Why Autism Is Often Missed in Women and Girls | Kate Kahle | TED
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 6 апр 2023
- Women and girls with autism spectrum disorder often don't display the behaviors people typically associate with neurodivergence, greatly impacting when, how -- and if -- they are diagnosed. Autism acceptance advocate Kate Kahle makes the case for more research into this gender discrepancy, sharing her personal experience with masking, being diagnosed as a teenager and how it allowed her to better understand herself. "Autism is not a disease, and it doesn't need to be cured," she says. "It's just a different way some brains can work."
If you love watching TED Talks like this one, become a TED Member to support our mission of spreading ideas: ted.com/membership
Follow TED!
Twitter: / tedtalks
Instagram: / ted
Facebook: / ted
LinkedIn: / ted-conferences
TikTok: / tedtoks
The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world's leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design - plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.
Watch more: go.ted.com/katekahle
• Why Autism Is Often Mi...
TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (or the CC BY - NC - ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: www.ted.com/about/our-organiz.... For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at media-requests.ted.com
#TED #TEDTalks #autism
I was diagnosed at 21 and I still feel like I could have avoided alot of trauma if my parents just took me to a doctor. I am still mad about it but happy that I now have a chance to unlearn all the hate i was taught to carry for myself
I fell the same way, though I’m undiagnosed. I told my mom about getting it and she blew me off. I really do believe i have it, i trie to mask it and have been doing well, but i struggle a lot. I also struggle with social interactions and all that, so it’s frustrated when people say I’m “shy” or something. It just really irritate me how no one doing/saying anything.
Many autistic girls I know Mask to avoid being bullied.
this needs to be said again and again
Yes but masking is hard and painful after so many years of doing it.
I also love how therapists classify masking as a negative coping, like what do you want me to do? Be bullied to death? I cant change how people see my autism....
most autistic girls, I've met tend to be friendly and down to earth, a trait that I definitely desire, I would date a girl on the spectrum
"It is just a different way that some brains can work". The more I learn about autism the more I question if I am autistic. I love the message of spreading acceptance and support rather than fear and "finding a cure". More of this kind of thinking please :)
I'm 46 years old and never been diagnosed with autism but I struggle with any social interactions and either can't make eye contact or overdo it. I've been masking it my whole life but it's very lonely because I have no friends.
Your comment made me sad :( Just know that there are so many others that feel the way you do. Although times may be lonely, you are not alone.
I’m so sorry, you are not alone…Jesus is with you always. You are loved ❤
I'm sorry!! I would say that I would be your friend, but that would be creepy! I do love people, and I try to be a friend to everyone I meet, especially the "different" ones. God bless you!!!
Thank you. That was very helpful. We have a son diagnosed with ASD. I (father) am also autistic but have excellent masking abilities and suffer with anxiety and depression. We now suspect our daughter might be autistic as well, given our understanding and insight over the last few years. Really appreciate what you had to share :)
I bet your maskings not as good as you think
@@cassanateli Why do you say that?
That's rude. You don't know this man.@@cassanateli
@@cassanatelirude, loud and wrong
What courage you have! I was diagnosed at 57 despite knowing for decades. It helped me tremendously. I so appreciate what you’ve doing to spread the truth about neurodiversity. Thank you.
My twin daughters were diagnosed with autism and ADHD a few years ago (at the age of 8) - After diving in and learning more about ASD, I came under the realization that myself (now age 44) has had it my whole life. I always thought I was just the weird kid in school, struggled with friends, and struggled with "masking" as well. So crazy to learn having it at such an age, but I am very happy that my daughters can grow up knowing why they are different instead of just being told "youre just weird"
Fantastic presentation. Thank you for this! You did wonderfully, and I greatly appreciate the information.
This was great. I recently learned that I am on the spectrum and talking to my mom, learned that she also is and hadn't told me or anyone in the family. Showed her the presentation and she was very in line with what was said. It was very informative and well structured. Thank you for that.
