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The Mandarin Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST): Sex Differences

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Abstract

Sex differences in social and communication behaviours related to autism spectrum conditions (ASC) have been investigated mainly in Western populations. Little research has been done in Chinese populations. This study explored sex differences related to ASC characteristics by examining differences in item responses and score distributions in relation to a screening instrument, the Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST), used with Chinese children. A Mandarin Chinese version of the CAST (M-CAST) was distributed to 737 children aged 6–11 years in mainstream schools in Beijing. Questionnaires from 682 (93 %) children were available for analysis. The median score for boys was higher than for girls [boys, median = 8 (IQR 6, 11); girls, median = 7 (IQR 4, 9); p < 0.001]. There were differences in the proportions of boys and girls across all three score groups (≤11, 12–14, ≥15) with more boys being found in the higher score groups (p = 0.035). This finding provides evidence that boys and girls have different social and communication development profiles, consistent with previous findings in Western cultures. These results suggest that sex differences related to ASC are consistent across cultures.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all the participants in this study. We would like to thank Zhang Zhixiang and Jiong Qin for their advice and support throughout this study. This study was funded by the Waterloo Foundation, the Peking University First Hospital, the Cambridge Institute of Public Health and the Autism Research Centre in the University of Cambridge. XS was partly funded by the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and Clare Hall of the University of Cambridge during the data collection and then funded by the International Development Fund—Cambridge-CUHK Collaboration on Autism Research in Hong Kong and China during the writing up of this paper. SBC, CA and BA were funded by the Medical Research Council UK and the Welcome Trust. This study was conducted in association with NIHR CLAHRC for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. FM was funded by MRC UK.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cambridge Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Forvie Site, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SR, UK

    Xiang Sun & Carol Brayne

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18b Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8AH, UK

    Xiang Sun, Carrie Allison, Bonnie Auyeung & Simon Baron-Cohen

  3. MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0SR, UK

    Fiona E. Matthews

  4. MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK

    Stephen J. Sharp

  5. The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territorie, Hong Kong

    Xiang Sun

  6. Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK

    Bonnie Auyeung

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  1. Xiang Sun
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  2. Carrie Allison
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Correspondence to Xiang Sun.

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Sun, X., Allison, C., Auyeung, B. et al. The Mandarin Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST): Sex Differences. J Autism Dev Disord 44, 2137–2146 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2088-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2088-8

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