Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Autism?CausesSymptomsDiagnosisTreatmentIs Autism Different in Girls?Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked Questions

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Table of Contents

What Is Autism?

Causes

Symptoms

Diagnosis

Treatment

Is Autism Different in Girls?

Frequently Asked Questions

Close

Autism is a lifelong developmental condition that affects how people with the disorder behave and interact with the world. An autistic person will often experience social, behavioral, and communication challenges.

Autism is an umbrella term sometimes used to refer to other developmental disabilities, which is why the condition is also known asautism spectrum disorders(ASD).

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.This causes the condition to be often overlooked in girls. The condition can develop as early as in the first year of your life and last the course of a person’s lifetime.

Causes of Autism

The exact cause of autism is still unknown. However, researchers have made groundbreaking strides in understanding the disorder.

Some of that research suggests that a combination of environmental and genetic factors could be responsible for the development of the condition. Certain risk factors also make some people more susceptible to developing the condition. They include:

Symptoms of Autism

Everyone experiences autism differently. Symptoms of the condition don’t always look the same in two people. In that regard, boys and girls also exhibit varying symptoms of the disorder.

Autism consists of a wide range of social, communication, and behavioral symptoms. Here’s a breakdown of some of them.

Social and Communication Challenges

Examples of some social and communication challenges an autistic person might exhibit include:

Behavioral Challenges

An autistic person will often exhibit repetitive and restrictive behaviors. Some common examples include:

Other symptoms that fall into the above categories an autistic person might exhibit include:

What to Know About Raising Neurodivergent Kids

How Is Autism Diagnosed?

There’s no particular test used to diagnose autism. For an accurate diagnosis of autism, your doctor will take a deep dive into your medical and family history. They’ll ask a series of questions to understand the symptoms you’ve been exhibiting and determine if they fit into the diagnostic criteria for autism.

TheDiagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)provides specific criteria for diagnosing autism spectrum disorders. It includes:

It’s crucial for autism to be diagnosed as early as possible for efficient treatment. The earlier a diagnosis is made, the sooner a person with the condition can get the treatment they need and experience an improvement in their symptoms.

Autism Treatment

As soon as an accurate diagnosis of autism is made, your doctor will start you or your child on aneffective treatment plan. Unfortunately, there’s currently no cure for the condition. However, treatment plans focus on reducing the severity of an autistic person’s symptoms and helping them live a functional life. Treatment typically consists of a combination of medication andpsychotherapy.

Medication

In treating autism, a doctor will typically prescribe different medications to treat various symptoms. One of the peskiest symptoms of autism is severe irritability. For this, the FDA has approved Risperdal (risperidone) and Abilify (aripiprazole).Other medications sometimes prescribed for the treatment of autism include:

Psychotherapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most common form of psychotherapy used to treat autism. CBT focuses on equipping autistic people with tools to improve how they communicate and express themselves. It also helps autistic people live fuller functioning lives.

Autism affects girls in the same way it affects boys. However, they exhibit signs of the condition in different ways. This often leads to the condition being underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed in girls.

Another key difference between autism in girls and boys is that there may be some increased social motivation and drive in autistic girls.

“While girls with autism may have deficits in social functioning, they may be less likely to socially isolate and may be more motivated to attempt to adapt their behavior in social situations,” says Bozeman. “However, there still must be actual deficits in social functioning given these attempts to qualify for the diagnosis.”

In a 2022 study on the gender differences in the brains of people with autism, researchers found that the brains of boys and girls are organized differently. The researchers also emphasized the need for the development of gender-specific diagnostic criteria and treatments for autism in girls and women.This study helps to understand why there’s a difference in autism symptoms in boys and girls.

Frequently Asked QuestionsThere’s currently no cure for autism. However, there are several treatments and therapies that have been proven to be effective in managing symptoms of the condition and helping an autistic person live a more functional life.Treatment for autismlooks different from one autistic person to another. Your doctor will be the one to make the call on what is the most effective treatment for you.While genetics play some part in the inheritance of autism, it’s not quite as straightforward as an autistic person being able to give their children or grandchildren autism. Researchers recognize that autism tends to run in families but remain unsure of the inheritance pattern.Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. However, studies reveal a gender bias in diagnosing autism in girls. Girls typically exhibit symptoms of autism in vastly different ways from boys. This causes the condition to go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in girls. A 2017 study found that, unlike previously thought, boys are about three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls and that girls are at a disproportionate risk of not getting an accurate diagnosis.