If you can tell...Which specialist diagnosed you?
Kate is a very sweet young woman. I can see in her eyes that she has been through rough obstacles to get where she is now.
Very informative presentation. My daughter is on the spectrum and this helped me understand aspects of autism better.
Beautifully done! Thanks so much for educating and re-educating many of us about Autism in girls and its being misdiagnosed. You're amazing! Please never forget that! Keep shining my dear!!!
Thank you for covering this *elusive* topic! ♡
Thank you very much for the information 😊
Lovely presentation Kate, bravo!🌹👏
Very informative and well presented , thank you 🙏🏻🌹✨🙏🏻
Great presentation. A lot of new information for me. Thnx!
When I was in middle and high school, we had formed a "circle of friends" around a severe autistic boy. This boy had such a passion for trains and everything to do with them. As an adult, he had learned to conduct and operate them safely and passionately.
Wow ... thank you for sharing, great presentation
"Autism is not a disease, and it can't be 'cured.' " THIS is what I want the older generations to hear!
❤Thanks! My 8yo daughter has just been diagnosed with ASD
Has any middle aged women gotten diagnosed earlier in their lives? I had no idea what autism was when I was younger nor did my parents. Me, my mom, grandpa, brother and son are autistic. I am almost 47 years old. My brother is 45 and he was non verbal yet never got diagnosed as a child or even thought of as different by his doctors as different 🤔
I’ve purchased books with scripts to help me with small talk which is my pet peeve. Have watched videos on how to communicate better 😂. Have had many special interests since childhood and yep, trains are one of them. I have anxiety and depression (currently medicated) and not officially diagnosed but w]quite certain I’m autistic, highly functioning. Have recently purchased book on emotions as I struggle with my emotions at times.
I rehearse expected conversations in my head, anticipating responses so I would have something 'normal' to rely with.. keep on keeping on,, 🙂
My daughter HATES small talk. I've taught her that it's okay to mask sometimes (at church, school, work), but when you're around friends and family...NO! As a Black person in a racist society, I've had to learn how to mask sometimes, too. However, NO ONE should have to mask all the time. When my daughter says she is tired of "people-ing", we head home. LOL!
🇧🇷 Que essas palavras alcance o mundo 👏👏
Thanks for this speech
Thank you!
I'm a woman going through the process of being diagnosed with autism at 41. I always thought I was prone to depression (being treated for depression many times during the years) and apparently, being autistic and not understanding why everything seemed to be easier for everyone else is more than enough to cause depression.
Thank you
Beautiful ideas
The irony is because of my life experiences, I grew up thinking only girls could get autism until meeting a boy with autism in third grade. I was shocked to learn it was mostly boys diagnosed (I didn't believe it until I was shown proof and still primarily instinctively think of autism as more something girls get). Reason being, everyone I personally knew with autism, including myself, was a girl. There's me, my best friend, my best friend's one cousin (also a close friend of ours), and two of my older sisters.
My first autistic special interest was bugs as well! I wonder if it has to do with masking, because it's easier to have a special interest that looks like playing in the dirt.
Its perfect for avoiding awkward social interaction... I mean, not many others openly into bugs in k-12.... And those who are, are probably like you enough, for you to tolerate the extra efforts you likely exert in that social situation.
“I am the girl who spends hours huddled in a corner of a library, trying to find what you love the most about Marlowe, just so I can write you a poem worthy of Shakespeare. I've made books my lovers, hours my enemies and you the only story.”
―
❤ thank you
Very educational😎🏁
Is it possible to relate to some of these points and not be autistic? I don't think I am autistic but then hearing how she describes some masking strategies makes me reconsider.
Yes, especially as there is an overlap in symptoms with other conditions under the Neurodivergent umbrella.
It's also common in family members, while I'm Autistic my sister who is not has quite a few pronounced sensory and food texture issues.
