Standard autism assessments may not accurately measure the severity of the disorder in girls, suggests a study in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Researchers studied 228 boys and girls, matched for IQ and age, who had similar diagnoses of autism. They found that parents of girls were more likely than parents of boys to report that their children struggled with day-to-day tasks, such as getting dressed or making small talk. The results suggest that girls who meet the same clinical criteria as boys may have more severe deficits but are able to camouflage them during brief autism assessments, pointing to a need for assessments that are equally accurate for girls and boys. (Monitor on Psychology)

Susie Bean Gives