The hypothesised female ASC phenotype: implications for research and practice

Abstract

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the behavioural manifestation of autism spectrum condition (ASC) differs between males and females, and there may be a female specific phenotype of the condition (Lai, Lombardo, Auyeung, Chakrabarti and Baron-Cohen, 2015). However, current conceptualisations of ASC have been developed predominately from samples of males, meaning our understanding of the condition may be male-biased (Kirkovski, Enticott, & Fitzgerald, 2013). Consequently, ASC in females may be under-diagnosed because current assessments are based upon a male-specific manifestation of the condition (Mandy et al. 2012). This paper begins with a review of qualitative literature exploring the experiences of females with ASC. Building upon identified themes, quantitative research is reviewed to ascertain whether there are sex/gender differences in four areas of the hypothesised ASC female phenotype. Preliminary evidence suggests there may be sex/gender differences in ASC but more research is needed to fully substantiate this conclusion

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ORCID for Henry Wood-Downie: orcid.org/0000-0003-4965-7778

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