Há diferenças de gênero na manifestação do autismo?

Abstract

The Autism Spectrum Disorder, in general, affects more men than women in the population, the ratio being four men for each woman and an even more significant difference in the Asperger’s Syndrome, nine men for each woman. Which leads to the question whether really are gender differences in the manifestation of autism. Researchers seeks to find, through tests and questionings, if there are and which could be these gender differences. Some point to two major characteristics, differentiated for boys and girls, believing being the stronger empathy in girls and systematization, more preponderant in boys. For these authors, the comprehension in the differences in characteristics in typical male and female people could lead to the knowledge of the autism spectrum’s conditions. Other authors say they didn’t find, through their investigations, significant differences between boys and girls in behavioral or even cognitive issues in autistic people. Factors such as age, IQ and even the methods of recruiting and selecting employees for researches are preponderant for a more reliable result.