The widely cited figure as of 5 or so years ago was that about 1 in 43 boys were autistic, vs. about 1/4 that rate in girls. More recently I think there was a realization that the real rates were about equal between genders, but the symptoms were different, so girls were massively underdiagnosed. That would explain more diagnoses of girls and women now.
The problems is that autism is a syndrome, meaning it is purely defined by symptoms. I am pretty sure the redefining of ASD in the DSM 5 had a far greater impact.
I mean…it wasn’t that long ago that only boys were diagnosed with autism.
iirc both Asperger and Kanner had girls diagnosed in their first studies.
FTA: There’s no rise in autism cases themselves. Instead, autism in girls and women had been underreported before COVID, and is now catching up.
Good! Maybe they’ll actually get help instead of my childhood of being dismissed and ignored and told to stop being weird and shit!
Link to the article instead of the press release: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2851930
One of us, one of us, one of us!