Yeah definitely. None of these symptoms are things that ONLY autistic people experience, but seeing enough of them present frequently in all aspects of your life gives a professional assessing someone from the outside evidence that inside, you're working with a different type of brain.
I admire you for teaching me about autism because my son has autism and I worry if he would be confident to socialize with girls since he's a teenager and mostly keeps to himself
The ethical principles of non-maleficence and beneficence are particularly relevant here. Healthcare professionals have a duty to prevent harm and promote the well-being of their patients, and failing to identify autism in women and girls can cause significant harm by denying them access to the resources they need. Additionally, the principle of justice is relevant, as it highlights the importance of equitable access to healthcare services. Women and girls with autism deserve equal access to accurate diagnoses and appropriate care, regardless of their gender.
To address these ethical concerns, healthcare professionals must be trained to recognize the different ways that autism can present in women and girls. This requires a broader understanding of autism that accounts for the diverse ways that it can manifest, as well as an awareness of the biases that may influence diagnosis. Further research into autism in women and girls is also necessary to identify and address gaps in knowledge and improve diagnostic accuracy.
In conclusion, Kate Kahle's TED Talk highlights the ethical implications of the underdiagnosis of autism in women and girls. Healthcare professionals have a responsibility to ensure equitable access to accurate diagnoses and appropriate care, and addressing the gender gap in autism diagnosis is crucial to promoting the well-being of individuals with autism. By recognizing the challenges faced by women and girls with autism and working to overcome them, we can promote the ethical principles of non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice in healthcare.
Thank you.
😎🌈
I have Autism!
I love Katie
Very true
Over the recent years a well-established trend in the medical community has come to light regarding women being diagnosed with autism at a later age than their male counterparts. This issue ends up with women who suffer from autism not being able to receive the support and resources needed to manage their conditions effectively. A delay in the diagnoses of women violates the principle of justice. The principal of justice states that all individuals should receive equal treatment regardless of their gender, race, or ethnicity. When patients are neglected or overlooked via a missed diagnosis, they are not able to receive the same level of care and support than their counterparts. This inequality should be well received in the medical community that this is inacceptable, and changes must be put in place so that this problem is addressed. More so, delaying a diagnosis of autism in women would also go against the principle of autonomy, a person’s right to make decision regarding their own life and to have control over one’s own body. A missed diagnoses of autism at an earlier stage result in women being denied the opportunity to exercise this principle of autonomy and make informed decision about their health and well-being. Thus, often leading to lack of access and resources needed to support a better quality of life for these individuals. Yet another principle that should be noted that’s violated in this inequity is the principle of non-maleficence. This principle requires people who work in healthcare to avoid causing harm their patients in any way. When women with autism are denied this principal, they are at risk of suffering from unnecessary difficulties. Women may face challenges in their personal life’s and work life’s that could have well been avoided if an earlier diagnosis was appropriately concluded. Lastly the principal of beneficence is also violated when it comes to missed diagnoses in women with autism. The principal of beneficence demands that healthcare professionals act in such a way that is to be in the best interest of their patients, striving to promote the upmost well-being of these individuals they are treating. Thus, this missed diagnoses results in healthcare failing to fulfill their sworn duty to promote the upmost wellbeing of each and every one of their patients. Overall, the delay in diagnosis of autism in women is an ethical issue that must be addressed. Healthcare as a whole needs to work more towards identifying strategies and factors that may contribute towards this biased tend. In doing so, we as healthcare professionals can better ensure that women are receiving the medical care and support, they need to manage their conditions effectively and promote a more fulfilling and rewarding life for our patients.
I have a question that I've been looking for the answer for years with no avail. No one of my present and past psychologists and psychiatrists or anyone for that matter could answer this question. Ever since I was 9-10 years old, I felt like an alien or a foreigner in my own country. I have started watching American TV shows and movies, listening to only American music, thinking in English (yes, I do mean thinking in English), reading and writing in English. In time, it only grew stronger. I actually feel like an American. Why am I like that? What is the reason of it or am I simply a freak?
