Males or females? A study “debunks common misconceptions” about autism
A study published Wednesday showed that autism may be just as common among females and males, contradicting prevailing estimates about the prevalence of the disorder.
While the disorder affecting nerves and development is known to be more common among males at a younger age, a study published by researchers in the British Medical Journal found a clear effect in later age groups for girls that erases this difference.
The researchers noted that the findings highlight the need for a more in-depth study into why autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed later in females compared to males.
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders has increased over the past three decades, with 3 males being diagnosed for every female.
Most diagnoses are made in childhood, before the age of ten.
To analyze diagnosis rates over time, researchers in Sweden and the United States followed 2.7 million people born in Sweden between 1985 and 2022 from birth until they reached a maximum age of 37.
Overall, 2.8 percent of individuals were diagnosed with autism at an average age of 14 years.
Diagnosis rates were highest among boys aged 10 to 14, and among girls aged 15 to 19.
The researchers found that the ratio of males to females equalized at age 20, reaching approximately 1 to 1.
In an accompanying editorial, patient rights advocate Ann Carey wrote that these findings and other recent research suggest that “current practices fail to detect autism in many women until later in life, and may not detect it at all.”
The study did not take into account genetic or environmental factors or other symptoms associated with autism, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and intellectual disability, which may have played a role in the diagnosis of patients.
Dr. Rachel Moseley of Bournemouth University in Britain, who was not involved in the study, said: “This paper is timely and provides important support for what autism researchers have long observed” regarding a significant gap in the diagnosis of autism among females.
The higher male-to-female ratio is also attributed to the superior social and communication skills of girls, which makes it difficult to detect autism in them.
Mosley stated, “What we do know about people with autism who are not diagnosed is that the lack of diagnosis is often associated with severe difficulties, and even suicidal tendencies, so the absence of a diagnosis should be a major concern.”
References
Males or females? A study “debunks common misconceptions” about autism , sky news arabia, www.skynewsarabia.com/technology/1851011-الذكور-الإناث؟-دراسة-تنسف-الشائع-بشأن-التوحد