Expert: James Michael Roan - 1/9/2010

Question
I am a teacher and have taught kids with a variety of special needs.  In 9 years of teaching, I have yet to find a girl with autism.  I have a 7 year old daughter.  Through what I have seen in some of my male students, I have found her to have some of the same symptoms associated with autism since she was 2 or 3. She hates socks and all kinds of material including jeans.  Getting dressed is a daily struggle.  She must follow a set routine at bedtime.  She must sleep with a blanket over her head.  If its not this set routine, anxiety, fits, crying, and sleep problems are inevitable.  She has gotten so upset that she throws up.  She wakes up at all hours of the night. Each day is a struggle.  There isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't cry or throw a tantrum about.  We have taken her to a pschyologist where she was diagnosed with OCD. She doesn't always show signs of this disorder.  She goes through spells of weeks with few problems.  On the other hand, we experience weeks to months of problems like I mentioned above.  All of these issues are what we deal with at home.  At school when we speak to her teacher we get nothing but excellent reports about her learning about behavior.  Is this possible to have an autistic child who has such conflicting reports between school and home?  Is this truly OCD or something else?

In social settings are girls not identified as often as being autistic?  I know statistically that there are more boys than girls with this disorder.  Is it just easier for girls to conform to acceptable behavior in public?  What should we do next?  Her behavior is ruining our relationships in our family and we are at our wit's end trying to deal with all of her quirks.  Can you recommend some reading that will help my find some strategies that will work with her?  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hi Amanda;

Please understand that I do not, at any time, attempt to diagnose or rule out a diagnosis or condition over the Internet.

Girls are harder to identify than boys generally because they are more social than boys. You need to find a health care provider experienced with autism in girls. Any book by Dr. Tony Attwood is highly recommended.

Kind regards,
James

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Bio

James Roan is a certified school psychologist who has been consulting in the areas of autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and learning difficulties in the United States and in Ireland for over ten years (http://www.jamesroan.com). James earned his M.Ed. in School Psychology and M. Ed. in Adult Education and receives ongoing post graduate training in autism at the University of Washington’s Autism Center. James Roan has traveled to Galway, Limerick, Mayo, Clare, Dublin, Cork, Waterford, and other cities and counties across Ireland assessing children and adults, and consulting with solicitors (lawyers) in defense of children with disabilities. James Roan was the consulting assessment professional responsible for many of the autism and AD/HD screening tools and other content for Access Special Needs.Com. James Roan consulted with the graduate department of the Waterford Institute of Technology in Waterford Ireland in the development of their graduate program for the certification of private autism tutors. James has conducted formal assessments of students in the Autism Unit in the Claddagh National School in County Galway Ireland.