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That rare and unusual creature, the female
Aspie... We do exist, but we are somewhere between only 1 in 5 or 1 in 10 on the
autistic spectrum.
By popular demand, here's the science bit...
Females inherit one X chromosome from their mother and one X chromosome from
their father, so they have two X chromosomes and that is what makes them female.
Males inherit an X chromosome from their mother and a Y chromosome form their
father, so they have one X and one Y chromosome and that is what makes them
male.
Research done by a Professor Skuse (2000)
suggests that there are a cluster of genes on the X chromosome that are crucial
to the development of a part of the brain called the amygdala, which controls a
lot of stuff like recognising emotions in other peoples facial expressions etc.
which is abnormal in autistic people. In women, if one of the X chromosomes is
damaged there is still another one to fall back on which can provide the active
proteins required for the amygdala to develop normally, hence males are more
likely to be autistic than females because they do not have that back up.
Further evidence for this comes from a rare condition known as
Turner Syndrome, which is when a person is born with just one X
chromosome. They are still female because they don't have the Y chromosome that
males have, but crucially they don't have that second X chromosome. They are 200
times more likely to develop autism than females are normally... around 5% of
them do and around 30% have autistic traits.
However, that isn't the full story, because it looks like there is more to
autism than just having a wonky amygdala, and there are possibly more than one
set of genes responsible and maybe even more than just genetic factors involved.
Another theory is that of
Simon Baron-Cohen... the extreme
male brain theory. Basically, people seem to have a pre-disposition toward
either a brain that is good at systemizing (the S type) or empathising (the E
type). The majority of men seem to be the S type and the majority of women seem
to be the E type, but there are E type men and S type women also, so brain type
is not just about your biological gender. However, referring to the brain types
as Male and Female instead of S and E is being encouraged, even though it is
misleading, probably just because it sounds good.
In the case of autism, because people on the spectrum are usually strong
systemisers and weak empathisers (by his measure), within the context of this
theory it is referred to as 'Extreme Male Brain syndrome'. This would explain
why more males have it than females, if their brains are already pre-disposed to
be inclined away from empathising and toward systemising. Some evidence for this
comes from studies of
finger length ratio, connected to the release of testosterone at
a certain stage in the womb, the results of which suggest that people with
autism get exposed to more testosterone making their brains more 'male'.
I have strong objections to this theory though. I think it is dangerous to go
down the path of making skills and attributes gender specific... it just
reinforces old gender stereotypes. People should be treated as individuals. This
Male / Female brain stuff is just playing with statistics, and I am yet to be
convinced that the differences being measured are entirely the result of nature
(people being born that way) and not nurture (people becoming that way because
of their culture, societal expectations and upbringing).
The BBC are currently running a
documentary series and an
online test about the differences between
male and female brains. I took the test and my brain score was 0% - neither male
or female but exactly in-between. My finger ratio was 1:1 so to it would seem
that my supposed 'male' skills and attributes are at least in my case not the
result of testosterone in the womb. As far as I am concerned, I am female
therefore my brain is a female brain, and it doesn't surprise me to find out it
can do all the same things men's brains can. Maybe I am one of the exceptions to
the rule, but for me it's not a proper rule if it has exceptions to it.
Out of all the male and female Aspies I have spoken to I haven't seen any
evidence of extreme male brainedness anyway... if anything there is more of a sense of androgyny than there is
of any gender extreme. Maybe people with Asperger syndrome are more likely to
just be themselves than to conform to some invented notion of gender
appropriateness. Only if you accept that empathy is almost the exclusive domain
of neurotypical females does it make any sense to say autistic people are more
'male', and I don't accept that... I think this definition of empathy is narrow
and culturally biased, and I think test results are skewed by the fact that more
males than females get diagnosed so when studied as a group the autistic
community obviously has more of what they would call male characteristics
because it has more males in it.
That's the science bit over anyway. There are less females diagnosed with
Asperger syndrome than males, and they don't really know why yet, though they
have a lot of theories.
It may be possible though that the ratio of males to females is not quite as
extreme as it appears, and that less females are being diagnosed for some more
practical reason. So, what
things might stand in the way of females getting a diagnosis?
For a start, society does treat females different from males.
I think it is too simplistic to say that society at large tolerates autistic
traits in females more than males and therefore doesn't recognise any problem. I
think it more likely that girls are under more pressure to conform than boys. I
know lots of men would dispute that, but I am not trying to say they are not
under a lot of pressure, just that maybe girls are under even more.
One of the main things used to identify
Asperger syndrome is lack of participation in social activities. This idea is
based on the presumption that participation is voluntary and that an individual
chooses that which suits them best. This is not the case with women and girls.
You often have to be part of a social group because you will rarely be left alone if you
are not, and if you are even the lowest status member of a social group, it can hide
a multitude of social difficulties.
Denial can also be a factor. It was not my life's ambition to be diagnosed
with a neurological condition that would explain all my problems. All I wanted
was a normal life and for things not to be so difficult. I never went looking
for Asperger syndrome, I just stumbled across it. I used to feel really guilty
about finding things so difficult... it was like a secret shame, a huge burden
that I dragged around with me everywhere I went, terrified that people would see
through me and find out. I used to tell fibs... little white lies, to try and
reassure people that everything was fine and I was just like everybody else. There could be lots of girls and women who are
too afraid to admit, maybe even to themselves, that they have problems and
difficulties that other people just don't have. Like I was, they may be feeling
ashamed, guilty and inadequate... disguising their problems as best as they can.
Men with Asperger syndrome face social
pressure too, but it is of a different kind. On some basic level society values
it's females more than its males, just from a biological sort of breeding
perspective I suppose. Neurotypical culture has evolved to keep it's females
included in the life of the tribe. While men with Asperger syndrome can be
mocked, ridiculed or abused for their differences, they are still allowed to be
different. People seem to find that easier to
accept... it is a stereotype they are familiar with. I certainly think that a
lot more is demanded of and expected of women starting right from childhood. If
we are not being seen to be making an effort I think we are judged more harshly
for it.
It also might be easier for aspie women to
become involved in relationships than aspie men. Generally speaking a man's
social status seems far more important to prospective partners than a females
social status does to prospective partners. Being in a relationship is
considered to be one of those 'normal' and 'healthy' things that suggest you
can't possibly have social or communication difficulties if you have managed
it... a rather naive view. A lot of men prefer to be able to feel superior to
their women and would relish the social and possibly even practical dependence
an aspie female could have toward them. It is just another reason for people not
to suspect anything is wrong and not to take your problems seriously. I wonder
how many Aspie women out there are believed to just have a bad attitude by their
partners and families.
Given all these considerations it is not difficult to see how when going for
a diagnosis, females could be at a disadvantage. The diagnostic criteria
naturally have to be focused on the observable consequences of being AS rather
than what it actually feels like inside your head. If being female alleviates or
disguises some of the observable consequences then it would make it harder to
get diagnosed, even though the way your brain works and how things feel for you
could be just the same, and on the inside you may be struggling just as much.
One day they may find a more scientific and accurate way to look at how
peoples brains work to establish what sort of difficulties they may have, and
when that day comes maybe it will result in more females getting diagnosed. In
the meantime only increased awareness of females on the autistic spectrum will
help us not to be simply disregarded as freakish anomalies, not abundant enough to be
worthy of consideration. We do exist.
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