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Autism spectrum disorders - gender differences and the diagnosis dilemma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2023

J. D. C. Moura ,
J. Leal ,
J. F. Cunha ,
D. Seabra ,
S. Torres ,
T. Rocha ,
I. Lopes  and
B. Barata
J. D. C. Moura*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar Barreiro-Montijo, Lisboa, Portugal
J. Leal
Affiliation:
Departamento de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar Barreiro-Montijo, Lisboa, Portugal
J. F. Cunha
Affiliation:
Departamento de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar Barreiro-Montijo, Lisboa, Portugal
D. Seabra
Affiliation:
Departamento de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar Barreiro-Montijo, Lisboa, Portugal
S. Torres
Affiliation:
Departamento de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar Barreiro-Montijo, Lisboa, Portugal
T. Rocha
Affiliation:
Departamento de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar Barreiro-Montijo, Lisboa, Portugal
I. Lopes
Affiliation:
Departamento de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar Barreiro-Montijo, Lisboa, Portugal
B. Barata
Affiliation:
Departamento de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar Barreiro-Montijo, Lisboa, Portugal
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social and communication deficits and restricted and repetitive or stereotyped behaviours. The prevalence of ASD has been thought to be higher in men, which may reflect aspects of the own aetiology of the disorder. Still, it may also be associated with misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis of females with autism due to specific phenotypic traits.

Objectives

To explore the differences between sex/gender in autism’s clinical presentation.

Methods

Non-systematic literature review using the most relevant papers found on PubMed and Google Scholar using the following keywords: “autism spectrum disorder”, “gender differences”, and “autistic women”.

Results

Autistic women seem to have a “camouflage” phenomenon, characterized by a high level of functioning, less unusual play or restricted interests, better socio-emotional reciprocity and coping behaviours. Therefore, women with ASD commonly have an anteriority of multiple diagnoses, which delays their access to the support and care they need.

Conclusions

Professionals must be aware of the sex/gender clinical differences to prevent the misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis of females with autism. Moreover, the current clinical criteria used to diagnose ASD may underserve the female population and deserve to be reviewed.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 66 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 31st European Congress of Psychiatry , March 2023 , pp. S726
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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