Sex/Gender Differences and Autism: Setting the Scene for Future Research

作者：Meng‐Chuan Lai, Michael Vincent Lombardo, Bonnie Auyeung, Bhismadev Chakrabarti, Simon Baron‐Cohen · 发表于：Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · 年份：2014 · DOI：10.1016/j.jaac.2014.10.003 · 被引用次数：1159 · 研究领域：Autism Spectrum Disorder Research、Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues、Behavioral and Psychological Studies

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between sex/gender differences and autism has attracted a variety of research ranging from clinical and neurobiological to etiological, stimulated by the male bias in autism prevalence. Findings are complex and do not always relate to each other in a straightforward manner. Distinct but interlinked questions on the relationship between sex/gender differences and autism remain underaddressed. To better understand the implications from existing research and to help design future studies, we propose a 4-level conceptual framework to clarify the embedded themes. METHOD: We searched PubMed for publications before September 2014 using search terms "'sex OR gender OR females' AND autism." A total of 1,906 articles were screened for relevance, along with publications identified via additional literature reviews, resulting in 329 articles that were reviewed. RESULTS: Level 1, "Nosological and diagnostic challenges," concerns the question, "How should autism be defined and diagnosed in males and females?" Level 2, "Sex/gender-independent and sex/gender-dependent characteristics," addresses the question, "What are the similarities and differences between males and females with autism?" Level 3, "General models of etiology: liability and threshold," asks the question, "How is the liability for developing autism linked to sex/gender?" Level 4, "Specific etiological-developmental mechanisms," focuses on the question, "What etiological-developmental mechanisms of...