ABSTRACT
According to statistics, only 1 in 4 people diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome (AS) are female. There is growing concern that girls are being overlooked and that the figure is nearer 1 in 2. Females with AS seem to be better able to mask the condition by observing and copying their peers and therefore appear to be more socially adept. Currently, the female pupil diagnosed with AS may appear to be more extreme because she fits into the male model of an individual with AS. A growing body of autobiographical literature written by women who were diagnosed later in life reveal that many suffer from depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, behavioural problems and show a lack of social skills especially in group situations, while able to sustain a close friendship with one other person at a time, and this person may change frequently.
