Behavioural and cognitive sex/gender differences in autism spectrum condition and typically developing males and females

Autism

Volumn 21, Issue 6, 2017, Pages 706-727

  Hull, Laura ^a   Mandy, William ^a   Petrides, K V ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

autism spectrum conditions; diagnosis; gender differences; sex differences

Indexed keywords

ASPERGER SYNDROME; AUTISM; AUTISM DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEW REVISED; AUTISM TRAIT; BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE; BEHAVIOURAL DIFFERENCE; CHILD COMMUNICATION CHECKLIST; COGNITION; DISEASE ASSOCIATION; FRIENDSHIP; GENDER; HUMAN; INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT; INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION; KAUFMAN ASSESSMENT BATTERY FOR CHILDREN; MEMORY; PHENOTYPIC VARIATION; PLAY BEHAVIOUR; PRIORITY JOURNAL; REVIEW; RITVO AUTISM AND ASPERGER’S DIAGNOSTIC SCALE REVISED; SCORING SYSTEM; SELF CONCEPT; SEX DIFFERENCE; SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; SOCIAL IMPAIRMENT; SOCIAL RESPONSIVENESS SCALE; FEMALE; HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; INTELLIGENCE; MALE; META ANALYSIS; PSYCHOLOGY; SEX FACTOR;

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER; COGNITION; FEMALE; HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; HUMANS; INTELLIGENCE; MALE; SEX FACTORS; SOCIAL BEHAVIOR;

EID: 85026451988     PISSN: 13623613     EISSN: 14617005     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/1362361316669087     Document Type: Review

References (58)

