Males receive an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis 4 times more often than females. Do males and females with this disorder tend to show different symptoms and behaviors? 

Researchers studied this by comparing behaviors, mental health symptoms, and psychological testing results of 33 adult males and 29 females with ASD in the UK. Results? There were no significant differences between the sexes on symptoms of autism in childhood or levels of empathy or understanding of others. Though anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms were prevalent in both sexes, there were no differences between the two sexes.

Unlike males, females who had a developmental delay in language had a significantly lower current IQ than those without the delay. However, females had more sensory symptoms, for example, over-sensitivity to noise, and self-reported more “autistic” traits in adulthood but fewer communication difficulties than males. 

Although females with ASD have less communication struggles, they still often experience stress during social interactions. Knowing these differences may lead to correctly identifying Autism Spectrum Disorder earlier in females—so important to helping them learn to understand, grow, interact with others, and accept themselves and feel supported.

Reference:

Lai, Meng-Chuan; Lombardo, Michael; Pasco, Greg; Ruigrok, Amber; Wheelwright, Sally; Sadek, Susan; Chakrabarti, Bhismadev; & Baron-Cohen, Simon (2011). A behavioral comparis