Gender plays a big role in the diagnosis of many neurological disorders.  ADHD in particular often goes misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed in females.  Females are not assessed as frequently as their male counterparts.  The symptoms of ADHD are also more easily identified in males, or children who are young for their age.  These groups are typically over assessed for ADHD.  Assessments also look for symptoms that are typically exhibited by males, and can overlook other ADHD tendencies.  Another factor that plays into the diagnosis of ADHD is socioeconomic level and disability prevalence in a specific school.  These criteria impact how a given school assesses ADHD.  Furthermore, “Females are assessed with 25% fewer ADHD symptoms than boys by parents, teachers assess females as having 70% fewer symptoms”(ADHD misdiagnosis: Causes and mitigators).  Females with ADHD show symptoms and tendencies that are not usually connected with ADHD.  Most of the symptoms that are checked for in ADHD assessments are those that mainly show up in males.  This is very much related to androcentrism because society makes sure that males with ADHD are getting the resources that they need, but females with ADHD that are undiagnosed, which makes up a fair portion of females with ADHD, do not have access to those same resources, and risk falling behind in school and socially.  To learn more about why ADHD is underdiagnosed in females, click here.  Teachers historically over assess ADHD symptoms in males and under assess them in females, which plays into the gender disparity in ADHD diagnoses. 

Another neurological disorder that is diagnosed disproportionately high in males is autism.  Females with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) are often misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or diagnosed later in life.  A similar problem arises with ASC as it did with ADHD.  This is that males show more stereotypical, repetitive behaviors and signs of ASC, so they are more easily diagnosed.  When people are assessed for ASC, they look for these stereotypical behaviors, which means that males are more likely to be diagnosed with ASC, because they normally show more of these repetitive behaviors that are typically associated with ASC.  Females, however, show different symptoms that don’t always align with these stereotypical ASC behaviors, so they often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.  This limits the availability of certain supports for them.  Support can include getting access to IEPs and 504s, which are educational plans that are designed to work better for those with different educational needs, including those with ASC.  Other supports can be access to therapy and additional treatments or resources.  These supports limit the difficulties and problems associated with ASC and help those with ASC with their language and cognitive skills.  They also reduce the stress that the disability can put on the family of someone with ASC.  Furthermore, the ratio of males to females in the general population diagnosed with autism is 4:1, which is quite high.  To learn more about why females often go misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, click here. (Investigating gender differences in the early markers of Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) in infants and toddlers)