💔PLEASE, DO NOT WRITE ANY NEGATIVE AND INSULTING COMMENTS 🙏🏻😥
In the US we have folks called "Francophile" - people obsessed with all things French, the food, the language, the culture - everything, and they often travel to France or live in France. I think maybe you just prefer to be in America. Come on out! We will welcome you.
For me i got a diagnoses at age 10 as a girl, people my mum said it all seemed noticeable but in the way how it is for a boy!
Very often Childhood PTSD is misdiagnosed as autism. Look into childhood brain development and dysregulation..
Most often Autistic children have more severe reactions to trauma (especially in childhood) that neurotypical children wouldn’t have perceived AS traumatic as the autistic kid. I’m autistic and had a severe childhood but it was exacerbated to be as severe as it was to me because of the way I genetically functioned in dual-action with my environment - plainly, trauma makes everything worse for everyone. But the ones who suffer severely most frequently and at a more intense rate are on the autism spectrum.
Good points. Most people who go through trauma don't develop ptsd. @@malpal1213
It's no small thing you're doing, here on your path through the Fabulous landscape. For it's also a path of transformation inside you.
You've decided that you want a healthier path forward. You're treating the reticent voices inside you with kindness and compassion. You’re taking things one step at a time so it's not a shock to your system.
This is your journey. You’re becoming your own advocate, your own ally, someone who truly steps into the fullness of your life.
Cool😊😊
Listening to this I am pretty sure I have some form of Autism. 😐
🌻
👍👍
While there are a lot of interesting topics raised in this talk I would like to make a rebuttal to the use of Asperger Syndrome as a name, as an Autistic person myself;
Can we stop this repression of the term Asperger Syndrome? While I agree that the person it is named after has a questionable past, it is also the name of the form of Autism that a lot of individuals grew up with, trying to phase this out and making it a "bad name" takes away a part of their identity. Most individuals that where diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome don't think of Hans Asperger but of themselves and their struggles and how they form a part of their own identity. A lot of individuals that have Autism already struggle with Identity and feeling like they don't belong, both to the NT world and the ND world. Let's not alienate them even further just because of the person that named it.
imo, it's ok to self identify as aspergers, but NOT ok to call someone else that, for the reasons you said.
I agree that just because the guy its named after turned disgrace, a term should not get changed... But in this case, I really do agree to the need to stop trying to differentiate one form of ASD with other forms, from a purely scientific research standpoint. I thinks its slowed progress in our understanding.
Of course those with common traits may find solice, some may find frustration, ones particular diagnosis should not affect such matters.
@@markdavis1338 I agree that for research purposes the term ASD is sufficient and AS doesn't need to be separated, however, there is a big push for the term to no longer be used at all, this is the part I disagree with for the points mentioned above.
I mean the entire point was that Hans would deside who would be sent to their deaths based on how “autistic” they were. He also didn’t believe girls could have it
And like just because you grew up calling it that doesn’t make it ok,
The DSM-5 calls all Autism....Autism.
❤
imagine having problems with formulating sentences and anxiety while leaving a comment on youtube
Actually, the ability to write/edit/rewrite alleviates many mental hoops needed to jump through in navigating social interaction.
"Modern psychology" in the age of neurology is like studying alchemy instead of chemistry. Relying on family anecdotes for 'diagnostic data' is at the least problematic, but no one talks about.
it's a data point. the job of the therapist/psychiatrist/psychologist is to understand what's going on with the patient. if family history helps, that's great. if fMRI helps, that's also great. but unfortunately even with gene sequencing, population-wide genomics studies, in-vivo brain electrode studies, decades of serious and productive efforts later ... yeah, we're still at fucking alchemy stage. because it's complex and delicate. particle physics is complex too, but you can put a proton into a collider, and just have a go with another at it. but this approach doesn't really work with brains and minds.
there are of course big and serious problems with any kind of healthcare and research. the biggest is usually funding related, then the lack of data oriented approaches. so in that regard using family history is much better than using divination and the usual witch trial methods.
