1. WA Handouts: Girls and Women

2. Programme Diagnostic issues Characteristics in Primary School Characteristics in High School

3. Diagnosis of Girls and Women with ASD Level 1 (Asperger’s Syndrome) The invisible end of the spectrum (Ruth Baker) Fly under the radar of a diagnosis Coping and camouflaging mechanisms of observation and imitating Alexis Wineman: Miss Montana

4. Profile of Abilities in Girls Observe and try to understand before they make the first step Reading fiction (or watching soap operas) helps learn about inner thoughts and feelings

5. Profile of Abilities in Girls Decode social situations in doll play and talking with imaginary friends Apologize and appease Chameleon

6. Imitation Observation and absorption of the speech, mannerisms and character, even persona of someone who is socially successful. Becoming an expert mimic (successful strategy that is popular with peers). Using speech and drama lessons.

7. Imitation Learning how to act in real social situations. I am an exceptional mimic and have used this to survive. I was previously diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder. I try to be who they want me to be.

8. Imitation No matter how I tried to imitate the parts of friends that I liked I still never felt I got it and I couldn’t understand why.

9. Imitation For a brief while, ‘cured’ of autism Surface sociability but a lack of social identity Masquerading: watch and imitate to conceal social confusion Source of anxiety and stress Inconspicuous so mental health concerns are not noticed in school

10. Imitation I have done such a great job at pretending to be normal that nobody really believes I have Asperger’s.

11. The Mask Emily masks in public and will meltdown the second she is out of the situation. Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde.

12. The Mask Emily masks in public and will meltdown the second she is out of the situation. Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde. Do you know what to do? “Yes” but there is terror in the eyes.

13. Profile of Abilities in Girls Less disruptive and so less likely to be noticed. We think that if we are very, very good, people will like us and all will be well Learn that if you are good, you are left alone. Special interests more likely to be unusual in terms of the intensity rather than the focus. Imaginary friends.

14. Interests of Girls Intensity rather than focus Boys toys or gender neutral toys Dolls to replay and decode social situations Literature Soap operas Being feminine Friendships Nature and animals The supernatural

15. Questionnaire GQ-ASC GIRLS’ QUESTIONNAIRE FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM CONDITIONS Age 5-12 Age 13-19

16. Pathways to a Diagnosis for a Teenage Girl Secondary disorder diagnosed in adolescence, such as: Anxiety disorder, Depression Borderline Personality Disorder, Eating disorder such as Anorexia Nervosa, Selective mutism. Detailed developmental history indicates a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome.

17. Pathways to a Diagnosis for Women Problems with employment or relationships leads to a search for an explanation for being different. Having a child with Asperger’s syndrome.

18. Characteristics from age 5-12 Years

19. Self-taught reader Advanced vocabulary

20. Play Doll play to replay and understand social situations. I played with dolls until I was fourteen years old.

21. Fascination with symmetry and order “The fun came from setting up and arranging things. Maybe this desire to organise things rather than play with things is the reason I never had any great interest in my peers.”

22. Friendship Characteristics She doesn’t play with toys very often but if she does she lines things up and groups them. I never identified with my female classmates We create our own world in which to do our own thing

23. Gender Specific Toys I loved playing with Lego for years and had many thousands as a child. I also loved cardboard boxes, and drawing/writing. I always ignored the dolls I was given. Are model aircraft considered ‘toys’? Is there a gender attached to them? I preferred nature or animals to toys.

24. Gender Specific Toys I was given gender specific toys such as Barbie dolls but I did not play with them the same way that all other girls I knew played with them. The other girls wanted to play out getting married scenarios whereas I played out adventure scenarios such as replacing Tarzan with my Barbie as the hero rescuing my brother’s Action Man in the jungle.

25. Friendship Because of difficulties with non verbals, she often doesn’t understand when other kids get bored or don’t want to play/engage with her anymore.

26. Friendship Characteristics She becomes very upset when she doesn’t have friends, and will often cry about this. She used to freeze in social groups and watch for a long time without moving or showing any emotions.

