Autism as a biomedical platform for sex differences research

BioSocieties

Volumn 9, Issue 3, 2014, Pages 262-283

  Gillis Buck, Eva M ^b   Richardson, Sarah S ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

^b HARVARD UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Asperger's Syndrome; autism; biomedical platform; gender; sex differences; translational research

Indexed keywords

EID: 84907318574     PISSN: 17458552     EISSN: 17458560     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1057/biosoc.2014.17     Document Type: Article

References (108)

1. American Psychological Association (2010) Worldwide study finds few gender differences in math abilities: Gender gaps linked to status of women, according to new analysis, http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/01/ gender-math.aspx, accessed 6 July 2012.
2. Anon (2008) Autism may be missed in girls. BBC News 16 September, http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7616555.stm, accessed 6 July 2012.
3. Anon (2010) The mathematical genius, part 4: Autistic savant solves complex calculations in the blink of an eye. New York: ABC News video, http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/mathematical-genius-12371179, accessed 6 July 2012.
4. Anon (2011) Autism in the News - 29 September. Autism Speaks, http://blog.autismspeaks.org/2011/09/29/aitn-092911/, accessed 6 July 2012.
5. Asperger, H. (1944) (Trans 1991) Autistic psychopathy in childhood. In: U. Frith (ed.) and trans.) Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 37-92.
6. Autism Speaks Science Grant Search (2012) http://www.autismspeaks.org/ about-us/grant-search, Accessed 6 July 2012.
7. Badcock, C. and Crespi, B. (2008) Battle of the sexes may set the brain. Nature 454(7208): 1054-1055.
8. Badian, N.A. (1999) Reading disability defined as a discrepancy between listening and reading comprehension: A longitudinal study of stability, gender differences, and prevalence. Journal of Learning Disabilities 32(2): 138-148.
9. Bagatell, N. (2010) From cure to community: Transforming notions of autism. Ethos 38(1): 33-55.
10. Barbeau, E.B., Mendrek, A. and Mottron, L. (2009) Are autistic traits autistic? British Journal of Psychology 100(1): 23-28.
11. Barbeau, E.B., Soulières, I., Dawson, M., Zeffiro, T.A. and Mottron, L. (2012) The level and nature of autistic intelligence III: Inspection time. Journal of abnormal psychology 122(1): 295.
12. Baron-Cohen, S. (2003a) The Essential Difference: The Truth About the Male and Female Brain. New York: Basic Books.
13. Baron-Cohen, S. (2003b) They just cant help it: There really are big differences between the male and female brain, says Simon Baron-Cohen. And they could help explain conditions such as autism. The Guardian, http://www.guardian. co.uk/education/2003/apr/17/research.highereducation, accessed 6 July 2012.
14. Baron-Cohen, S. (2003c) Sugar and spice. New Scientist 178(2396): 54.
15. Baron-Cohen, S. (2009) Autism test could hit maths skills. BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7736196.stm, accessed 6 July 2012.
16. Baron-Cohen, S., Knickmeyer, R.C. and Belmonte, M.K. (2005) Sex differences in the brain: Implications for explaining autism. Science 310(5749): 819-823.
17. Baxter, S. (2005) Hah! You know hes not a girl. The Sunday Times 30 January.
18. Broderick, A. and Neeman, A. (2008) Autism as metaphor: Narrative and counter-narrative. International Journal of Inclusive Education 12(5-6): 459-476.
19. Burger-Veltmeijer, A.E.J., Minnaert, A. and Van-Houten-Van den Bosch, E.J. (2011) The co-occurrence of intellectual giftedness and autism spectrum disorders: A literature review. Educational Research Review 6(1): 67-88.
20. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2009) Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, United States, 2006. MMWR Surveillance Summaries 58(SS-10): 1-20.
21. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2012) Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs): Data&statistics. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/ autism/data.html, accessed 6 July 2012.
22. Chatard, A., Guimond, S. and Selimbegovic, L. (2007) How good are you in math? The effect of gender stereotypes on students recollection of their school marks. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 43(6): 1017-1024.
23. Chen, J. (2006) Pro-androgenic polymorphisms and risk of autism, http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/grants/pro-androgenic-polymorphisms-and- risk-autism, accessed 6 July 2012.
24. Cheslack-Postava, K. and Jordan-Young, R.M. (2012) Autism spectrum disorders: toward a gendered embodiment model. Social Science &Medicine 74(11): 1667-1674.
25. Chiang, H.M. and Lin, Y.H. (2007) Mathematical ability of students with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism: A review of literature. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice 11(6): 547-556.