Its the best we have. Some matters of research are inherently more delicate and mysterious than others.
@@pas. "...if family history helps...?"
The problem is, the 'professionals' cant know how helpful the info is, they incorrectly presume candor from a 'loving family' ... That why someone who's been abused may get an ASD diagnosis. Family *may* be hiding mistakes or worse.
But lets continue making alchemists the authorities on neurological matters, because its too difficult to find a better authority elsewhere.
@@Rithmy that fact hasn't stopped the collective field of psychology from being so effing arrogant.
be like newton do both just incase
I hate my life.
gah bless whyt-ness for starting the serious pov for us poc 😗✌
My brother has autism, he dosent know , but from the symptoms he definitely has it and has had it since childhood, he's now 45 , it was never picked up because he was an ethnic in a all white school, whilst the other kids were picked up his wasn't why ? I can only speculate
why she speaks so so so so so fast
00:01 Why Autism Is Often Missed (Great Information) 10:00 in Women and Girls (Great Marketing) 🤔🤐
Women are *not* held to higher standards than men, just different standards.
Men are thrust at a very young age into a world of violence. How many girls are trained from childhood to never cry, and moreover to absorb blows to the face uncomplaining? They're just not. The violence from men that so many women encounter in adulthood is directly due to violence being normalized against men while they're still children. Men are more violent than women because we are trained that way as kids.
Talk about "masking"... women and girls are allowed to cry. When a man cries, there are consequences. He will definitely lose respect and social status. He may be physically assaulted for showing weakness. And this is the norm, this is how "Neurotypical" society behaves, before we even consider neurodivergence. Wonder why autistic boys get in so many fights? Because they are taught to use violence as kids, but they don't understand the social rules, and then get beaten up either for punching or not punching inappropriately. For boys, failure to be sufficiently violent results in being the victim of violence.
I mean its not only a blessing or only a curse. Women are not allowed to cry, they are expected to cry. Just as men are not expected to cry. What this does is what you described. Everyone that differs from that expectation is labeled as something that explains the difference. That is actually a normal process. The problem comes with using unfitting words for such labels. labeling a man as weak just for crying is neither good at explaining the situation nor good for society or the individual. Labeling that man as expressive may do the fit. At least i see it as neutral descriptive.
Poor baby. Run to mummy, quick. (No I didn't get past your first two "poor victim me" sentences).
@@user-fed-yum You're kinda proving their point by mocking them for weakness.
It’s not a contest. Two bad things can exist at once and we can work on both issues. We don’t have to focus only on one thing. You have no idea how many women go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. They also deserve the correct care. The same with minorities.
@@calestaiezu214
Actually we can't. Or i should say:_ sometimes we can.
Our capacities and attention is limited. Even as society it is limited. Discussion such as these are a way to adjust our capacities.
That does not mean that i want one over the other. I mean to say that in general, we can't work on every problem. We must be carefull about what to take on. For example we could reduce wasting our lifetimes in useless jobs that have no value to society att all. If we did that we would have so much more capacities.
Don't really agree on your gender based assertions. It seems weird to generalize like that.
check out even just the popular stuff like girls alone and boys alone. if you look at the long list of gender expectations, you can see where these assertions are coming from tbh. much fun 😬
That's how the data was collected. I'm sorry statistical differences in gender offend you.
facts don`t care about your feelings. grow up.
Unfortunately a lot of your facts are wrong and way out of date. It a shame because you are such a lovely credible speaker.
like?
Source?
@@Phyco_Smash What?
@@user-fed-yum which facts?
@@Phyco_Smash exactly!
I think it has something to do with vaccines
Would