Abstract
Results from analyses of sex ratios as a function of IQ are presented for 623 autistic children (487 males, 136 females) and 506 nonautistic, communication-handicapped and behavior-disordered children (374 males, 132 females). Proportionately more autistic females were found to have IQs of 34 or below than above 34. However, a linear trend of an increasing number of males with increasing intelligence was found only for nonautistic subjects. The relevance of these findings to genetic factors and the heterogeneity of autism is discussed.
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This research was conducted using data provided by Division TEACCH, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Thanks are due to Bob McConnaughey for help with computer programming. Support from the Alberta Heritage Fund for Medical Research made this research possible. Suggestions made on an earlier draft of this manuscript by Susan Folstein, Irving Gottesman, and Lorna Wing were much appreciated.
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Lord, C., Schopler, E. Brief report: Differences in sex ratios in autism as a function of measured intelligence. J Autism Dev Disord 15, 185–193 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531604
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531604