ElizabethN makes a good point (and I'm irreverently laughing at the unholy triad thing). You can find a lot of online info about female ASD (my son's dx isn't officially Asperger's, bc that's not used any more, but his NP said "it fits a pattern that would previously have been called Asperger's)." I think the biggest difference is that kids with Asperger's did not have language delays in the previous DSM--not 100% sure about that.
You won't find anything in the DSM nor will most clinicians have any idea whatsoever about how this presents differently in females. I work with a therapist who specializes in play therapy for ASD kids who has never heard any of that info.
I don't know exactly what to think about sensory issues, because I don't feel confident there is a serious distinction between pure sensory and anxiety issues.
In our case, it would be an unholy triad between ADHD, anxiety, and social communication issues. The social stuff, though, isn't framed like that. What I've heard is stuff like: rude, disrespectful, insensitive, etc.
This isn't DSM either, but does your DD have trouble with being very literal? DS has a lot of trouble with interferences. This becomes more and more evident as other children make developmental leaps, and he does not.
Here is an example of how literal thinking can cause big trouble: DS was sent to the hall for an entire class period when his teacher asked him (after asking once before), if he was "ready now" to do his task. DS responded, "no." You can see how a teacher would consider that very uncooperative--gifted kid knows that question is rhetorical, right? Um, no. If you dissect your DD's social interactions, and notice that through this particular lens, you can explain most of her struggles--that's a clue.
Last edited by eco21268; 05/06/16 11:57 AM.
