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Special Challenges and Creative Solutions When Providing Services to Females with Autism
The majority of individuals with autism are male, and females with autism are often overlooked in discussions of needs and program planning. Special challenges exist in serving individuals with autism who are female. In addition, females may be vulnerable in ways that are often not acknowledged or...
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Perspective and Advice from a Young Woman in College with ASD
Why is it sometimes difficult to identify females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? Have they taught themselves to behave differently in social situations? Have they mastered the act of a social fake? Or have they simply figured out how to seek refuge and escape? In working with students with...
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The Self in Girls and Women with Autism Spectrum Disorder
“Know thyself” - Socrates A central focus in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research and clinical practice are core challenges in social reciprocity and social interaction - the interpersonal. The self in ASD - the intrapersonal - has been paid relatively little attention. This article...
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What Happened to All the Females with Autism Spectrum Disorders?
The concept of an autistic disorder is generally accepted to have originated with Leo Kanner and his classic 1943 account of ‘Autistic Disorders of Affective Contact’ (Kanner, 1943). He described 11 children with what would now be regarded as severe autism. Three of these 11 were girls, and as...
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Empowering Young Women with ASD to be Successful in the Workplace
Like their neurotypical peers, young women with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) truly desire to be independent. To seek her potential and independence, most young women with ASD need to work for money, even if it is for 15 hours a week. Women transitioning from school to adulthood need to stretch,...
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The Unique Interpersonal Demands for Women with ASD: Implications for Gender-Specific Supports for Adults
Over the past several years, there has been increased interest in gender differences within autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and how these differences impact initial diagnosis as well as treatment across the lifespan. According to recent research conducted by Kreiser and White (2014), females...
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Becoming an Autism Employment Entrepreneur
Last fall, after a 30-year career in corporate marketing, I joined the ranks of a handful of other parents and social service agencies in a new movement referred to as autism employment entrepreneurship. I founded Yes She Can Inc. as a nonprofit dedicated to developing job skills and employment...
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Twin Study Suggests Girls are Protected From Autism Risk
A comparison of autism-like behaviors in nearly 10,000 pairs of fraternal twins suggests that girls are somehow protected from the disorder1. The findings, published 19 February in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may partly explain why autism is four times more common in boys...
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A Girl’s Eye View: Understanding and Supporting Families and their Daughters with Autism Spectrum Disorders
About a year ago, when doing research for my recently published book Girls Growing Up on the Autism Spectrum (Jessica Kingsley Publishers), I stumbled upon a Yahoo! group, “Autism in Girls” (Autism_in_Girls-subscribe @yahoogroups.com). With approximately 1500 members, and a core group of active...
