Autism is characterized by a few distinctive symptoms, including impaired social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Though every person will exhibit these symptoms in varying degrees along a spectrum, boys are at higher risk for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) than girls. The exact reason behind this is unknown, but one theory states that girls are under diagnosed. Now, a new study reveals that this could be due to differences in parts of the brains of autistic girls and boys, which can cause them to exhibit symptoms differently.
Study Sheds Light On Autism
According to Kaustubh Superkar, the leader author behind the study, restricted and repetitive behavior is generally seen as the “red flag” that causes a child to be evaluated for the disorder. The symptom can manifest itself in several ways, but an example of this behavior can include a “strict adherence to routines” or a singular focus on a specific area of interest.
Because repetitive behavior is so indicative of autism, children with less prominent symptoms may be misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. Conversely, those with more pronounced behaviors might show up as “false positives.” Emily Willingham, in quoting a July 2015 piece by journalist, Angela Neustatter, points out that autistic girls have the tendency to “implode emotionally,” as opposed to boys who express their emotions physically. As a result, girls can frequently be mislabeled as “autistic” or worse, get treated for a disorder they do not have.
Superkar’s analysis, the findings of which were published in Molecular Autism on Sept. 3, was conducted in two parts, according to WebMD. Firstly, the symptoms found in a focus group of autistic children (comprised of 128 girls and 614 boys between the ages of 7 and 13) were examined. Following this analysis, the researchers then searched and compared MRI brain scans for children with and without autism.
The MRI scans, in particular, revealed differences in certain parts of the brain between autistic girls and boys. This disparity, however, was not seen in children without autism. Furthermore, both parts of the study revealed that girls tended to exhibit less repetitive behavior in general.
Researchers agree that the results might hold implications for the future treatment of autism. However, critics have argued that the analysis is only preliminary, as the sample size of the study was not large enough to translate the results into an effective treatment just yet.
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Differences Between Girls and Boys with Autism
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