Autism and Sex Differences

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11 Feb 2013, 4:56 pm

I came across a report of a study of the traits of Autism that were different based on sex.

I don't think that I can link the study here so I'll quote some of the applicable portions. In the following, ASC is "Autism Spectrum Conditions".

Quote:

Some traits of autism vary depending on patient sex, according to a new study. Girls with autism are just as adept to attention to detail and dexterity involving executive function as are girls without autism, whereas the same is not true for boys with autism and their male counterparts without autism.

...

Regardless of sex, adults with ASC showed impaired mentalizing and basic facial emotion recognition abilities relative to adults without ASC, although the researchers found a "striking" sex difference in current interactive behaviors on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, with milder interpersonal autistic features in women with ASC vs men with ASC. These findings, they add, support they idea that there is "superficial camouflaging of social-communication difficulties in females with ASC."

In the "executive function" domain, including aspects such as planning, set-shifting, inhibition, generativity, and self-monitoring, the dexterity subtest of assembly found that men with ASC were impaired relative to typical men, whereas women with or without ASC performed equally well.

Likewise, in the "perceptual attention to detail" domain, as measured by the Embedded Figures Test, men with ASC performed worse than typical men, but women with and without ASC performed comparably.

"This sex difference ... suggests that performance in visuospatial attention to detail may characterize men with ASC, but not women with ASC," the authors note.

How well would you say this agrees with your problems? Could this partly explain why many women with Autism seem to be better at relationships than many men with Autism?

Skilpadde
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11 Feb 2013, 5:07 pm

It's not true for me. I have huge problems reading expressions. Sometimes I think people look like they are about to start laughing when they're ready to explode in anger. That bad.
I've also heard that girls are chameleons, that they mimic people to blend in. I never have, and I've never tried to be other than what I am.
I definitely don't have milder interpersonal issues. I don't make eye contact at all unless I'm infuriated or very relaxed, and even then only for a couple of seconds before i get uncomfortable. I'm unable to keep a conversation going at all. I can go up to somone and tell them something but I can't do that reciprocal conversation thing. At all.
I'm always lost for words, and can't come up with anything to say to anyone.

Can't answer the other part, because I'm, not sure what they mean

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khaos
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11 Feb 2013, 7:31 pm

I did try to blend in and hide all the time. I didn't want to stand out. I knew I thought differently than anybody and knew enough to NOT be different for fear of ridicule, etc. So that just enforced me being anti-social. I am not sure how true any of these studies really are, but some do hit a few good points. I am not very good with relationships as I lack empathy and seem selfish. Plus I am bad about making sure their needs are met before my own.

Also, I have also found this page useful.

Popular Women Aspie Myths

and

10 Women Aspie Traits

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Tyri0n
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11 Feb 2013, 8:32 pm

Quote:

How well would you say this agrees with your problems? Could this partly explain why many women with Autism seem to be better at relationships than many men with Autism?

The things at which this study showed women to be better at have more to do with being organized than getting into a relationship or living in one.

I don't think aspie women are necessarily better in relationships, but they are better at getting into them, on average. Aspie guys may be better at staying in them (myself being the notable exception to both generalizations). I am just fine at getting into relationships and managing in them when I can be the passive one; in fact, this has happened several times; otherwise, I would be a virgin.

If I were a girl, but had the same neuro configuration, I doubt I'd have any additional problems relative to actual females with AS. It's just easier for passive people to play the role of the girl AT FIRST (though, of course, the lack of empathy and lack of traditional gender sensibilities, and the increased vulnerability to manipulation by NT's, really hits aspie girls harder than it does guys further down the road; hence, I take issue with the statement that aspie girls have it easier. They only have it easier initially).

Girls, please read the bolded before you attack individual parts of what I say.

EB
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11 Feb 2013, 10:41 pm

Had to reread the quote. I thought they were comparing groups uneveningly on the first read through.

Not sure about everything that was stated but I myself have problems with executive function and I'm female.

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1000Knives
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11 Feb 2013, 11:11 pm

To me it sounds like females have almost no problems compared to males.

CockneyRebel
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12 Feb 2013, 12:28 am

I never had any desire to blend in.

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hyperlexian
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12 Feb 2013, 8:14 am

Quote:

"Previously, we demonstrated behavioral sex differences between males and females with ASC...showing that females displayed fewer autistic behaviors during interpersonal interaction, but nevertheless reported more autistic traits and sensory issues."

http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/773721

hmmmm so basically they experience some aspects of autism more strongly but present it more mildly. essentially like overcompensating, perhaps.

(you can link to the article if it is public. this is a link to the summary)

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OddDuckNash99
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12 Feb 2013, 8:56 am

I'm terrible at anything executive function-related, and I'm really terrible at Embedded Figures due to my NVLD. And I'm female. So, yeah. :roll: :lol: I think Embedded Figures is a very, very biased test for attention to detail. Nobody has more detail-oriented skills than I do, but I do badly on Embedded Figures because it's a visual-spatial task. I don't think it tests what it says it does. Especially if they're testing sex differences. It's a known fact that males tend to outperform females on spatial rotation, so using a spatial test to look for detail orientation is a HUGE confound. :roll:

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12 Feb 2013, 9:20 am

eric76 wrote:

Quote:

How well would you say this agrees with your problems? Could this partly explain why many women with Autism seem to be better at relationships than many men with Autism?

Hi, please could you provide a link to the full study, this will be useful to me.

As to what they are saying, my executive function is crap and has probably got worse and I'm female. I would say that female Aspie attention to detail is not comparable to non-Aspie but is better!

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