Sex Differences in Early Social Communication Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in the domains of communication, social interaction, and the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). ASD is diagnosed more frequently in mal...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | English English |
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Florida State University
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| Online Access: | http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-5132 |
| Summary: | Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in the domains of communication, social interaction, and the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). ASD is diagnosed more frequently in males than females, with children receiving diagnoses of ASD at increasingly earlier ages. In spite of the tremendous amount of research documenting various aspects of ASD, only a modest body of research examining sex differences exists. The present study examined sex differences in adaptive behavior and autism symptomatology in children with ASD and also examined sex differences in developmental functioning and early social communication profiles in children with ASD and typical development (TD). There were 288 participants (54 female) in the ASD group and 222 (59 female) in the TD group. Participants were recruited from the Florida State University (FSU) FIRST WORDS® Project and University of Michigan Autism and Communication Disorders Center (UMACC). Analyses did not reveal significant effects of sex or a significant diagnostic group by sex interaction. The results from this study contributes to the conflicting research findings which have inconsistently documented sex differences in individuals with ASD with respect to cognitive functioning and autism symptomatology. Future research that systematically examines the ASD phenotype in males and females across age and developmental level is necessary. === A Thesis submitted to the Department of Psychology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. === Summer Semester, 2012. === May 31, 2012. === Adaptive behavior, Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cognitive functioning, Early communication, Sex differences === Includes bibliographical references. === Amy M. Wetherby, Professor Directing Thesis; Janet Kistner, Committee Member; Carol Connor, Committee Member. |
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