Sex differences in children with autism spectrum disorders compared with their unaffected siblings and typically developing children

Park, Subin; Cho, Soo Churl; Cho, In Hee; Kim, Boong Nyun; Kim, Jae Won; Shin, Min Sup; Chung, Un Sun; Park, Tae Won; Son, Jung Woo; Yoo, Hee Jeong

doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2011.11.006

Cited by 39 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…One study found that males with ASD had greater expressive and receptive language skills than females with ASD (Carter et al, 2007) and another study found that females with ASD had more impaired social communication skills than males with ASD (Hartley and Sikora, 2009). Conversely, Park et al (2012b) found that females with ASD had stronger non-verbal communication abilities than males with ASD. The majority of the literature reviewed on social communication found no difference between males and females with ASD, but there is some inconsistency.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Of these 21 articles, 14 address social communication or other language abilities. In samples of children with varying cognitive abilities, some studies showed no significant differences in communication, conversational deficits, and language levels between males and females with ASD (Andersson et al, 2013; Dawson et al, 2007; Nicholas et al, 2008; Pilowsky et al, 1998; Park et al, 2012a, 2012b; Mayes and Calhoun, 2011; Mandy et al, 2012; Sipes et al, 2011; Solomon et al, 2012; Amr et al, 2011). One study found that males with ASD had greater expressive and receptive language skills than females with ASD (Carter et al, 2007) and another study found that females with ASD had more impaired social communication skills than males with ASD (Hartley and Sikora, 2009).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The literature on sex differences in social interaction among persons with ASD (13 of 21 articles reviewed) is also inconsistent but generally suggests no significant sex differences in social interaction skills (Andersson et al, 2013; Dawson et al, 2007; Nicholas et al, 2008; Pilowsky et al, 1998; Mayes and Calhoun, 2011; Park et al 2012b; Mandy et al, 2012; Sipes et al, 2011; Solomon et al, 2012). In population-level surveillance of eight-year olds, 80 % of children with ASD had poor social-emotional reciprocity with no significant difference between males and females (Nicholas et al, 2008).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A Review of the Differences in Developmental, Psychiatric, and Medical Endophenotypes Between Males and Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is over four times more prevalent in males compared to females. Increased understanding of sex differences in ASD endophenotypes could add insight into possible etiologies and the assessment and management of the disorder. Consequently, the purpose of this review is to describe current literature regarding sex differences in the developmental, psychiatric, and medical endophenotypes of ASD in order to illustrate current knowledge and areas in need of further research. Our review found that repetitive behaviors and restricted interests are more common in males than females with ASD. Intellectual disability is more common in females than males with ASD. Attention to detail may be more common in males than females with ASD and epilepsy may be more common in females than males with ASD, although limited research in these areas prevent definitive conclusions from being drawn. There does not appear to be a sex difference in other developmental, psychiatric, and medical symptoms associated with ASD, or the research was contradictory or too sparse to establish a sex difference. Our review is unique in that it offers detailed discussion of sex differences in three major endophenotypes of ASD. Further research is needed to better understand why sex differences exist in certain ASD traits and to evaluate whether phenotypic sex differences are related to different pathways of development, assessment, and treatment of the disorder.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Review of the Differences in Developmental, Psychiatric, and Medical Endophenotypes Between Males and Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, the available findings on the differences in clinical profiles between males and females with ASD have J Autism Dev Disord (2015) 45:2046-2055 2049 Table 1 ADOS severity score, GMDS-ER and VABS-SF at T0 and T1 Autism Dev Disord (2015) 45:2046-20552051 shown contrasting results (Carter et al 2007;Banach et al 2009;Andersson et al 2013;Van Wijngaarden-Cremers et al 2013;Hofvander et al 2009;Lugnegard et al 2011;Matson and Nebel-Schwalm 2007;Park et al 2012;Simonoff et al 2008;Lai et al 2011;Mayes and Calhoun 2011;Zwaigenbaum et al 2012;Mandy et al 2012;Szatmari et al 2012;Donna et al 2013). On the one hand, most studies found no gender differences on social behaviors or communication nor on RRB (Carter et al 2007;Banach et al 2009;Andersson et al 2013;Hofvander et al 2009;Lugnegard et al 2011;Matson and Nebel-Schwalm 2007;Park et al 2012;Simonoff et al 2008;Lai et al 2011;Mayes and Calhoun 2011;Zwaigenbaum et al 2012;Mandy et al 2012). For instance, Andersson et al (2013), in a cross-sectional study aimed at investigating gender differences in clinical and developmental profiles in 20 preschool girls and 20 age-matched preschool boys with suspected ASD, found no significant differences on communication and RRB.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regarding co-occurring comorbid psychopathology among samples with ASD, the majority of studies failed to identify any gender differences (Hofvander et al 2009;Lugnegard et al 2011;Matson and Nebel-Schwalm 2007;Park et al 2012;Simonoff et al 2008;Lai et al 2011;Mazzone et al 2013). However, some studies reported that girls with ASD appeared to be at greater risk than boys for internalizing psychopathology (Solomon et al 2012;Mazzone et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal comparison between male and female preschool children with autism spectrum disorder

