Extreme male brain theory: do you believe in it?

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Personally I dont, otherwise females with ASD will act very manly and most of them will be lesbians. I noticed that there are some homosexual males who happen to have ASD here on WP. Although I can see where the theory comes from being that those with ASD often have trouble with language and tend to do well in areas that require technological areas rather than language areas. Also, with the whole socializing where in society it seems that women are expected to be good at socializing even though NT men are just as good. I never saw it as males being less adept at socializing than women. Also, with the sensory issues that most people with ASD have, I don't see what it has to do with being a male at all.

Sorry if its sounds like I'm trolling, but I promise I'm not

it is not the extreme male brain you should be focussing on....

it is all about a systemizing brain (which is statistical typical for males - hence the term male brain) or an empathizing brain (which is statistical typical for females - hence the term female brain)

the male/female label is not to be taken literally.

the systemizing vs empathizing is what it is all about.

it all gets even more confusing, since there furthermore seems to be a correlation between autism and high prenatal testosterone levels also... which is a typical male hormone.... contributing further to the misunderstanding that people on the spectrum should be extreme male-like... even if they are female or gay.

about the testosterone study:

http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/res ... .asp?id=13

if anything, i have a female brain.

most of these 'specialists'are more black and
white in their thinking than we are.

I am naturally left brain and right brain
combined.....

I am a systemizer and empathizer

I think that my brain is a combination of male and female, as a brain should be. I just because disillusioned with my gender and what my mum thought it should mean to be a woman, at a very early age. That's why you all know me as I am.

even this analysis doesn't help.

it sort of maps onto the Jungian Thinking & Feeling functions (which do not equate exactly with popular meanings of the words), but i think per empathy that autistic-spectrum does not lack the fellow-feeling, but rather the reading-of-feelings aspect. likewise, being good at making patterns would seem to include the patterns of behavior, wouldn't it? yet there is a disjunction, puzzling.

we need to go back to these felt-distinctions without binary logic. having two physical genders makes us want to spread the words indiscriminately anyway. let's stop this nonsense before it becomes a truism of the media at large.

Also:

@ Verdandi: thank you for posting this info! i am aware of it... but you have also to relate it to the date of release... much has changed in common knowledge since...

here's a more recent talk from him about the issue:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crmDSDeCEp4[/youtube]

Cohen's flagship for his theory is a 2d/4d digit ratio of .93 or lower, indicating a high level of testosterone exposure in the womb, thereby influencing brain development. In his studies a strong correlation was found among those with Kanner's type Autism, but the correlation of low digit ratio seen among those with Aspergers was lower and closer to the normal population.

The same low 2d/4d digit ratios are also associated with ADHD, Athletes, Presidents, and other correlations, that can be found if one does a quick search on it.

I've seen on this site, where people take the Cohen test and receive high scores for what he calls an "extreme male brain", but who take more comprenhesive tests on gender and come out close to the middle.

I'm not sure, but I would guess if an athlete took the test they might be more likely to score as a systemizer and toward the male gender spectrum on both tests.

There are some people on the spectrum that are athletes, but in general, I haven't heard of too many that play team sports. There are obviously many more factors than testosterone in the womb; it appears that it may be one of many.

I don't think I understanding the paradigm of the "male brain theory" well enough to state conclusively whether I agree or disagree.

If the theory rests on the idea that neurological sex is a simple dichotomy (either male or female) and inextricably linked with society's definitions of what constitutes something or someone "male"/"female" then I disagree with the theory because I find it hard to see how neurological sex is a simple dichotomy and I completely disagree with the idea that physiological sex differentiation and the social constructions around gender are inextricably linked. I, too, think that gender roles are social constructs and that behavior isn't as "gendered" as it might seem.....

Although, if by "male brain" they simply mean "a brain that's seemingly affected by androgens to an extent greater than one would expect" then I wouldn't find it so disagreeable/hard to believe.