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A Shift Towards Better Understanding and Improving the Lives of Girls and Women With ASD
It has been widely established that females are less frequently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than males. On average, prevalence of ASD is four times higher in males than in females (Baio et al., 2018). This ratio appears to be an inaccurate representation of prevalence by...
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Considerations in Diagnostic Assessment of Females for Autism Spectrum Disorder
The literature suggests that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may go undiagnosed in females who do not have intellectual and/or language impairment (e.g., Mandy et al, 2012). Research on differences in ASD symptom presentation in females versus males is not yet well-developed and findings across...
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Navigating Neurodiverse Relationships: Disclosure and Self-Advocacy
If you are an adult who has had a longstanding diagnosis of ASD or a newly diagnosed individual, then you probably grapple with these ongoing decisions: If and when to disclose your diagnosis to others The pros versus the cons of disclosure How to go about sharing this information with...
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The Camouflage of Autistic Women
Women are diagnosed with autism 2-3 times less often than men. However, studies indicate that the number of unreported cases of autistic women is much higher than previously thought. Read here why women are so rarely diagnosed and why their daily work can be an immense psychological...
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The Risks and Consequences of High or Low Functioning Autism Labels
People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience the world differently, not to a greater or lesser degree. The dynamic of one’s social abilities, expressive and receptive language development, intellectual skills, restrictive interests as well as repetitive behaviors all vary. Currently, the...
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New Biomarker Panel Could Accelerate Autism Diagnoses
About 17 percent of kids with autism identified with metabolic blood test Investigators at the UC Davis MIND Institute and NeuroPointDX, a division of Stemina Biomarker Discovery, have identified a group of blood metabolites that could help detect some children with autism spectrum disorder...
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Reducing Disparities in Early Identification of ASD
Early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) expedites access to appropriate intervention and leads to improved functional outcomes (Dawson et al., 2010). Yet, despite concerns of possible ASD often noted by 18 months, the median age of diagnosis in the United States continues to hover...
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Autism Saved My Life
For 36 of my 40 years, I was disabled. I was cut off from the world but for the tiny bubble that was my bedroom. Barely able to care for myself, angry, scared and lonely, I felt hopeless and broken. Suicidal thoughts were a daily reminder of my inadequacies and failures. I was certain there had...
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Supporting Students on the Autism Spectrum: Many Things Need to Change
It has been a long time since I was a student. In fact, it would be many years before most people would even have heard the word autism, and decades before I was finally diagnosed on the spectrum. As such, I never received any supports or accommodations. Fortunately, I managed to succeed...
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Assessing If a Diagnosis is Necessary: Clinical Utility of an Autism Diagnosis Across the Lifespan
Family members of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often have mixed feelings about labeling their loved ones with the term autism as this represents a life-long disability. They may be concerned about stigma, fearing that others will avoid, judge, or exclude their family member with...
