Genders again again again again

[andrewducker]

I saw a program called Mind Readers recently which covered autistics and the problems they have due to their complete inability to tell what other people think/feel. The program went at length into the Amygdala, the area of the brain which seems to be in charge of using faces to tell what other people think/feel. It also covered some syndromes that are like autism and showed how it's sex linked (you get vastly more male autistics than female). It also highlighted the fact that while 5% of the population works in an area that oculd be classified as 'engineering', 12% of autistic's parents do. That coupled with the sharp increases in autism in Silicon Valley and other high-tech areas leads me to believe that engineers are well o ntheir way to Asperger's syndrome at the very least. The program went on to posit some theories about autism, aspergers and general geekiness being along a scale and that this scale was also sex-linked. There wasn't much to back this last part up, but the program wasn't very in-depth so it didn't surprise me.

This is one of the reasons I was delighted to see this article in The Guardian by the head of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University on sex differences. I'm looking forward (with trepidation) to having errors/problems pointed out, but it backs up some of of what I've heard about testosterone and its effects on the development of the brain:

Some of the most convincing evidence for biological causes comes from studies of the effects of hormones. There was a time when women were prescribed a synthetic female hormone (diethylstilbestrol), in an attempt to prevent repeated spontaneous miscarriages. Boys born to such women are likely to show more female-typical, empathising behaviours, such as caring for dolls. And if a female rat is injected at birth with testosterone, she shows faster, more accurate maze learning, compared with a female rat who has not been given such an injection.

Some important lessons have been learnt from studies of clinical conditions. Male babies born with IHH (idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism) have very small testes (and therefore low levels of testosterone) and they are worse at spatial aspects of systemising, relative to normal males. Other male babies born with androgen insensitivity (AI) syndrome (testosterone is an androgen) are also worse at systemising. Compare these with female babies born with CAH (congenital adrenal hyperplasia), who have high levels of androgens and who have enhanced spatial systemising.

Comments

[heron61.livejournal.com]

That coupled with the sharp increases in autism in Silicon Valley and other high-tech areas leads me to believe that engineers are well o ntheir way to Asperger's syndrome at the very least.

Actually, the data I've seen is that this rise in autism (IIRC more than a threefold increase in the last decade) is happening all over California and that any sort of genetic factors have been ruled out. I'm betting this on is due to some form of chemical (this is a state that did regular aerial spraying of pesticides over urban areas up until the early 90s) or some similar environmental issue. Scary stuff actually...

[andrewducker]

Aah, ok. Obviously more recent than the last study I've seen. Cheers.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

info on the rise of autism in CA and here's another, googling on autism, rise, California shows up many results.

As for the rest of the article, it would be rather more convincing if it weren't for the fact that the disparity in spatial aptitude between men and women wasn't quite small. I'd need to see a large sample size and good stats to prove to me that this study wasn't highly dubious. Also, I wonder if the program came out before the autism in CA data did (I saw the first mention of this data more than 6 months ago). If so, then the use of the data about Silicon Valley is deliberately misleading and calls the whole study into question.

To be honest, the autism in CA question interests (and deeply concerns) me far more than this study.

[andrewducker]

Cheers. I'll read that when I get to work :->

The Californian bit was something I linked to it. I don't recall it being mentioned in the article.

[andrewducker]

I've emailed the man behind this to ask about sample sizes. If I get an answer back I'll let you know.

[nickys.livejournal.com]

There was some interesting research a while back on higher function autism and one of the conclusions is that, while some autism is genetic, in many cases it's not actually a completely separate thing to what is regarded as the normal male lack of emotional awareness. There is a spectrum of behaviours running continuously from what is regarded as entirely normal for men - lack of empathy/obsession with facts and numbers to behaviours we normally understand as autistic.
And apparently train-spotting runs in families. :o)

When I was an engineer I had one colleague who was clearly on the autistic spectrum, although at that stage he was undiagnosed. He was actually pretty good at interactions - he was just one of these people who had to be shouted at before he realised how annoying he was being.

My kids have been playing with a kid who is on the autistic spectrum today. It was very odd to watch how my kids (aged 7 and 8) were trying to communicate with him - exaggerating normal gestures and body language when he didn't understand, and then getting frustrated when he still didn't understand.