Why are more boys diagnosed than girls?
It is not clear yet whether there are less girls with Asperger’s or whether girls present differently from boys and “slip through the cracks” and go undiagnosed, but later suffer from anxiety and depression. Most girls with Asperger’s tend to be quiet and act up less than boys, so go unnoticed. Their special interests may be seen as more “normal” eg an interest in horses may be an obsession when a girl wants to sleep with a horse, ride the horse all the time, only read about horses etc to the exclusion of other interests. Also females are good at imitation and can learn enough social skills to get by. I am a female that went through life undiagnosed until age 37 when my son was diagnosed age 7. My special interests (cats and playing piano) weren’t seen as particularly odd, although I chose to practise piano for house instead of play with other children. I learnt to smile all the time, and instead of tantrums, I would internalise my pain. I was compliant at school. So I made a few frien
