Sex Differences in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Identified Within a High-Risk Infant Cohort

Sex differences were examined in 3-year-olds with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) ascertained from a high-risk cohort, and high- and low-risk comparison groups. Participants included 319 high-risk siblings and 129 low-risk controls. Eighty-five siblings were diagnosed with ASD, including 57 of 176 b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2012-12, Vol.42 (12), p.2585-2596
Main Authors: Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie, Bryson, Susan E., Szatmari, Peter, Brian, Jessica, Smith, Isabel M., Roberts, Wendy, Vaillancourt, Tracy, Roncadin, Caroline
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adjustment (to Environment)
Age
Analysis
At Risk Persons
Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autistic children
Autistic spectrum disorders
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Child and School Psychology
Child clinical studies
Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - diagnosis
Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - psychology
Child, Preschool
Children
Cognition
Cognitive Ability
Cognitive Development
Cognitive psychology
Comparative Analysis
Complications and side effects
Control Groups
Developmental disorders
Diagnosis
Early Diagnosis
Female
Females
Gender Differences
High risk
Humans
Infant
Infantile autism
Infants
Language Skills
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Males
Medical sciences
Neurodevelopmental disorders
Neurosciences
Original Paper
Patient outcomes
Pediatrics
Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Phenotype
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Public Health
Risk Factors
Risk groups
Severity of Illness Index
Sex Characteristics
Sex differences
Siblings
Skill Development
Symptoms
Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
Young Children
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Summary:Sex differences were examined in 3-year-olds with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) ascertained from a high-risk cohort, and high- and low-risk comparison groups. Participants included 319 high-risk siblings and 129 low-risk controls. Eighty-five siblings were diagnosed with ASD, including 57 of 176 boys (32.4 %) and 28 of 143 girls (19.6 %), implying a relative odds of ASD of 1.65 in boys versus girls. There were modest sex differences on cognitive and adaptive skills and ASD symptom severity at age 3, but differences between boys and girls with ASD mirrored those in the non-ASD groups. The lower than expected male-to-female ratio, and the relatively high cognitive level among diagnosed children, suggest that we have identified an unanticipated number of higher-functioning girls with ASD.
ISSN:0162-3257
1573-3432
DOI:10.1007/s10803-012-1515-y