There's a lot of evidence to suggest that aspergers is much more common in males than in females.
This is, at least in part, due to the nature of human genetic makeup. Men have an XY chromosome structure while women have XX.
If one or more partners is genetically damaged or "different", there exists, in females, the ability to "repair" the genetic differences using DNA from the other X chromosome. Such a facility isn't available to men.
This means that men are much more likely to show genetic damage or differences and that women can often be "silent carriers".
That said, there's still considerably fewer female aspies than you'd expect.
Personally, I think this comes down to differences in behavior and detection. Women tend to have less social difficulties than men, particularly with the opposite gender because they're usually approached, rather than having to do the approaching themselves.
There's also a suggestion that "Girls are generally recognized as superior mimics. Those with AS hold back and observe until they learn the 'rules', then imitate their way through social situations." - Tony Attwood.
Regardless of the reason, there aren't too many articles on how aspergers manifests in women.
This one however, is a good one and well worth a read;
Psychology Today: An Aspie in the City By: Carlin Flora
(November/December 2006)
This is, at least in part, due to the nature of human genetic makeup. Men have an XY chromosome structure while women have XX.
If one or more partners is genetically damaged or "different", there exists, in females, the ability to "repair" the genetic differences using DNA from the other X chromosome. Such a facility isn't available to men.
This means that men are much more likely to show genetic damage or differences and that women can often be "silent carriers".
That said, there's still considerably fewer female aspies than you'd expect.
Personally, I think this comes down to differences in behavior and detection. Women tend to have less social difficulties than men, particularly with the opposite gender because they're usually approached, rather than having to do the approaching themselves.
There's also a suggestion that "Girls are generally recognized as superior mimics. Those with AS hold back and observe until they learn the 'rules', then imitate their way through social situations." - Tony Attwood.
Regardless of the reason, there aren't too many articles on how aspergers manifests in women.
This one however, is a good one and well worth a read;
Psychology Today: An Aspie in the City By: Carlin Flora
(November/December 2006)
Comments
F*cking spammers.
For example, "I was often accused of not paying attention or of being on a different planet, but I was actually paying close attention to something else."
I got this a lot too. My calculus teacher in high school thought I was a complete space cadet and expected me to fail our first test because I never paid attention, but then I did very well. The first time I answered a question, she picked up a stuffed animal on her desk, looked at it and said, "OH MY GOODNESS she's paying attention!!!" It was very funny.
I also have a huge fascination with animals. If I had to pick a new career, I'd go into veterinary medicine.
One of the main differences though is how they say she missed musical queues. I'm not a good dancer at all, but I'm a drummer and was the drumline captain in school.
Anyway, thanks for sharing! We're not mysterious, we're just awesome :D
I wrote about this article in my blog The Aspie Life about a year ago. Back then the article was titled The Girl with a Boy's Brain. (See Adults/Women With Asperger's - The Good and Bad.)
It's not often that mainstream publications provide a balanced view of Asperger's and autism, opting instead for the sensationalistic approach. I found Psychology Today's angle refreshing.
Imagine my surprise when, a few months later, a Psychology Today editor contacted me to invite me to be a contributor on Psychology Today's blogs site. Obviously, they are committed to following the precedent set by Ms. Flora's article, to continue to portray the realities of life as a female aspie.
If you're interested, visit Asperger's Diary at http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/aspergers-diary.
Great quote. It describes my 4y 9m old daughter very well. (Who was just diagnosed with Asperger's.)
I'm just trying to learn what I can to understand her, help her, and support her. Thanks for your blog.
It's so frustrating. This article describes me exactly, including the active fantasy life.
OK I'm rambling. Interesting article, thank you.
When I was at school I distinctly remember standing next to the teacher and putting my hand up because I wanted to swap the book I had. She must have been having a bad day, because she snapped at me and told me it was rude to stand there like that and I should sit down and think about what I wanted to say. So I went back to my desk and I couldn't think what on earth I was supposed to say. I had to ask the girl sitting next to me, who said, just say you would like a new book please.
I still don't like new situations. I like to watch other people and work out what the appropriate thing to say is. I try and explain this to people, but no one understands what I mean. My head is empty when it comes to small talk. I'm 28 and still learning. Gennie
"Men have an XY chromosome structure while women have XX.
If one or more partners is genetically damaged or 'different', there exists, in females, the ability to 'repair' the genetic differences using DNA from the other X chromosome. Such a facility isn't available to men.
This means that men are much more likely to show genetic damage or differences and that women can often be 'silent carriers'."
If we're talking about conditions related specificially to the X chromosome (like colour blindness, hemophilia, SCID, Fragile X), then yes, you'd expect to see less female expression due to the higher likelihood of inheriting an unaffected copy of the X. But most genetic conditions occur elsewhere in DNA, and autism is thought to involve several chromosomes. Fragile X was once thought to be autism-related, but that has never been proved.
Oh well, just a few thoughts. The PT article was a great too brief profile of a woman with asperger's.
Please, please, please reassure me that this is true! Now, where do I go to find these men? Is there like a store...you know, where I could just buy one? It would be so much easier than standing on a street corner trying to look mysterious instead of grumpy. Are there match makers for aspies?
it is mercury poisoning...let's not fool ourselves.