This petition was submitted during the 2017-2019 parliament
Rejected petition Adapt the current Autism diagnostic test to include more females
There is a lack of understanding of the signs of Autism in females which has led to the under diagnosis of the condition. The diagnostic criteria is male oriented diagnostic and therefore inappropriate and needs changing so girls with autism are recognised and therefore supported.
More details
The National Autistic Society state "There are a number of theories that might explain why more men and boys than women and girls get an autism diagnosis. [One theory is] that there is a ‘female autism phenotype’, which doesn’t fit with the profile usually associated with men and boys on which assessment tools are usually based – leading to under diagnosis in women and girls. Diagnostic tests for women and girls should be modified accordingly."
This petition was rejected
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s about something that the UK Government or Parliament is not directly responsible for.
We can't accept your petition because the UK Government and Parliament aren't responsible for setting diagnostic criteria. This is a decision for the professionals involved.
You could start a new petition calling for the UK Government to fund research into why more men and boys are diagnosed with autism if that is something you would like to see happen.
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.