26. Clance, P. and Imes, S. (1978) The imposter phenomenon in high-achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice 15(3): 241-247.
27. Coleman, J.M. and Hong, Y.-Y. (2008) Beyond nature and nurture: The influence of lay gender theories on selfstereotyping. Self and Identity 7(1): 34-53.
28. Coutinho, M.J. and Oswald, D.P. (2005) State variation in gender disproportionality in special education findings and recommendations. Remedial and Special Education 26: 7-15.
29. Cowley, G. (2003) Girls, Boys and Autism. Newsweek 7 September, http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2003/09/07/girls-boys-and-autism.html, accessed 6 July 2012.
30. Crespi, B. and Badcock, C. (2008) Psychosis and autism as diametrical disorders of the social brain. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences 31(3): 241-320.
31. Davidson, J. (2010) It cuts both ways: A relational approach to access and accommodation for autism. Social science &medicine 70(2): 305-312.
32. Dawson, M., Soulières, I., Gernsbacher, M.A. and Mottron, L. (2007) The level and nature of autistic intelligence. Psychological Science 18(8): 657-662.
33. Dewey, M.A. and Everard, M.P. (1974) The near-normal autistic adolescent. Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia 4(4): 348-356.
34. Dweck, C.S. (2007) Is math a gift? Beliefs that put females at risk. In: S.J. Ceci and W.M. Williams (eds.)) Why Arent More Women in Science? Top Researchers Debate the Evidence. Washington DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 47-55.
35. Edelson, S. (2011) Research: Autistic Savants, http://www.autism.com/ index.php/understanding-savants, accessed 6 July 2012.
36. Ellis, H.D. (2005) Review of the essential difference: Men, women and the extreme male brain. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry 10(1): 73-75.
37. Eme, R.F. (1979) Sex differences in childhood psychopathology: A review. Psychological Bulletin 86(3): 574-595.
38. European Commission Directorate-General for Research (2009) She Figures 2009: Statistics and Indicators on Gender Equality in Science. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, http://ec.europa.eu/research/science- society/document-library/pdf-06/she-figures-2009-en.pdf, accessed 6 July 2012.
39. Eyal, G., Hart, B., Onculer, E., Oren, N. and Rossi, N. (2010) The Autism Matrix: The Social Origins of the Autism Epidemic. Cambridge, UK: Polity.
40. Fitzgerald, M. (2000) Is the cognitive style of the persons with the Aspergers syndrome also a mathematical style? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 30(2): 175-176.
41. Fitzgerald, M. (2002) Aspergers disorder and mathematicians of genius. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 32(1): 59-60.
42. Fombonne, E. (1999) The epidemiology of autism: A review. Psychological Medicine 29(4): 769-786.
43. Fombonne, E. (2005) The changing epidemiology of autism. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities 18(4): 281-294.
44. Gilmore, J. (2006) The role of prenatal and neonatal testosterone in early brain development. Retrieved from http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/ grants/role-prenatal-and-neonatal-testosterone-early-brain-development, accessed 6 July 2012.
45. Goldstein, G., Beers, S.R., Siegel, D.J. and Minshew, N.J. (2001) A comparison of WAIS-R profiles in adults with high-functioning autism or differing subtypes of learning disability. Applied Neuropsychology 8(3): 148-154.
46. Grandin, T. (1995) Thinking in Pictures: And Other Reports from My Life with Autism. New York: Doubleday.
47. Grinker, R.R. (2010) Commentary: On being autistic, and social. Ethos 38(1): 172-178.
48. Grossi, G. and Fine, C. (2012) The role of fetal testosterone in the development of the essential difference between the sexes: Some essential issues. In: R. Bluhm, A.J. Jacobson and H.L. Maibom (eds.)) Neuro- Feminism: Issues at the Intersection of Feminist Theory and Cognitive Neuroscience. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 73-104.
49. Guiso, L., Monte, F., Sapienza, P. and Zingales, L. (2008) Culture, gender, and math. Science 320(5880): 1164-1165.
50. Gur, R.C., Bockow, T. and Gur, R.E. (2010) Introduction: Gender and the nervous system. In: M.J. Legato (ed.)) Principles of Gender-Specific Medicine, 2nd edn. Burlington, MA: Academic Press, pp. 75-86.
51. Handen, B. (2007) Intellectual disability (mental retardation). In: E. Mash (ed.)) Assessment of Childhood Disorders. New York: Guilford Press, pp. 553-580.
52. Heaton, P. and Wallace, G.L. (2004) Annotation: The savant syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines 45(5): 899-911.
53. Hermelin, B. (2001) Bright Splinters of the Mind: A Personal Story of Research with Autistic Savants. London: Jessica Kingsley.
54. Hertz-Picciotto, I. (2012) The CHARGE study: childhood autism risks from genetics and the environment, http://projectreporter.nih.gov/project-info- description.cfm?icde=0&aid=7189289, accessed 6 July 2012.
