Fatima Halloum
A Wyndham doctor is trying to raise awareness about the need for early intervention in girls with autism.
While autism is more prevalent in boys, research suggests that girls are often better at masking symptoms.
Because they are typically perceived to be more social, Dr Raj Khillan believes girls displaying autistic traits are often misdiagnosed or missed completely.
“With girls they see autistic behaviour and they think, ‘she must just be impulsive’ or ‘she must just be anxious’ or nervous.”
A late diagnosis prevents parents and healthcare professionals from treating the child in a timely manner and can affect their academic, mental or social development, Dr Khillan said.
“Once we detect the diagnosis early, we start interventions that can change the whole future of a child.
“Even if we start the intervention during their teenage years, the child has already struggled a lot in life, their relationship with friends and peers is already distorted and the family relationship is already affected.”
Other causes for delayed diagnosis include lack of knowledge and social stigmas and taboos.
“If the child is not talking, not behaving well and throwing tantrums or has restricted eating habits, parents think ‘this is just normal child behaviour that all kids do’,” Dr Khillan said.
Autism is a development disorder and can affect a person’s ability to communicate, interact, and have social interactions.
It is estimated that 1one in 100 people have Autism in Australia, but Dr Khillan believes more people need to be made aware.
“We know very little about autism and that’s why we try to create awareness not just for the general public but also for healthcare professionals because they’re the first point of contact for parents.”
