Gender and Autism Spectrum Disorders - Essay Example

 Gender and Autism Spectrum Disorders Theories on the differences in those with autism are varied and often controversial. However, there is a great deal of evidence to support the concept that there are differences that are core to the separation of gender. Despite a great deal of effort in modern society to insist that men and women are equal, this is not the same as saying they are identical and some of those differences can be observed in the way that male and female victims of autism experience their syndrome. Exploring the way that females with autism experience their condition allows for a better understanding of how the minds of women and men may be different. Statistics are showing that two to six children out of every 1000 will have autism. The statistics show that more males suffer from autism than do females. Males will have autism four times more often than will females. According to Baron-Cohen (2004), the female mind is hardwired for empathy, while the male mind is hardwired for understanding and building systems (1). While this is a simplistic account of how the genders view the world, it does begin a core of assumptions that can lead to some answers as to why the genders experience autism at widely different rates and in differing ways. It must be discussed that there is some evidence that autism is genetically linked within a family. In a family that has an autistic child, there is a two to six percent chance that they will have a second child with autism which is 100 times greater than the average risk (Barnbaum 2009: 170). There is no current detection of a genetic marker for autism, however. Therefore, the only evidence on the genetic level of the connection of family to the incidence of birth rates are the statistics that bare this out. Therefore, the conclusion that it is genetic and not environmental Gender and 3 or linked to some other common cause is thin. With the greater incidence of male autism over female autism there is some debate about the concept of sex selection in families who have one autistic child. This would mean that a family with one autistic child would select to have a female second child because the incidence of autism is greatly reduced in female children. According to Barnbaum (2008), there are moral issues attached to the selection of one sex over another that can lead to greater social issues (173). Bias that is contained in the selection of sex can reach into the social and cultural point of view of the sexes and affect the growth of society. In choosing one sex over another, an intended bias is conferred to the sex that is chosen, increasing the population of that one sex and stimulating an unrest within society. However, when the selection of sex is based on an individualized basis, it may be deemed necessary to protect the future of a child who has a sibling with autism. An understanding of autism must first be discussed before the differences between the genders is contemplated. According to the theory of mind that was developed by Simon Baron-Cohen, the ability to “infer the full range of mental states (beliefs, desires, intentions, imagination, emotions) that cause action” is not present within the autistic mind (Fitzgerald, 2004: 42). The person with autism cannot fully understand what the motivations and foundations for activity is within their own or other’s minds. It is a state of disconnection from the world and while the degree of the syndrome varies, the result is an isolation that requires that the individual begin to interpret the world by their own standards rather than cultural and social standards. Temple Grandin, a well known and accomplished female with autism is quoted as saying “Much of the time…I feel like an anthropologist on Mars” (Fitzgerald 2004: 43). She has built up Gender and 4 coping mechanisms that are like references to behavior in other people without a clear connection. This would be similar to the affect of a person visiting for the purpose of study a tribal culture with widely dissimilar social behaviors that an anthropologist might observe and record for future reference, but never fully understand or be able to become immersed within because of the wide gap in understanding between their own culture and the studied culture. A discussion of autism differences in male and females becomes quickly controversial as the differences between the female and male predilections toward cultural understanding and adaptation begins to become at issue. It can be observed that females tend to be more easily socialized and are far more easily emotionally in touch with society. Males have to work at creating empathy while females tend to be naturally attuned to empathetic comprehension of the world. (Fitzgerald 2004: Baron-Cohen 2004). Men largely do not think of the world through empathetic understandings that allow for interpreting actions through their emotional context. According to Bauminger and Kasari (2000), the central debate on the underlying foundation of autistic spectrum syndromes is whether the affliction is a disorder of the cognitive processes or a disorder of basic underlying affective or emotional processes (447). Despite the underlying foundation, the result of the syndrome is a lonely existence without the ability to connect successfully to those around them. When asserting the cognitive point of reference as a causality, an argument exists that a person with autism does not have the capacity to form the concept of loneliness. However, from the affective theory, the biological aspects of autism are more predominant and would suggest that an autistic individual would not be able to connect to the concepts of loneliness, but would experience through the biological need for connection. If men and women have