55. Holleran, S.E., Whitehead, J., Schmader, T. and Mehl, M. (2011) Talking shop and shooting the breeze: A study of workplace conversation and job disengagement among STEM faculty. Social Psychological and Personality Science 2(1): 65-71.
56. Hyde, J.S., Lindberg, S.M., Linn, M.C., Ellis, A.B. and Williams, C.C. (2008) Gender similarities characterize math performance. Science 321(5888): 494-495.
57. Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) (2011) The 2011 Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee strategic plan for autism spectrum disorder research - 18 January 2011, http://iacc.hhs.gov/strategic-plan/2011/ index.shtml, accessed 6 July 2012.
58. Jones, C.R.G. et al (2009) Reading and arithmetic in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: Peaks and dips in attainment. Neuropsychology 23(6): 718-728.
59. Jordan-Young, R. (2010) Brain Storm: The Flaws in the Science of Sex Differences. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
60. Kane, J. and Mertz, J. (2011) Debunking myths about gender and mathematics performance. Notices of the American Mathematical Society 59(1): 10-21.
61. Kanner, L. and Lesser, L.I. (1958) Early infantile autism. Pediatric Clinics of North America 5(3): 711-730.
62. Keating, P. and Cambrosio, A. (2003) Biomedical Platforms: Realigning the Normal and the Pathological in Late-Twentieth-Century Medicine. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
63. Keller, F. (2006) Comparative Analysis of Cerebellar Neuropathology in Human Autistic Patients and in Cerebellar Mouse Mutants. Retrieved from http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/grants/comparativeanalysis- crebellar-neuropathology-human-autistic-patients-and-cerebellar-, accessed 6 July 2012.
64. Keller, F. (2008) Analysis of developmental interactions between Reelin haploinsufficiency, male sex, and mercury exposure. Retrieved from http://incaptest.autismspeaks.org/science/grants/analysis- developmentalinteractions- between-reelin-haploinsufficiency-male-sex-and-me, accessed 6 July 2012.
65. Keller, F. and Ruta, L. (2010) The male prevalence in autism spectrum disorders: Hypotheses on its neurobiological basis. In: G.J. Blatt (ed.)) The Neurochemical Basis of Autism. New York: Springer, pp. 13-28.
66. Kopp, S., Kelly, K.B. and Gillberg, C. (2010) Girls with social and/or attention deficits: a descriptive study of 100 clinic attenders. Journal of Attention Disorders 14: 167-181.
67. Krahn, T.M. and Fenton, A. (2012) The extreme male brain theory of autism and the potential adverse effects for boys and girls with autism. Bioethical Inquiry 9(1): 93-103.
68. Lee, L.A. (2010) Introduction: Gastroenterology. In: M.J. Legato (ed.)) Principles of Gender-Specific Medicine, 2nd edn. Burlington, MA: Academic Press, p. 304.
69. McGough, R. (2003) Is the autistic brain too masculine? Wall Street Journal. 16 July, p. B1.
70. Moerman, C., Deurenberg, R. and Haafkens, J. (2009) Locating sex-specific evidence on clinical questions in MEDLINE: A search filter for use on OvidSP. BMC Medical Research Methodology 9(1): 25.
71. Morsanyi, K., Primi, C., Handley, S.J., Chiesi, F. and Galli, S. (2012) Are systemizing and autistic traits related to talent and interest in mathematics and engineering? Testing some of the central claims of the empathizing - systemizing theory. British Journal of Psychology 103(4): 472-496.
72. Nash, A. and Grossi, G. (2007) Picking Barbies brain: Inherent sex differences in scientific ability? Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought 2(1): 5.
73. National Institutes of Health (NIH) (2012a) Estimates of funding for various research, condition, and disease categories. Retrieved from http://report.nih.gov/categorical-spending.aspx, accessed 6 July 2012.
74. National Institutes of Health (NIH) (2012b) Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools. Retrieved from http://report.nih.gov/, accessed 6 July 2012.
75. Nicholas, J.S., Charles, J.M., Carpenter, L.A., King, L.B., Jenner, W. and Spratt, E.G. (2008) Prevalence and characteristics of children with autism-spectrum disorders. Annals of Epidemiology 18(2): 130-136.
76. Oertelt-Prigione, S., Parol, R., Krohn, S., Preiner, R. and Regitz-Zagrosek, V. (2010) Analysis of sex and gender-specific research reveals a common increase in publications and marked differences between disciplines. BMC Medicine 8(1): 70.
77. Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMN), and the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) (2012) 2010 IACC Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Portfolio Analysis Report, http://iacc.hhs.gov/portfolio-analysis/2010/index.shtml, accessed 6 July 2012.
78. Oldershaw, A., Treasure, J., Hambrook, D., Tchanturia, K. and Schmidt, U. (2011) Is anorexia nervosa a version of autism spectrum disorders? European Eating Disorders Review 19(6): 462-474.
