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I've suspected for a while that my 9 year old may be on the spectrum. From everything I've read ASD is harder to diagnose in girls. Some of the traits may just seem like odd or peculiar quirks. She was a very, very high maintenance baby and discovered she had SPD during her young toddler years. Excessive noise, commotion and car rides were absolute hell during the first year. It slowly got better after that point, but other signs/symptoms would appear. She'd have moments where she would have melt downs. Not because she was being defiant, but because to her, her whole world was over, or she was *that* emotionally affected by a situation. She withdraws during stressful situations. She won't talk or say anything. This could be her fixated on wearing a certain pair of socks that she can't find. She'll break down and cry for quite a while, and won't talk.
These "episodes" didn't/don't occur very often, and she was a particularly easy toddler/preschooler. She's very empathetic, emotionally sensitive, agreeable, soft-spoken, and stoic. And extremely introverted.
I've often thought that maybe they're just quirks, but having her evaluated will help, especially when she approaches middle school years. She's already been picked on by a few peers for being "different." She's also really good at being a chameleon.
She's incredibly gifted and mild-mannered. Her teachers adore her. She struggles most in social situations. She'll say things that are odd or funny in an endearing way, but because we know her we "get" her quirks and sense of humor. But others? Probably not.
Anyway, I'm not sharing any of this because I think it's a problem. Just painting a picture. She's a remarkable, funny, talented, and sweet young girl. We just want to know as much as we can so we can provide the kind of support she needs in the coming years. This is especially true as her big sister goes off to middle school later this summer. They're very close, but we know there will come a time when they start to really develop their own interests, friends, etc.
For those of you with girls or are familiar with ASD in girls, what has been your experience?
Most of the girls I've worked with with ASDs were on the severe end of the spectrum, usually with very limited to no verbal ability, often significant intellectual impairment, and highly maladaptive behavior (aggression and/or self injury). I mostly didn't work with girls with mild spectrum diagnoses, because I worked in a behavioral program. And only about a quarter of my students were girls to begin with.
My experience is that, with girls, severe spectrum end gets noticed, milder symptoms do not. This is the case overall with autism, but seems more pronounced with girls than boys. Girls may just be billed as "especially sensitive, " shy, etc.
With a 9 year old on the spectrum, I would worry about puberty coming up and changing a lot of things. I would also worry about bullying as she gets older.
My granddaughter is almost 14 now and she was dxed with asperger syndrome at 8. She is very, very bright, but socially clueless. She is a great kid, but other girls notice that she is not on social media, not particularly into boys and the dating scene and lots of other things. She's a science nerd and does extremely well in math and science, not badly in her other subjects, but they are not her favorites. She really does not have any good friends and never has had any.
We dealt with a lack of diagnosis for a long time - you can read about that here:
http://mommyhighfive.com/dealing-with-a-lack-of-diagnosis/
There was even a time when I didn't really think there was anything wrong with my child. Currently she's been diagnosed with autism but all along the way we used therapists and did whatever we could to help her. Whatever you do don't give up and give Early intervention a try even if you're not exactly sure!
Most of the girls I've worked with with ASDs were on the severe end of the spectrum, usually with very limited to no verbal ability, often significant intellectual impairment, and highly maladaptive behavior (aggression and/or self injury). I mostly didn't work with girls with mild spectrum diagnoses, because I worked in a behavioral program. And only about a quarter of my students were girls to begin with.
My experience is that, with girls, severe spectrum end gets noticed, milder symptoms do not. This is the case overall with autism, but seems more pronounced with girls than boys. Girls may just be billed as "especially sensitive, " shy, etc.
^Agree. My cousin is on the severe end of the spectrum and everything I have bolded relates to her. She is also highly emotional and for years she had aversions to sound---she still does but it seems somewhat better now. Do not disrupt her routine or what she expects to happen and do not be surprised if she gets upset and starts doing something like removing her clothes. I also agree that milder symptoms are more easily overlooked, though I do think in the last ten years that they are less overlooked.
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