1. Baron-Cohen S, (2002) The extreme male brain theory of autism. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 6(6): 248–254.
2. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, (2004) The empathy quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 34(2): 163–175.
3. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, (2005) The Friendship Questionnaire: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism, and normal sex differences. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 33(5): 509–517.
4. Baron-Cohen S, Cassidy S, Auyeung B. (2014) Attenuation of typical sex differences in 800 adults with autism vs. 3,900 controls. PLoS ONE 9(7): e102251.
5. Baron-Cohen S, Jolliffe T, Mortimore C. (1997) Another advanced test of theory of mind: evidence from very high functioning adults with autism or Asperger syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 38(7): 813–822.
6. Baron-Cohen S, Leslie AM, Frith U, (1985) Does the autistic child have a ‘theory of mind‘? Cognition 21(1): 37–46.
7. Baron-Cohen S, Richler J, Bisarya D. (2003) The systemizing quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism, and normal sex differences. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences 3548: 361–374. Retrieved from http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/royptb/358/1430/361.full.pdf
8. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Skinner R. (2001) The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ): evidence from Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism, males and females, scientists and mathematicians. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 31(1): 5–17.
9. Bejerot S, Eriksson JM, (2014) Sexuality and gender role in autism spectrum disorder: a case control study. PLoS ONE 9(1): e87961.
10. Bölte S, Duketis E, Poustka F. (2011) Sex differences in cognitive domains and their clinical correlates in higher-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice 15(4): 497–511.
11. Brugha TS, McManus S, Bankart J. (2011) Epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders in adults in the community in England. Archives of General Psychiatry 68(5): 459–466. Available at: http://people.uncw.edu/imperialm/UNCW/PLS_506/yoa05097_459_466[1].pdf
12. Croen LA, Grether JK, Selvin S, (2002) Descriptive epidemiology of autism in a California population: who is at risk? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 32(3): 217–224.
13. Dean M, Kasari C, Shih W. (2014) The peer relationships of girls with ASD at school: comparison to boys and girls with and without ASD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines 55(11): 1218–1225.
14. Dworzynski K, Ronald A, Bolton P. (2012) How different are girls and boys above and below the diagnostic threshold for autism spectrum disorders? Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 51(8): 788–797.
15. Farley MA, McMahon WM, Fombonne E. (2009) Twenty-year outcome for individuals with autism and average or near-average cognitive abilities. Autism Research 2(2): 109–118.
16. Fombonne E, (2009) Epidemiology of pervasive developmental disorders. Pediatric Research 65(6): 591–598.
17. Glidden D, Bouman WP, Jones BA, (2016) Gender dysphoria and autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review of the literature. Sexual Medicine Review 4(1): 3–14.
18. Goddard L, Dritschel B, Howlin P, (2014) A preliminary study of gender differences in autobiographical memory in children with an autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 44(9): 2087–2095.
19. Goddard L, Dritschel B, Robinson S. (2014) Development of autobiographical memory in children with autism spectrum disorders: deficits, gains, and predictors of performance. Development and Psychopathology 26(1): 215–228.
20. Gould J, Ashton-Smith J, (2011) Missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis? Girls and women on the autism spectrum. Good Autism Practice 12(1): 34–41.
21. Happé F, Frith U, (2006) The weak coherence account: detail-focused cognitive style in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 36(1): 5–25.
22. Happé F, Booth R, Charlton R. (2006) Executive function deficits in autism spectrum disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: examining profiles across domains and ages. Brain and Cognition 61(1): 25–39.
23. Harrop C, Green J, Hudry K, (2016) Play complexity and toy engagement in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder: do girls and boys differ? Autism. Epub ahead of print 2 March. DOI: 10.1177/1362361315622410.
24. Head AM, McGillivray JA, Stokes MA, (2014) Gender differences in emotionality and sociability in children with autism spectrum disorders. Molecular Autism 5: 19. Available at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/2040-2392-5-19.pdf
25. Holt RJ, Chura LR, Lai M-C. (2014) ‘Reading the mind in the eyes’: an fMRI study of adolescents with autism and their siblings. Psychological Medicine 44(15): 3215–3227.
26. Holtmann M, Bölte S, Poustka F, (2007) Autism spectrum disorders: sex differences in autistic behaviour domains and coexisting psychopathology – ProQuest. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology 49(5): 361–366. Available at: http://search.proquest.com/docview/195615734/fulltextPDF?accountid=14511
27. Hunter JE, Schmidt FL, (2004) Study artifacts and their impact on study outcomes. In: Hunter JE, Schmidt FL, (eds) Methods of Meta-Analysis. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, pp.33–73. Available at: http://srmo.sagepub.com/view/methods-of-meta-analysis/n2.xml
28. Kirkovski M, Enticott PG, Fitzgerald PB, (2013) A review of the role of female gender in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 43(11): 2584–2603.
29. Kirkovski M, Enticott PG, Hughes ME. (2016) Atypical neural activity in males but not females with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 46(3): 954–963.
30. Knickmeyer RC, Wheelwright S, Baron-Cohen SB, (2008) Sex-typical play: masculinization/defeminization in girls with an autism spectrum condition. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 38(6): 1028–1035.