79. Pankevich, D.E., Wizemann, T., Altevogt, B.M. and Rapporteurs (2011) Sex Differences and Implications for Translational Neuroscience Research: Workshop Summary. Washington DC: The National Academies Press.
80. Pfaff, D.W. (2011) Man and Woman: An Inside Story. New York: Oxford University Press.
81. Pfaff, D.W., Rapin, I. and Goldman, S. (2011) Male predominance in autism: Neuroendocrine influences on arousal and social anxiety. Autism Research 4(3): 163-176.
82. Portman, D. (2012) Genetic control of sex differences in the nervous system. Retrieved from http://projectreporter.nih.gov/project-info-description. cfm?aid=8018203&icde=8569885, accessed 6 July 2012.
83. Reiter, A. (2003) Of math and makeup tips. Salon 25 August, http://www.salon.com/2003/08/25/baron-cohen/singleton/, accessed 6 July 2012.
84. Reynolds, C.R. and Fletcher-Janzen, E. (2007) Encyclopedia of Special Education: A Reference for the Education of Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Disabilities and Other Exceptional Individuals, 3rd edn. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
85. Rimland, B. (1964) Infantile Autism: The Syndrome and Its Implications for a Neural Theory of Behavior. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
86. Rissman, E. (2008) Epigenetics, hormones and sex differences in autism incidence, http://www.autismspeaks. org/science/grants/epigenetics-hormones-and- sex-differences-autism-incidence, accessed 6 July 2012.
87. Rissman, E. (2012) Sex chromosomes, epigenetics, and neurobehavioral disease, http://projectreporter.nih.gov/project-info-description.cfm?aid= 8067079&icde=8569885, accessed 6 July 2012.
88. Sample, R. (2012) Autism, the extreme male brain, and the common cause argument. In: J. Anderson and S. Cushing (eds.)) Autism and Philosophy. New York: Rowman and Littlefield.
89. Seeman, M.V. (2010) Gender differences in disorders that present to psychiatry. In: M.J. Legato (ed.)) Prinicples of Gender-Specific Medicine. New York: Academic Press, pp. 136-141.
90. Silverman, C. (2012) Understanding Autism: Parents, Doctors, and the History of a Disorder. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
91. Soulières, I., Dawson, M., Gernsbacher, M.A. and Mottron, L. (2012) The level and nature of autistic intelligence II: What about Asperger syndrome? PLoS One 6(9): e25372.
92. Steele, C.M. (1997) A threat in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. American Psychologist 52(6): 613-629.
93. Straus, J. (2013) Autism as culture. In: L.J. Davis (ed.)) The Disability Studies Reader. New York: Routledge, pp. 460-485.
94. Tammet, D. (2007) Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant. New York: Free Press.
95. Treffert, D.A. (2009) The savant syndrome: An extraordinary condition. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 364(1522): 1351-1357.
96. Treffert, D.A. and Tammet, D. (2010) Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant. London; Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley.
97. United States National Science Foundation (2012) Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2012.
98. Washington DC, http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/sed/digest/2012/theme1. cfm#5, accessed 6 July 2012.
99. de Vries, G. (2012) The neural basis of sexually dimorphic brain function, http://projectreporter.nih.gov/project-info-description.cfm?aid= 8054280&icde=8569885, accessed 6 July 2012.
100. Web of Science from Thomson Reuters (2012) http://apps.webofknowledge. com, accessed 6 July 2012.
101. Werling, D. (2012) Investigation of sex differences associated with autism candidate gene, CYFIP1, http://projectreporter.nih.gov/project-info- description.cfm?aid=8058160&icde=8583388, accessed 6 July 2012.
102. Weiss, L. (2012) A sex-specific dissection of autism genetics, http://projectreporter.nih.gov/project-info- description.cfm?aid= 7941049&icde=8583388, accessed 6 July 2012.
103. Whitby, P. and Mancil, G. (2009) Academic achievement profiles of children with high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome: A review of the literature. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities 44(4): 551-560.
104. Whitby, P.J.S., Travers, J.C. and Harnik, J. (2009) Academic Achievement and Strategy Instruction to Support the Learning of Children with High-Functioning Autism. Beyond Behavior 19: 3-9.
105. Whiteley, P., Todd, L. and Shattock, P. (2010) Gender ratios in Autism, Asperger syndrome and Autism spectrum disorder. Autism Insights 2: 17-24.
106. Wing, L. (1981a) Aspergers syndrome: A clinical account. Psychological Medicine 11(1): 115-129.
107. Wing, L. (1981b) Sex ratios in early childhood Autism and related conditions. Psychiatry Research 5(2): 129-137.
108. Wing, L. (2005) Reflections on opening Pandoras box. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 35(2): 197-203.