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Pushing the Envelope: Girls and Autism?

Angela Nelson, J.D., Ed.M.

 

A Letter from the CEO: Girls and Autism?

 

We’ve wanted to do an article about girls and autism for some time now. There is so much to say: under-diagnosis, different presenting characteristics, treatment options… where to start? 

We’ve had the great honor of working since 2014 with graduate students at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (29 now!) and our most recent student, Sam Krause, was excited to hop on this topic. 

Her angle? 

She got to the heart of the issue: gender bias for autistic girls starts at the beginning, with the vast majority of research being conducted focused on autistic boys. The under-diagnosis of autistic girls, the lack of understanding about the characteristics of autistic girls, best treatment options, all stem from what the researchers are studying.  Research drives the agenda.

We know from disparities in medical research how the gender gap has impacted women’s health: serious issues such as heart disease are only now beginning to be understood in terms of how they impact women. As Sam notes in her article, the impact of the National Institutes of Health’s reform-focused Revitalization Act of 1993 which was designed to encourage gender and ethnic diversity in research is slowly making progress: 2019 was the first year that clinical trials incorporated an almost equal number of men and women! (We’ll get to ethnic diversity in another article.)

Early autism research included zero girls in their studies! As a result, the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of autistic girls continue to lag behind that of boys. The consequences for women today who are diagnosed later in life as autistic are just now beginning to be understood: reports of feeling “isolated and alien” throughout childhood and higher rates of anxiety and depression into adulthood.

Help spread the word! Encourage more researchers to study autism in girls, provide spotlights to call attention to successful autistic women who can serve as role models for others, and provide more information to teachers and caretakers about autism and girls. 

Thanks, Sam!

Angela Nelson, CEO of STAGES® Learning

Editor: Autism Resources & Community
Angela Nelson, J.D., Ed.M.

Angela Nelson, J.D., Ed.M.

Angela Nelson is the creator of the widely-recognized Language Builder Picture Card Series, and the creator and lead author for the Language Builder ARIS curriculum. Angela received her BA and JD from UCLA where she studied and practiced behavior psychology under Dr. Ivar Lovaas, and her Ed.M. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with a focus on technology innovation and education. As Founder and CEO of Stages Learning Materials, Angela has created autism, special needs and early childhood curriculum products since 1997. In addition to her duties at Stages, Angela writes for multiple industry publications and is Chair of the Education Market Association.