Gender Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Gender Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Population-Based Twin Sample: testing three hypotheses for male preponderance.
IRAS ID
202062
Contact name
Francesca Happe
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 4 months, 3 days
Research summary
The current research aims to investigate gender differences across the full range of the autism spectrum, in a population-based sample of twins. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by difficulties in social behaviour and communication, with restricted/repetitive behaviours and interests. One of the most striking features of ASD is the high male to female ratio, which varies across the spectrum, but is usually estimated at 4-5:1. The higher rate of ASD in males has been seen as a clue to the biological etiology of ASD. However, it is possible that the high ratio also reflects biases in perception, assessment and/or diagnosis of ASD. Such biases could mean that females with ASD are poorly served by current conceptualisation and recognition of ASD. This possibility motivates the research study.
The study aims to address directly the question of whether females with high ASD traits are being missed by diagnostic practices or are instead coping/compensating and do not need a diagnosis. To do this the study will compare four groups of participants, females and males who meet ASD diagnostic criteria, and females and males who have high ASD traits, but who do not meet diagnostic criteria. A battery of gold standard diagnostic tools, cognitive tasks, measures of coping, quality of life, co-morbidities and mental and physical health will be completed by the groups. This design will allow both a comparison of symptom presentation across the genders and also an examination of whether high trait females without a diagnosis are compensating or instead “suffering in silence”. It is vital to understand whether, and why, we fail to diagnose ASD in females, in order to clarify whether the current gender disparity is purely biological or also a reflection, in part, of problems with a male-focused conceptualisation, recognition, assessment or diagnosis of ASD.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/1472
Date of REC Opinion
22 Sep 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion