Sex Differences in Autism Heritability and Likelihood

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that includes difficulties with communication, social interaction, and adjusting to unexpected change, alongside differences in narrow interests, unusually repetitive behavior, and sensory hypersensitivity. Some differences are strengths, such as excellent attention to detail. After years of multidisciplinary research, autism diagnosis still relies on behavioral assessments and no reliable biomarker has been consistently associated with the condition. Autistic people are very heterogeneous in their range of behaviors, cognitive skills, co-occurring conditions, and levels of disability. Despite the evolving definition and heterogeneous presentation, 2 factors have been consistent across studies, namely the relatively high heritability and an increased prevalence in males compared to females, even when considering alternative presentations in the latter. Yet, it is unclear why males are more likely to be diagnosed compared to females. One explanation is that the threshold for diagnosis in males may be lower than females. Genetically, this may mean that females compared to males have a higher heritability of autism, which is consistent with a “female protective effect” model.
Source: JAMA Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research