Article Contents<\/h2>\n\n- What is the autism gender bias?<\/a>\n
\n- Past theories on the autism gender ratio<\/a><\/li>\n
- Holistic understanding of the autism gender\/sex bias<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Real-world outcomes for autistic women<\/a>\n
\n- The cycle of late and missed\/misdiagnosis<\/a><\/li>\n
- Trauma and victimization<\/a><\/li>\n
- Masking, burnout, and suicidality<\/a><\/li>\n
- Gender and masking<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Where do we go from here?<\/a>\n
\n- Female autism phenotype<\/a><\/li>\n
- Neural expression and brain organization<\/a><\/li>\n
- Gut microbiome – brain axis (GBA)<\/a><\/li>\n
- Sex\/gender dimorphic GM & GBA<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Beyond the binary<\/a><\/li>\n
- New models for a new future<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>
![\"female](\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/womens-day-image.png\" "\\"women\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>What is the autism gender bias?<\/b><\/h2>\n
To correctly detail and discuss these topics, it is essential to understand that \u201csex\u201d and \u201cgender\u201d are not interchangeable. Although they are viewed as such in basic science descriptions, the extrapolation into human studies has not been critically assessed (Hines, 2019). Within the holistic view of autism, \u201cgender<\/a>\u201d refers to the range of characteristics, behaviors, and social structures that define the broader culture\u2019s experience with femininity and masculinity. \u201cSex\u201d (female or male) is based on chromosomes, gonads, hormones, and genitals and is a biological descriptive which does not consider lived experiences or the influence of social and cultural structures (Mulak et al., 2022; Hines, 2019). The term \u201csex\/gender\u201d is used in this article to describe instances where sex and gender influence the same aspect(s) of investigation or care.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Past theories on the autism gender ratio<\/strong><\/h3>\nHistorically, much research has shown that males are more affected by autism than females. One of the most consistent findings in autism research has been the male-to-female prevalence ratio of 4:1 (Nordgren et al., 2018). This ratio and observed sex\/gender differences have underpinned our comprehension of autism and simultaneously stumped researchers for decades. Explanations for these observations range from social reasoning to genetics. One prevalent theory explaining this observation is the Female Protective Effect (FPE), which posits that women have a higher carrying capacity for genetic information that links to autism. Therefore, \u201cfemales are \u2018protected\u2019 from the combined effects of autism-linked genes, such that it takes a larger number of random genetic events for them to manifest autism traits\u201d (Wigdor et al., 2022). FPE has been broadly tested, and results confirm and deny its credibility (Bai et al., 2020; Lewis et al., 2019).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>
- \n
- Past theories on the autism gender ratio<\/a><\/li>\n
- Holistic understanding of the autism gender\/sex bias<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Real-world outcomes for autistic women<\/a>\n
- \n
- The cycle of late and missed\/misdiagnosis<\/a><\/li>\n
- Trauma and victimization<\/a><\/li>\n
- Masking, burnout, and suicidality<\/a><\/li>\n
- Gender and masking<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Where do we go from here?<\/a>\n
- \n
- Female autism phenotype<\/a><\/li>\n
- Neural expression and brain organization<\/a><\/li>\n
- Gut microbiome – brain axis (GBA)<\/a><\/li>\n
- Sex\/gender dimorphic GM & GBA<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Beyond the binary<\/a><\/li>\n
- New models for a new future<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>What is the autism gender bias?<\/b><\/h2>\n
To correctly detail and discuss these topics, it is essential to understand that \u201csex\u201d and \u201cgender\u201d are not interchangeable. Although they are viewed as such in basic science descriptions, the extrapolation into human studies has not been critically assessed (Hines, 2019). Within the holistic view of autism, \u201cgender<\/a>\u201d refers to the range of characteristics, behaviors, and social structures that define the broader culture\u2019s experience with femininity and masculinity. \u201cSex\u201d (female or male) is based on chromosomes, gonads, hormones, and genitals and is a biological descriptive which does not consider lived experiences or the influence of social and cultural structures (Mulak et al., 2022; Hines, 2019). The term \u201csex\/gender\u201d is used in this article to describe instances where sex and gender influence the same aspect(s) of investigation or care.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Past theories on the autism gender ratio<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Historically, much research has shown that males are more affected by autism than females. One of the most consistent findings in autism research has been the male-to-female prevalence ratio of 4:1 (Nordgren et al., 2018). This ratio and observed sex\/gender differences have underpinned our comprehension of autism and simultaneously stumped researchers for decades. Explanations for these observations range from social reasoning to genetics. One prevalent theory explaining this observation is the Female Protective Effect (FPE), which posits that women have a higher carrying capacity for genetic information that links to autism. Therefore, \u201cfemales are \u2018protected\u2019 from the combined effects of autism-linked genes, such that it takes a larger number of random genetic events for them to manifest autism traits\u201d (Wigdor et al., 2022). FPE has been broadly tested, and results confirm and deny its credibility (Bai et al., 2020; Lewis et al., 2019).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>
- Neural expression and brain organization<\/a><\/li>\n
- Trauma and victimization<\/a><\/li>\n
- Holistic understanding of the autism gender\/sex bias<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n