Friday, February 28, 2014

Gender Differences In Autism

A recent article in Newsweek discusses a new study related to the mystery of gender and genetics in autism. The study looked at 762 families that have been affected by autism (653 males, 109 females). The study looked for two kinds of genetic mutations; copy number variant or single nucleotide variant. The results showed the females had a greater amount of mutation than the males. These results speculate that male brains need milder alterations in order to have autism.
In the book Pink Brain, Blue Brain by Lisa Elliot, the author explores the validity of autism being a male trait. She mentions Simon Baron-Cohen to be an advocate of describing autism as the consequence of an “extreme male brain” This theory uses empathy and communication deficits in autism as its bases. Elliot points out that Cohan relies on self-report questionnaires rather than more objective measures.
As of right now there are still many questions left to be answered regarding the causes of autism and its disparity in gender.  Elliot reminds us what science does know; an early diagnosis leads to better prognosis. It is important to wire social and communication circuits as early as possible.  Given this information, parents of new- born children should make sure to emphasize early social interaction.

References

Eliot, Lise. Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow into Troublesome Gaps--and What We Can Do about It. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. Print.

Verger, Rob. "Study Offers a Clue in Autism's Gender Divide." Newsweek. N.p., 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.










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