31. Koenig K, Tsatsanis KD, (2005) Pervasive developmental disorders in girls. In: Bell DJ, Foster SL, Mash EJ, (eds) Handbook of Behavioral and Emotional Problems in Girls. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, pp.211–237. Available at: http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/60/chp:10.1007/0-306-48674-1_7.pdf?originUrl=http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-306-48674-1_7&token2=exp=1444990643~acl=/static/pdf/60/chp%3A10.1007%2F0-306-48674-1_7.pdf%
32. Kopp S, Gillberg C, (1992) Girls with social deficits and learning problems: autism, atypical Asperger syndrome or a variant of these conditions. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 1(2): 89–99.
33. Kopp S, Gillberg C, (2011) The Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ)-Revised Extended Version (ASSQ-REV): an instrument for better capturing the autism phenotype in girls? A preliminary study involving 191 clinical cases and community controls. Research in Developmental Disabilities 32(6): 2875–2888.
34. Kreiser NL, White SW, (2014) ASD in females: are we overstating the gender difference in diagnosis? Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review 17(1): 67–84.
35. Lai M-C, Baron-Cohen SB, (2015) Identifying the lost generation of adults with autism spectrum conditions. The Lancet Psychiatry 2(11): 1013–1027.
36. Lai M-C, Lombardo MV, Auyeung B. (2015) Sex/gender differences and autism: setting the scene for future research. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 54(1): 11–24.
37. Lai M-C, Lombardo MV, Pasco G. (2011) A behavioral comparison of male and female adults with high functioning autism spectrum conditions. PLoS ONE 6(6): e20835.
38. Lai M-C, Lombardo MV, Ruigrok ANV. (2012) Cognition in males and females with autism: similarities and differences. PLoS ONE 7(10): e47198.
39. Lehnhardt F-G, Falter CM, Gawronski A. (2015) Sex-related cognitive profile in autism spectrum disorders diagnosed late in life: implications for the female autistic phenotype. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 46(1): 139–154.
40. Lemon JM, Gargaro B, Enticott PG. (2011) Executive functioning in autism spectrum disorders: a gender comparison of response inhibition. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 41(3): 352–356.
41. Mandy W, Tchanturia K, (2015) Do women with eating disorders who have social and flexibility difficulties really have autism? A case series. Molecular Autism 6(1): 6.
42. Mandy W, Chilvers R, Chowdhury U. (2012) Sex differences in autism spectrum disorder: evidence from a large sample of children and adolescents. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 42(7): 1304–1313.
43. Mattila M-L, Kielinen M, Linna S-L. (2011) Autism spectrum disorders according to DSM-IV-TR and comparison with DSM-5 draft criteria: an epidemiological study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 50(6): 583–592.e11.
44. May T, Cornish K, Rinehart NJ, (2012) Gender profiles of behavioral attention in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Attention Disorders 20: 627–35.
45. Oswald TM, Winter-Messiers MA, Gibson B. (2016) Sex differences in internalizing problems during adolescence in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 46(2): 624–636.
46. Ozonoff S, Jensen J, (1999) Brief report: specific executive function profiles in three neurodevelopmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 29(2): 171–177.
47. Park S, Cho S-C, Cho (2012) Sex differences in children with autism spectrum disorders compared with their unaffected siblings and typically developing children. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 6(2): 861–870. Available at: http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1750946711001978/1-s2.0-S1750946711001978-main.pdf?_tid=4648c746-77d7-11e5-8206-00000aacb360&acdnat=1445420398_3b7b24d5ae6ee9104067cb193de75725
48. Pasterski V, Gilligan L, Curtis R, (2014) Traits of autism spectrum disorders in adults with gender dysphoria. Archives of Sexual Behavior 43(2): 387–393.
49. R Core Team (2013) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Processing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Available at: http://www.r-project.org/
50. Rivet TT, Matson JL, (2011) Review of gender differences in core symptomatology in autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 23(3): 957–976.
51. Russell G, Steer C, Golding J, (2011) Social and demographic factors that influence the diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorders. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 46(12): 1283–1293.
52. Sedgewick F, Hill V, Yates R. (2015) Gender differences in the social motivation and friendship experiences of autistic and non-autistic adolescents. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 46(4): 1297–1306.
53. Solomon M, Miller M, Taylor SL. (2012) Autism symptoms and internalizing psychopathology in girls and boys with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 42(1): 48–59.
54. Thompson T, Caruso M, Ellerbeck K, (2003) Sex matters in autism and other developmental disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities 7(4): 345–362.
55. Van Wijngaarden-Cremers PJM, van Eeten E, Groen WB. (2014) Gender and age differences in the core triad of impairments in autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 44(3): 627–635.
56. Viechtbauer W, (2010) Conducting meta-analyses in R with the metafor package. Journal of Statistical Software 36(3): 1–48. Available at: http://www.jstatsoft.org/v36/i03/
57. Werling DM, Geschwind DH, (2013) Sex differences in autism spectrum disorders. Current Opinion in Neurology 26(2): 146–153.
58. Zwaigenbaum L, Bryson SE, Szatmari P. (2012) Sex differences in children with autism spectrum disorder identified within a high-risk infant cohort. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 42(12): 2585–2596.