Clinical characteristics and problems diagnosing autism spectrum disorder in girls

Abstract

Background: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with various clinical presentations. It has been historically considered a male disorder. An increasing number of authors stress the existence of sex/gender bias in prevalence and the need to define sex/gender differences in the clinical presentation.

Review: Recently, an increasing number of authors have studied the impact of sex/gender on autism's clinical presentation. The sex ratio of four boys to one girl commonly reported in literature is questioned. Sociocultural and familial influences can impact female clinical presentation as well as the way the difficulties of girls with autism are perceived. Issues of autism diagnostic instruments such as sex/gender bias are also studied since they have an impact on the access to diagnosis for girls. Clinical variability is a part of autism spectrum disorder, but some traits appear to be more specific of the female phenotype: existence of a "camouflage" phenomenon and less unusual play or restricted interests.

Discussion: Better understanding and diagnosis of females with autism is required to ensure the access to the support and treatment they need. Professionals must apprehend the sex/gender clinical differences to prevent the frequent misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis of females with autism.

Conclusion: Pursuing research on sex/gender differences seems necessary to ensure appropriate support and diagnosis of undiagnosed females.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Diagnosis; Gender; Prevalence; Sex.