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Sibling sex ratio of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as children
Author(s) -
MOURIDSEN SVEND ERIK,
RICH BENTE,
ISAGER TORBEN
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
developmental medicine and child neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.658
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1469-8749
pISSN - 0012-1622
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2009.03368.x
Subject(s) - autism spectrum disorder , sibling , psychology , autism , developmental psychology , pediatrics , medicine
Aim To study the sex ratio (proportion of males) in siblings of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) as children. Method In the current study, we extended previous studies dealing with the androgen theory of autism and examined sex ratios in the siblings of 326 individuals with ASD (245 males, 81 females) who had been consecutively assessed at two Danish university clinics of child psychiatry during the 25‐year period from 1960 to 1985. Results Among the 513 siblings, 300 were males and 213 females. This yields a sex ratio of 0.585, which is significantly higher than the Danish live‐birth sex ratio over the same period (0.514, p =0.001). The sibling sex ratio was not associated with the IQ in the autistic probands. Interpretation Our findings suggest a potential indirect confirmation of the androgen theory of autism.