Girls and Autism

Often thought of as a predominantly 'male' disorder, autism has long gone unidentified, unnoticed and unsupported in girls - sometimes with devastating consequences for their social and mental well-being. As current research reveals a much more balanced male-to-female ratio in autism, this book provides crucial insight into autistic girls' experiences, helping professionals to recognize, understand, support and teach them effectively. Drawing on the latest research findings, chapters consider why girls have historically been overlooked by traditional diagnostic approaches, identifying behaviours that may be particular to girls, and exploring the 'camouflaging' that can make the diagnosis of autistic girls more difficult. Chapters emphasize both the challenges and advantages of autism and take a multidisciplinary approach to encompass contributions from autistic girls and women, their family members, teachers, psychologists and other professionals. The result is an invaluable source of first-hand insights, knowledge and strategies, which will enable those living or working with girls on the autism spectrum to provide more informed and effective support. Giving voice to the experiences, concerns, needs and hopes of girls on the autism spectrum, this much-needed text will provide parents, teachers and other professionals with essential information to help them support and teach autistic girls more effectively.

Barry Carpenter, CBE, OBE is professor of mental health in education at Oxford Brookes University, UK. Francesca Happé, FBA FMedSci is professor of cognitive neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Jo Egerton is a schools research consultant, running school-based research courses for teaching school alliances and academies.

Acknowledgements Contributors Preface Foreword PART 1: Introduction Chapter One: Where are all the autistic girls?: an introduction Chapter Two: What does research tell us about girls on the autism spectrum? PART 2: Girls and autism - the lived experience Chapter Three: The advantages of autism: a personal journey Chapter Four: Raising the voice of the lost girls Chapter Five: Introducing 'What we want the world to know' from the girls of Limpsfield Grange School Chapter Six: Black girls and autism Chapter Seven: Girls Group: respecting the female identity of girls with autism in a school setting PART 3: Girls, autism and education Chapter Eight: Leadership issues in the current educational climate Chapter Nine: Building a specialist curriculum for autistic girls Chapter Ten: Included or excluded?: school experiences of autistic girls Chapter Eleven: Girls who 'can't help won't': understanding the distinctive profile of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and developing approaches to support girls with PDA PART 4: Autism, adolescence and social networks Chapter Twelve: What do we know about the neuroscience of autism in girls and women? Chapter Thirteen: Mental health and girls on the autism spectrum Chapter Fourteen: Friendships on the autism spectrum Chapter Fifteen: Help us make our own way: talking to autistic women and girls about adolescence and sexuality PART 5: Autistic girls - looking to the future Chapter Sixteen: Girls for the future: transitions and employment Chapter Seventeen: Supported teachers supporting girls: a whole-school model of support for the education of young people with autism Chapter Eighteen: Run the world, girls: success as an adult autistic female Chapter Nineteen: Epilogue: a call for action Index