support groups have long proven their efficacy in helping people come to terms with specific issues. Group members share stories, problems, and solutions that benefit everyone. But what if, while you share many of the groups concerns, you are still a minority within the group? The predominance of Asperger’s men in Asperger’s support groups can make it difficult for Asperger’s women to air problems that are unique to females.
When a young woman in her adult social group at the TEACCH Center expressed a desire for more information that focused solely on the problems facing Asperger’s females, Ms. Faherty responded by forming a women’s group. In the following article, she reveals the concerns that are shared by this “minority within a minority.”
----
A young woman who has participated for several years in a social group for adults with high functioning autism and Asperger’s, sponsored at our TEACCH Center in Asheville, recently remarked, “There aren’t a heck of a lot of women who have Asperger’s or autism. The majority are males, and although we get along with the guys, there are some issues that they are never going to understand. I wish there was more information specifically for women who have autism.” Her comment prompted the initiation of the first women’s group at the Asheville TEACCH Center. While talking with this woman, who is in her twenties, I was reminded of my own early adulthood. I remember the strong camaraderie and support of “women’s consciousness-raising groups” that sprouted up on college campuses and in living rooms in the 60s and 70s. While struggling for and demanding equality between the sexes in the society at large, we discovered that there were important distinctions that needed to be honored. Together we explored and defined what “being a woman” was about, in the company of other young women searching for self-awareness. Being a member of a women’s “CR” (Consciousness-Raising) group was educational, exciting, exhilarating, emotional, relevant—and never boring.
According to Tony Attwood and other professionals in the field, women with high functioning autism and Asperger’s may be an
These tentative explanations for the apparent underrepresentation of girls with Asperger’s Syndrome have yet to be examined by objective research studies. It is clear that we need more epidemiological studies to establish the true incidence in girls, and for research on the clinical signs, cognitive abilities, and adaptive behavior to include an examination of any quantitative and qualitative differences between male and female subjects. In the meantime, girls with Asperger’s Syndrome are likely to continue to be overlooked and not to receive the degree of understanding and resources they need.
Reference:
Holliday-Willey, L. (1999) Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger’s Syndrome . London. Jessica Kingsley Publications.
----
Asperger’s Syndrome in Women:
A Different Set of Challenges?
Meet Catherine Faherty
C atherine Faherty recognized her calling at age thirteen, when she worked with differently-abled children at a summer day camp. Since then, she has taught children and teens with autism, and now trains teachers and other professionals (locally, nationally, and internationally) in addition to consulting with parents and schools about autism. She also develops training models and manuals at the Asheville, North Carolina TEACCH Center, where she works as a psychoeducational specialist with people on the spectrum. She is the author of a workbook for children with autism and their parents and teachers: Asperger’s... What Does it Mean to Me?
Support groups have long proven their efficacy in helping people come to terms with specific issues. Group members share stories, problems, and solutions that benefit everyone. But what if, while you share many of the groups concerns, you are still a minority within the group? The predominance of Asperger’s men in Asperger’s support groups can make it difficult for Asperger’s women to air problems that are unique to females.
When a young woman in her adult social group at the TEACCH Center expressed a desire for more information that focused solely on the problems facing Asperger’s females, Ms. Faherty responded by forming a women’s group. In the following article, she reveals the concerns that are shared by this “minority within a minority.”
----
A young woman who has participated for several years in a social group for adults with high functioning autism and Asperger’s, sponsored at our TEACCH Center in Asheville, recently remarked, “There aren’t a heck of a lot of women who have Asperger’s or autism. The majority are males, and although we get along with the guys, there are some issues that they are never going to understand. I wish there was more information specifically for women who have autism.” Her comment prompted the initiation of the first women’s group at the Asheville TEACCH Center. While talking with this woman, who is in her twenties, I was reminded of my own early adulthood. I remember the strong camaraderie and support of “women’s consciousness-raising groups” that sprouted up on college campuses and in living rooms in the 60s and 70s. While struggling for and demanding equality between the sexes in the society at large, we discovered that there were important distinctions that needed to be honored. Together we explored and defined what “being a woman” was about, in the company of other young women searching for self-awareness. Being a member of a women’s “CR” (Consciousness-Raising) group was educational, exciting, exhilarating, emotional, relevant—and never boring.
According to Tony Attwood and other professionals in the field, women with high functioning autism and Asperger’s may be an
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