27. Friendships Peer support (not bitchy). Single friend who provides guidance and security. Unpaid teacher aid in the classroom and play ground

28. A Tomboy Many stereotypical girls activities were stupid, boring and inexplicable. It is more accurate to say that I am gender- neutral. As a child I liked to play with boys because I enjoyed toy cars, Lego,, building blocks, sports and that kind of thing, and sadly girls are not often given toys like cars and blocks; also girls were more complicated, and unkind in ways I didn’t understand. Boys are more logical.

29. A Tomboy I was very much a tom boy (to my mother’s disappointment) and still have those tendencies, but I have always been interested only in men. Not a good way to attract them! Being a tom boy is socially acceptable in the pre-puberty years but less acceptable after puberty

30. A Tomboy It was easier to identify with boys because they just wanted to have fun. Girls had more social rules to follow or blunder. They had more gossip and didn’t like to get dirty. The guys were fun and I could almost be myself around them. I don’t know how to do girl things.

31. Teenagers

32. Ultra-feminine or anti-social conventions Try to fit in during Primary School by being ultra feminine (pink and frilly) In adolescence, when it is not working, the pendulum can swing the other way Despise femininity and defy social and gender conventions

33. Adolescence Power of the peer group for self-esteem. In high school, girls treated me like I was something else, not boy, not girl, just an it

34. Recovery from Social Exhaustion It drains me mentally and physically. I am exhausted after having spent a lot of time with others and I need to recover in solitude. Cinderella at the ball at midnight I relished isolation and solitude and when I was by myself I thoroughly enjoyed the company of an empty room (Caroline)

35. Clothing and Fashion Most of my clothing is gender-neutral. I generally don’t like dresses or skirts and find many of them impractical, too ornamental, and uncomfortable; likewise women’s dress shoes. I usually wear unisex sneakers or brown loafer shoes. Nothing feminine or fancy! Just make sure there are no florals and frilly bits

36. Clothing and Fashion Girl clothes fit better, but I always try to find androgynous ones. Guy clothes are generally more practical I like jeans and shirts because I don’t have to think about what to wear. Clothes styles don’t really interest me. I feel odd when I dress fashionably and I am not sure whether I am overdressed or underdressed.

37. Clothing and Fashion I am told that I began refusing frilly clothing and dresses by age one and a half. I am generally not interested in appearing particularly feminine or masculine because I don’t identify with either. I like dresses and girlie colours. I like to wear either baggy pants or skirts. I love to dress in my ballet outfit and I have a few fairy ‘outfits’.

38. Make Up and Perfumes I can’t stand the feel of foundation on my skin and eye makeup stings my eyes. I do wear lipstick a lot. Make up is greasy and disgusting. Olfactory sensitivity for perfumes. I have a major aversion to perfume on people. I don’t care about fashion or hair styles and I stopped wearing makeup once I got married.

39. Girls and Women Sexuality a way to be popular Clone themselves on a popular girl More aware than boys of their social performance “If we choose a caring profession, we do not appear to have social dysfunction Ruth Baker

40. Vulnerability to Relationship Predators “I set my expectations very low and as a result gravitated towards abusive people” Character judgments. Have pets for emotional support

41. Relationships I’m not really interested in pursuing a romantic relationship or being sexually attractive. The idea of being in close physical contact with someone is repulsive to me. Sensory sensitivity, especially tactile.

42. Relationships Expectations of affection and intimacy. Sometimes it is hard to be intimate. I’m not physically affectionate or conventionally nurturing. High level of AS husbands

43. Sexuality I’m straight, but inside I’ve always felt mentally androgynous. Although I look very female. I’m bisexual and think it fits neatly into my aspieness.

44. High Functioning Autism and Celibacy ‘Can I deal with sharing a house with someone who might possibly touch my model airplane collection?’ ‘Model airplanes do not decide that they want to be built by someone else who is more attractive or less needy’

45. Youtube: TheAnMish Maja Toudal from Denmark