differing understandings of their emotional world and the context Gender and 5 of the way in which others feel in comparison to the way in which ones own self feels, then it stands to reason that that disconnection would be more profound in males. It has been suggested that the syndrome of autism is one in which the male mind has become the extreme of its basic nature (Fitzgerald 2004: 42). Therefore, the conclusions drawn about the way in which men and women view the world is inferred upon the condition. However, since concepts of gender are both biologically predetermined and culturally rendered, the conclusions drawn about the differences between male and female autism suffer from some bias about the very nature of gender. The general conclusion on male autism versus female autism is that while there are more males with autism than females, there is more incidence of higher functioning autism in males than there is in females (Schopler 1998: 87). This, however, may not be the case. There is some evidence to suggest that perhaps the higher incidence of autism, particularly high functioning autism, in males is because it goes undiagnosed in females (Fitzgerald 2004: 55). Because of the nature of culturally developed social skills, it is possible that many females are not diagnosed with autism spectrum syndromes because their socialization has been such to hide their condition (Bogdashina 2005: 37). Another theory that suggests that autism goes undiagnosed in females is that it is disguised as other syndromes. Anorexia nervosa may be a symptomatic condition of a form of autism that a female with which a high functioning autistic becomes afflicted (Klein 2007: 587). Anxiety disorders have the unique function of acting as a coping mechanism. The concept that females may develop these disorders as a way of dealing with the disconnection from the emotional plane may explain the higher incidence of autism and higher functioning autism in Gender and 6 males. Savant skills are a fascinating aspect of autism spectrum syndromes due to the high level of competency that is shown in one specific area. Most often, this competency is shown in a calendar calculation are, an artistic skill, or a musical talent (Hill and Frith 2003: 282). The extreme focus of skill is such that even while having median to lower levels of intelligence, the advanced level of these skills develop beyond that of most recognized authorities in the field. According to Hill and Frith, the incidence of savant skills occurs in about 10% of all diagnosed autism. According to Casanova (2005), males with savant skills outnumber females with savant skills at a ratio of 6:1 (41). In explaining the differences in the male to female ratio of savant skills, an explanation for autism spectrum syndromes might be found. There are studies that have concluded that during pregnancy a flood of testosterone during the development of the left hemisphere of the brain might be the cause of the development of savant skills (Casanova 2005: 41). This might also explain why autism appears to be an extreme of the male brain. While this is not conclusive, this theory has some merit in explaining some of the observable and statistical differences in female and male incidences of autism. The appearance of savant skills equate a spectacular aspect to autistic spectrum syndromes. However, it does an injustice to the individual to value them solely for their autistic skill (Osteen 2007: 236). As well, this decreased incidence in females with the condition creates a perception that the male mind has some added value not found in the female mind. However, while fewer incidents are reported of female savants, there are exceptions that have made notable contributions to society. Gender and 7 According to the biography of Liane Holliday Willey (1999), Asperger’s syndrome is typified by impairments in socialization, communication and imagination. They have narrow interests, an insistence on repetitive routines, speech and language peculiarities, non-verbal communication difficulties, and motor function impairments (13). Asperger’s syndrome appears more frequently in boys than girls, but once again there is a developing pervasive theory that girls are not being properly diagnosed. One of the aspects of this disparity may be that females seem to develop higher levels of coping skills in regard to the issues that are prevalent in the syndrome than do males (Attwood & Grandin 2009: 2). Because of the stigma attached to a diagnosis, it becomes more acceptable for a parent to allow for peculiarities than to attach a syndrome that might limit a child’s future. Since females tend to find coping mechanisms that allow them to have a cursory blend into society, the diagnosis is often missed (Attwood & Grandin 2009: 2). Shyness can become one coping mechanism. A passive nature that withholds from social interaction may be a way of coping with the condition. As well, according to Attwood and Grandin (2009), Asperger’s brings out either a maternal or aggressive response from others. Therefore, girls will find that they are taken care of by their peers more often than rejected, thus never bringing forward the issues that would lead to a diagnosis (3). Women with Asperger’s syndrome have minds that are most often more analytical, rational, and emotionally less responsive ( Attwood and Grandin 2009: 12). There is an associated masculinity that also cloaks the diagnostic possibilities through the perception that these traits are not only a bit quirky, but possibly more desirable. The female with Asperger’s may not understand the female needs to be nurturing and emotionally open. Obviously, the Gender and 8 reasons for this would be that those emotions are not available to the individual with the syndrome. However, this emotional unavailability may not be readily seen as a symptom of anything more than a personality quirk. Temple Grandin is an example of a woman with Asperger’s syndrome that has had great achievements in her life. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Franklin Pierce College, her master’s in animal science form the University of Arizona, and her doctorate in animal science from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. She was diagnosed at an early age and her education, while not easy for her, was designed with her condition in mind. One of the discoveries that helped her to continue her education was in associating the way that she learns to a new way of thinking about the transference of information. Grandin thinks in pictures and this is how she learns. If she sees it, she can comprehend it to a deep level. However, verbal communication does not have the same impact within her mind (Grandin 1995). Grandin’s accomplishments include being a renowned authority on livestock movement systems, writing and contributing to numerous books, and being and advocate for autistic spectrum syndromes. She has designed over one third of all livestock movement systems in the world. She invented a device called a ‘hug machine’ which gave hypersensitive people with autism or one of its related syndromes a force of pressure around their body that would relieve stress when they became overwhelmed (Grandin and Johnson 2005: 116). Soft squeezing releases the natural opiods in the brain, simulating the effect of hugging without the overwhelming social pressure that takes that option away from so many with autism. One thing that should be clear from the information that has been gathered for this report is that, while their appears to be a difference in the number of children born with autism Gender and 9 spectrum syndromes, this may not be the case. From personal experience having engaged in the care of autistic children, it becomes more clear that the issue of gender is more a social construct than a biological imperative within the minds of these children. While the description of autism may have an aspect of the ultimate male mind, the concept is more that the mental field is leveled with social ideas of gender stripped away. High functioning individuals with an autistic related syndrome have the social context of stigma’s that label them as not fitting into the social world. This is an accuracy that determines that a great deal more females may be coping with a related syndrome than are diagnosed. These girls end up living on the outskirts of society, looking through a window at a world of which they will never successfully integrate, but might find a way to run parallel beside. As in the cases of Liane Holliday Willey and Temple Grandin, the observations that they made on the world gave them ways in which to cope with it, while, as Grandin stated, they were more observers of the world than participants (Fitzgerald 2004: 43). Because of the difficulties associated with diagnosing females with autistic spectrum syndromes, further study of the issue is desperately required. Tests that allow girls the opportunity to participate in programs designed to attend to their special learning needs will allow for greater success. However, the social construction of most modern cultures creates a great deal of opportunity for hiding and coping with the issues that surround the symptoms of the syndromes. As the biological aspects of autism can be more distinctly determined, tests that bypass the social coping mechanisms may help in determining needs that are not currently being met. While there appear to be differences between the male and female autistic experiences, the truth has yet to be fully determined. Gender and 10 References Attwood, T., & Grandin, T. (2006). Asperger's and girls: world-renowned experts join those with Asperger's Syndrome to resolve issues that girls and women face every day! Arlington, Tex, Future Horizons, Inc. Barnes, C. The social model of disability: A sociological phenomenon ignored by sociologists. Found in Shakespeare, T. (1998). The disability reader: social science perspectives. London, Continuum. Baron-Cohen, S. (2004). The essential difference: Male and female brains and the truth about autism. New York: Basic Books. Barnbaum, D. R. (2008). The ethics of autism: among them, but not of them. Bloomington, Indiana University Press. Bauminger, N., and Kasari, C. (2000). Loneliness and friendship in high-functioning children with autism. Child Development. Vol. 71, No2, pp 447-456. Bogdashina, O. (2005). Theory of mind and the triad of perspectives on autism and Asperger syndrome: a view from the bridge. Philadelphia, PA, Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Casanova, M. F. (2005). Recent developments in autism research. New York, Nova Biomedical Books. Fitzgerald, M. (2004). Autism and creativity: is there a link between autism in men and exceptional ability? East Sussex, Routledge. Grandin, T. (1995). Thinking in pictures: and other reports from my life with autism. New York, Vintage Books. Grandin, T. & Johnson, C. (2005). Animals in translation: using the mysteries of autism to decode animal behavior. New York: Scribner. Hill, E. L. and Frith, U. (2003).Understanding autism: Insights from mind and brain. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences. Vol. 358, No. 1430, 281-289. Klein, S.S. (2007). Handbook for achieving gender equity through education. East Sussex, Routledge. MedTV. (2010). Autism Statistics. Retrieved from Osteen, M. (2007). Autism and representation. East Sussex, Routledge. Schopler, E. (1998). Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism? New York [u.a.], Plenum Press. Willey, L. H. (1999). Pretending to be normal: living with Asperger's syndrome. London, Jessica Kingsley. Read More