Why Are There More Autistic Males Then Females?

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It is assumed that females are far better at masking their autistic traits then males are. If I am on the spectrum, I may be an exceptional case.
However, this site does seem to be split down the middle as far as gender is concerned.... But I may see a reason for this. Let us assume for one moment (And this is most likely to be true) that females are more likely to be social then males. This means that there are likely to be far more males who are autistic who are not on sites like this and shut themselves off completely, then there are females that do the same. (If that makes sense? You may have to dwell on that thought a few seconds for it to make sense. I usually need to dwell and think a bit deeper to make sense of things like this! Haha!)
But anyway. While I was looking for something totally unrelated to anything about autism, and I can't remember what I was origionally thinking about which set off the YouTube link after link which eventually came up with the link I will share below; I did find this interesting.
I am still getting my mind around this theory. It is a theory as yet so things may vary as the more studies that go into addressing the theory, the more accurate information that there maybe out there.... But before I start writing pages and pages, take a look.




https://youtu.be/qDO360GyK8Q


I find this gentlemans thoughts interesting on a great many subjects. I may not always agree with his conclusions, but he does think about things before he shares his thoughts. I like that.

Just to add. I think it was this link that explained something for me about empathy. When I tried a simple online test I scored low on empathy. It is the one thing that I was puzzled about, and when many of you explained the differences between sympathy and empathy, somehow, I did not get it, as I had always assumed that I was overly empathetic (Though I often confuse empathy with sympathy in my mind and call them all sympathy... As it can be difficult to part the two in my way of thinking... The way my mind thinks about them).
But Mr Paterson did explain quite a bit about empathy in a way that I could grasp it. I could do with watching it again (Or if it was the previous one of Mr Patersons links that I watched that explained it... I can't remember as I have seen a few).

Something I wrote back in 2005 ... There have long been so many theories floating around re autism from the extreme male brain theory, the pre-operational-autism theory, the neanderthal theory, monotropism etc etc.

There is still no demonstrable evidence that testosterone levels affect brain development at all, let alone autism. Gender or bio-determinism is a fashionable explanation for many human behaviours, but remains challenged by many professionals.

One objection which has been put forward to this 'extreme male brain' view is that, although AS is reportedly more common among males than females(I personally believe it to be as common in females as males, that females go undetected), females with AS do not necessarily come across as particularly masculine personalities. Some, if not many, actually show an exceptional interest in feminine activities eg dancing, crafts, sewing, childcare etc, and enjoy wearing make-up, as part of their daily routine, wear feminine clothes, love perfumes etc(I am one such female).

Some people and parents of autistic children were very unhappy with Baron-Cohen's male brain theory, refusing to attend his talk in Cambridge re this, citing that although the research itself doesn't go so far as saying high testosterone = autism, this does seem to be what Baron-Cohen seems to be saying. The thought here was that 'surely the testosterone would have other physical effects(especially on girls) but this doesn't seem to be the case. Also, isn't this kind of shoddy research/theory link what we should all be wary of when seeking answers to our long-held questions? It just troubles me that an academic as long-standing and respected as Baron-Cohen seems willing to go out on a limb like this.' Others stated their opinion/response with "Well, yes he does have a book to sell, but what struck me was how obvious a thing to come up with. There must be others out there who have noticed how much autism reflects the extreme end off the male condition for want of a better word. I don't see that it really tells us anything we hadn't already noticed, and is it really proven that testosterone has caused this? As was already pointed out, wouldn't there be some physical sign of that in girls?'

It's been a hotly debated theory. Simon Baron-Cohen himself readily admits that for every 5 studies he undertakes, only 1 may work out. He's an interesting man, worthy of respect imho for a number of reasons. His interest in the brain stems from the fact that his younger sister was born with major brain damage, which virtually took away her language and her reasoning and self-help skills, but left her remarkably social and connected to others. Almost the opposite of autism. He now specialises in understanding autism spectrum conditions and manages to move from psychology to neuroscience to endocrinology to genetics crossing the scientific boundaries in order to go deeper - something to be admired/respected, even if he does 'get it wrong' at times.

I like that when asked via email whether or not he is in favour of a "cure" his response was "I don't think that something that people are not SUFFERING from needs a cure.(Just my opinion) My impression is that SOME (but not all) so called "low functioning" people with autism may suffer from some clear-cut medical conditions (including intestinal pain or epilepsy) & I have no problem hoping that those medical aspects that cause suffering can be cured. But, I do not see those as at the core of autism or AS. They occur in some significant subgroup, and can make life awful for that person or their family. But my view is that most people with so called "high functioning" autism or AS do not suffer from these associated medical conditions, and instead need to be recognized as having a different neorological wiring that should simply be respected for being different."

His research on his 'male brain' theory continues as we speak. He's extending his study by testing amniotic fluid of children later diagnosed to be on the spectrum or language delayed to see if high levels of this hormone are a risk factor & if this affects the rate of puberty in autism. Interesting topic!

I may write more on empathy later ...

Wouldn't you say that in "classic" autism, females tend to "present" the same as males?

I believe there is some sort of "female presentation" based upon ability to "mask," and a sort of "forced socialization," within the "higher" areas of the Spectrum.

There are females who present similarly to males

And there are females who exhibit more subtle signs, and are missed as far as diagnosis is concerned.

I've seen both "types."

I don't believe it is common-sensical to actually believe that four times as many males as females are on the Spectrum.

Something that does not add up to his theory of male testor(Whatever the word was), is that in the autistic community, there seems to be a higher proportion of gay men when compared to NT's, so autism relating to a higher proportion of male-ness means that the theory does not relate to what we see in this way.
However, all theories are interesting to explore. We may not know the full picture and they may not line up, but this does not mean that the theories should not be explored. Why, we have been exploring and adhering to various theories with no actual 100% proof for donkeys years and to be honest, that is what theories are. Something to consider and think about.
I am dead against calling a theory a fact based upon the number of people who adhere to the theory.... But that's another subject!

Many gay men are even more "male" than some straight men.

Not that they only think in "maleness"

But that they think of themselves as male, have more male interests than female interests, and---in general---are just more "male" to an observer.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/03/well ... cerns.html
I began to wonder just how common it was for women to have their health concerns downplayed or dismissed by a physician.

As it turns out, very. “It’s a huge issue in medicine,” says Dr. Tia Powell, a bioethicist and a professor of clinical epidemiology and population health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Health care providers may have implicit biases that affect the way women are heard, understood and treated, she said. “Medical schools and professional guidelines are starting to address this problem, but there’s still much to be done.”

B19 talks about this a lot----about how women are not taken into account as far as health care is concerned.

Women are dismissed as being "emotional" when they bring up health concerns to their providers.

On this site, I've noticed that males tend to be diagnosed at a much earlier age than females.