Psychiatrists struggle to diagnose girls' autism
Simon Vevers
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Girls with mild autism are less likely to be identified and diagnosed than boys because they show "fewer stereotyped and repetitive behaviours", according to new research.
The study, presented at a meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Liverpool, showed that high-functioning girls with ASD are more likely to have obsessional interests centred around people and relationships. These interests are more likely to be acceptable to parents and therefore tend not to be reported to doctors.
Almost 600 children took part in the study – 493 boys and 100 girls. The majority (457) had been seen at the Social and Communication Disorders Clinic at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Additional cases came from the Child Psychiatry Clinic at Sunderland Royal Hospital and the Child Psychiatry Clinic, Tampere University Hospital, Finland.
• Meanwhile another study presented to the meeting revealed that
only 35 per cent of primary school teachers have had any training in understanding or managing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) even though they play a role in diagnosing it.
The research revealed that most teachers had very little understanding of the genetic origins of ADHD, with only about 7 per cent agreeing that it was a genetic disorder.
The majority of teachers surveyed at six Plymouth primary schools were also found to have limited understanding about the use of stimulant medication to treat the condition, and whether or not ADHD is being over-diagnosed.