Postorino

Fatta

Peppo

et al. 2015

J Autism Dev Disord

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Epidemiological studies have highlighted a strong male bias in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), however few studies have examined gender differences in autism symptoms, and available findings are inconsistent. The aim of the present study is to investigate the longitudinal gender differences in developmental profiles of 30 female and 30 male age-matched preschool children with ASD. All the children underwent a comprehensive evaluation at T0 and at T1. Our results have shown no significant interaction between time and gender for predicting autism symptoms, developmental quotient, parental stress, children's adaptive skills and behavior problems. Shedding light on the developmental trajectories in ASD could help clinicians to recognize children with ASD at an earlier age and contribute to the development of appropriate treatments.

show abstract

ASD symptoms in toddlers and preschoolers: An examination of sex differences

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although considerable work has documented higher prevalence rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in boys, fewer studies have focused on sex differences within samples of young children at‐risk for ASD. This study examined sex differences in ASD symptom domains and ASD screening outcomes among toddlers (18–35 months) and preschoolers (36–72 months) with ASD‐related concerns. Participants included 480 children between 18 and 72 months evaluated by university‐based ASD specialty clinics. Results revealed significant sex differences in severity of social communication (SC) deficits across age groups. Within the toddler group, girls diagnosed with ASD displayed greater SC deficits according to standardized observation and clinician severity ratings. Within the preschool group, girls diagnosed with ASD were rated by parents as having more severe SC deficits, but these differences were not corroborated by standardized observations or clinician ratings. No sex differences emerged for severity of restricted repetitive behaviors (RRBs) for either age group. Across the entire referred sample, boys and girls did not differ in terms of scores on commonly used screening instruments. Importantly, results suggest that two of the most commonly used ASD screeners (i.e., Modified‐Checklist for Autism in Toddlers‐Revised with Follow‐up and Social Communication Questionnaire ) may underidentify RRBs in toddler and preschool‐aged girls as screening scores were only influenced by severity of SC deficits. Greater SC deficits in young girls with ASD along with its impact on screening status suggests greater attention be placed on the under‐identification of ASD in girls as well as current screening measures' ability to tap into the topography of ASD symptoms across genders. Autism Res 2020, 13: 157–166. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Lay SummaryIn this study, we found that young girls diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder tend to have greater social communication deficits than young boys and that these differences vary by age. Specifically, toddler‐aged girls receive higher clinician ratings of social communication deficits when compared to boys, while preschool‐aged girls receive higher parent ratings of social communication deficits. For girls, current screening tools seem to be more highly influenced by severity of social communication deficits than by restricted repetitive behaviors.

show abstract

Sex differences in children with autism spectrum disorders compared with their unaffected siblings and typically developing children

Cited by 39 publications

References 33 publications

A Review of the Differences in Developmental, Psychiatric, and Medical Endophenotypes Between Males and Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder

A Review of the Differences in Developmental, Psychiatric, and Medical Endophenotypes Between Males and Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Longitudinal comparison between male and female preschool children with autism spectrum disorder

ASD symptoms in toddlers and preschoolers: An examination of sex differences

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About