In recent months, the media has been filled with news of the differences between diagnosis of autism in men and women. It’s been exacerbated and highlighted in the press by celebrity women like Susan Boyle and Daryl Hannah talking publicly for their first time about diagnosis and living with Asperger’s.
Autism Daily Newscast and ASDigest were lucky enough to catch a moment with author Tania Marshall who is in the midst of her PhD over in Australia about her new book, I am Aspien girl.
A full interview is available here.
Tania became involved in the world of female autism initially when she was volunteered at a day centre and was in contact with women who had been diagnosed with Schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. She said:
“If we had known about Asperger Syndrome back then, many well have met the criteria for Autism.”
The book takes a look at the unique difficulties posed by being a woman with Apserger’s from diagnosis and the difficulties in spotting symptoms, to approaching puberty and perceptions of an Aspie girl.
Tania said:
“My inspiration for the book came from the emotional narratives spoken by the clients I have been supporting. For many years, I had listened to similar accounts, life experiences and misunderstandings that I felt that there was a great need for understanding the female characteristics
I believe there are an untold number of females from every country that are un-diagnosed and/or misdiagnosed. Unfortunately, this leads to ineffective intervention and support. I think there are a couple of issues. One is the lack of understanding about the young female profile versus males and second, I think that we are in a deep crisis where it comes to the number of trained professionals versus the number of individuals seeking help. Professionals need specific training in Assessment, diagnosis and intervention of Autism and Asperger’s in Females.”
The book is available for pre-order on the books website, but will soon be available in download and hard copy on Amazon.