Overview

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties related to social communication and interaction, as well as restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. The current prevalence rate for autism in the United States in 1 in 36 children. This is an increase from the last CDC estimate of 1 in 44 children. However, what remains the same is that males are 4 times more likely to be identified with ASD than females. Some researchers have found that it is two times more common in males with moderate-to-severe intellectual disability, six times more common in males with IQ above 70, and 9 to 10 times more common in males with “high functioning autism” or what was previously known as Asperger’s. There is recent research to challenge the CDC’s current sex ratio for autism (4:1; males: females) and to indicate lower sex ratios for the autism spectrum than those previously observed. Further, there is ongoing research meant to explain the possible reasons as to why females are less likely to be identified as autistic compared to males. Possible explanations include barriers to diagnosis, biases in diagnostic tools, the Female Protective Effect, Adolescent Emergence Hypothesis, Female Autism Phenotype, and gender diversity. This presentation seeks to review the possible explanations for the discrepancy in diagnosis between males and females, as well as identify clinical considerations for practice.

Objectives

At the conclusion of the session, the participants should be able to:

• Discuss the latest findings and research on the sex ratio in individuals diagnosed with autism.
• Explore various factors that may contribute to the disparity in autism diagnosis rates between males and females.
• Identify prevalent diagnostic instruments employed in the diagnosis of autism.