There’s currently no cure for autism. However, there are several treatments and therapies that have been proven to be effective in managing symptoms of the condition and helping an autistic person live a more functional life.Treatment for autismlooks different from one autistic person to another. Your doctor will be the one to make the call on what is the most effective treatment for you.

While genetics play some part in the inheritance of autism, it’s not quite as straightforward as an autistic person being able to give their children or grandchildren autism. Researchers recognize that autism tends to run in families but remain unsure of the inheritance pattern.

Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. However, studies reveal a gender bias in diagnosing autism in girls. Girls typically exhibit symptoms of autism in vastly different ways from boys. This causes the condition to go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in girls. A 2017 study found that, unlike previously thought, boys are about three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls and that girls are at a disproportionate risk of not getting an accurate diagnosis.

10 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC.Autism and developmental disabilities monitoring.National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.Autism.National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).Autism spectrum disorder.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs & symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (Asd).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorder (Asd).DeFilippis M, Wagner KD.Treatment of autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents.Psychopharmacology Bulletin. 2016;46(2):18-41.LeClerc S, Easley D.Pharmacological therapies for autism spectrum disorder: a review. P T. 2015;40(6):389-397.Supekar K, Angeles C de los, Ryali S, Cao K, Ma T, Menon V.Deep learning identifies robust gender differences in functional brain organization and their dissociable links to clinical symptoms in autism.The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2022;220(4):202-209.National Library of Medicine.Autism spectrum disorder.Loomes R, Hull L, Mandy WPL.What is the male-to-female ratio in autism spectrum disorder? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2017;56(6):466-474.

10 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC.Autism and developmental disabilities monitoring.National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.Autism.National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).Autism spectrum disorder.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs & symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (Asd).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorder (Asd).DeFilippis M, Wagner KD.Treatment of autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents.Psychopharmacology Bulletin. 2016;46(2):18-41.LeClerc S, Easley D.Pharmacological therapies for autism spectrum disorder: a review. P T. 2015;40(6):389-397.Supekar K, Angeles C de los, Ryali S, Cao K, Ma T, Menon V.Deep learning identifies robust gender differences in functional brain organization and their dissociable links to clinical symptoms in autism.The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2022;220(4):202-209.National Library of Medicine.Autism spectrum disorder.Loomes R, Hull L, Mandy WPL.What is the male-to-female ratio in autism spectrum disorder? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2017;56(6):466-474.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC.Autism and developmental disabilities monitoring.National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.Autism.National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).Autism spectrum disorder.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs & symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (Asd).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorder (Asd).DeFilippis M, Wagner KD.Treatment of autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents.Psychopharmacology Bulletin. 2016;46(2):18-41.LeClerc S, Easley D.Pharmacological therapies for autism spectrum disorder: a review. P T. 2015;40(6):389-397.Supekar K, Angeles C de los, Ryali S, Cao K, Ma T, Menon V.Deep learning identifies robust gender differences in functional brain organization and their dissociable links to clinical symptoms in autism.The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2022;220(4):202-209.National Library of Medicine.Autism spectrum disorder.Loomes R, Hull L, Mandy WPL.What is the male-to-female ratio in autism spectrum disorder? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2017;56(6):466-474.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC.Autism and developmental disabilities monitoring.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.Autism.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).Autism spectrum disorder.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs & symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (Asd).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorder (Asd).

DeFilippis M, Wagner KD.Treatment of autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents.Psychopharmacology Bulletin. 2016;46(2):18-41.

LeClerc S, Easley D.Pharmacological therapies for autism spectrum disorder: a review. P T. 2015;40(6):389-397.

Supekar K, Angeles C de los, Ryali S, Cao K, Ma T, Menon V.Deep learning identifies robust gender differences in functional brain organization and their dissociable links to clinical symptoms in autism.The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2022;220(4):202-209.

National Library of Medicine.Autism spectrum disorder.

Loomes R, Hull L, Mandy WPL.What is the male-to-female ratio in autism spectrum disorder? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2017;56(6):466-474.

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