Autism's gender patterns. Having one child with autism is a well-known risk factor for having another one with the same disorder, but whether and how a sibling's gender influences this risk has remained largely unknown. Now new research has, for the first time, successfully quantified the likelihood that a family who has one child with autism would have another one with the same disorder based on the siblings' gender. Source 6f.
Researchers identify role sex-biased protein may play in autism. Researchers are one step closer to helping answer the question of why autism is four times more common in boys than in girls after identifying and characterizing the connection of certain proteins in the brain to autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Source 7p.
I feel it has to do with genetics or mutation to some kind of degree, I think it's either happening during the mother's pregnancy or the genes 'activate' when certain factors as met (E.g environment), causing the dramatic change of mind, body and neurological developments.
Girls and boys on autism spectrum tell stories differently, could explain 'missed diagnosis' in girls. A new study examined differences in the way girls and boys on the autism spectrum used certain types of words during storytelling. This study found that autistic girls used significantly more 'cognitive process' words such as 'think' and 'know' than autistic boys, despite comparable autism symptom severity. Source 3b.
Epidemiological studies indicate that there are 3 times as many boys affected with autism as girls, but clinical studies indicate a much greater preponderance in favor of boys. There is underdetection of autism with a late or wrong diagnosis more frequently in girls and women with autism.