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Sex differences in the association between infant markers and later autistic traits

Rachael Bedford1, Emily J H Jones2, Mark H Johnson2

  • 1Biostatistics Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.

Molecular Autism
|April 2, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Early autism markers predict later symptoms only in boys, suggesting sex-specific protective factors influence autism spectrum disorder (ASD) development. Further research is needed to identify these factors.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more prevalent in males than females.
  • Underlying mechanisms and developmental trajectories of sex differences in ASD are poorly understood.
  • Sex-specific risk or protective factors are hypothesized but not yet identified.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate sex differences in early infant markers predictive of autism symptoms.
  • To determine if sex differences exist in these markers at one year of age.
  • To explore the moderating effect of sex on the relationship between early markers and later autism traits.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective study of 104 infants at high and low familial risk for ASD.
  • Examined three markers: Autism Observation Scale for Infants (AOSI) score, attention disengagement speed, and gaze following.
  • Assessed these markers at 1 year and related them to autism traits at 3 years.

Main Results:

  • No sex differences were observed in the three infant markers at 1 year of age.
  • All three markers significantly predicted 3-year autism traits exclusively in boys.
  • This indicates a sex-specific relationship between early markers and later autism symptoms.

Conclusions:

  • Early autism markers are associated with later symptoms only in males.
  • Suggests the presence of unidentified moderating risk or protective factors influencing sex differences in ASD.
  • Highlights the importance of considering sex as a moderator in prospective ASD research.
Abstract

Keywords:
AutismDifferential liabilityHigh riskInfantsSex difference

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