Addressing Provider Awareness of Gender Differences in the Presentation of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Purpose. Through continued research in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it is being discovered but not readily accepted that females present differently than their male counterparts. ASD has been known to be a male, childhood disorder that is diagnosed per the criteria highlighted in the DSM-V-TR. This quality improvement project focused on increasing the knowledge base of mental health providers regarding gender differences in the presentation of autism spectrum disorder via an educational presentation regarding camouflaging of ASD traits in females.Background. ASD has been evolving for the past 100 years and has recently been understood as a spectrum condition. Throughout the spectrum, there are vast presentations with no two individuals with ASD being completely alike. Females are readily misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed with ASD due to their ability to camouflage or mask the traits that are known to be key indicators of ASD. Without an ability to decipher camouflaging, providers are at a disadvantage in recognizing ASD in females; however, implicit bias on the acceptance of different presentations also continues to cause hindrance in diagnosis. Methods. Twenty-seven mental health providers with various clinical roles and years in practice were invited to join an educational presentation; eight participants joined. All eight participants completed a pre-implementation survey before the presentations and a post-implementation survey after the completion of the presentation. Data was collected via the responses to the survey and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results. Outcome measures indicated an increase in knowledge regarding the gender presentation of ASD in the providers who attended the educational presentation. This project found that showing how camouflaging presents in females was a key aspect in increasing the providers’ knowledge. Conclusions. The educational presentation was effective in increasing the knowledge base of the participating mental health providers and aided in creating dialogue in the practice regarding better assessment of existing and future patients.