It's no secret that more males than females are diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Evidence shows that there are differing behaviors between autistic males and females. Some feel the diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders, the DSM IV has neglected to address this important issue. The theory of autism being a form of an "extreme male brain" may be at work as well—and not always to the advantage of us unique and varied autistic ladies!

When people question if autism is really different in females than it is in males, I find myself thrown back into a nice neat square box from which it seems there is no escape.

"Kevin Pelphrey, Ph.D. (Yale University, New Haven, Conn.)—A team of researchers from Yale, UCLA, Harvard, and the University of Washington will investigate the poorly understood nature of ASD in females. The project will study a larger sample of girls with autism than has been studied previously, and will focus on genes, brain function, and behavior throughout childhood and adolescence...

Elesia: Football, wow! Please share how you first became interested in the sport?