feminism AND autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a pronounced male predominance, but the underlying neurobiological basis of this sex bias remains unclear. Gender incoherence (GI) theory suggests that ASD is more neurally androgynous than same-sex controls. Given its central role, altered structures and functions, and sex-dependent network differences in ASD, the triple network model, including the central executive network (CEN), default mode network (DMN), and salience network (SN), has emerged as a candidate for characterizing this sex difference...

Gender identity is a topic of growing interest in mental health research. People with non-conforming gender identity are prone to suffer from stigmatization and bullying, and often present with psychiatric issues. Transgender denotes the broad spectrum of individuals who identify differently from their assigned gender. Some transgender people meet the requirements of the "gender dysphoria" (GD) diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR (diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition, text revision). When these individuals seek or undergo a social transition from male to female or female to male, which in many, but not all, cases also involves a somatic transition by cross-sex hormone treatment and genital (gender affirming) surgery, they are categorized as "transsexual"...

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) target the endocrine system by interfering with the natural hormones in the body leading to adverse effects on human and animal health. These chemicals have been identified as major polluting agents in wastewater effluents. Pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial compounds, pesticides, dyes, and heavy metals are examples of substances that could be considered endocrine active chemicals. In humans, these chemicals could cause obesity, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, autism, reproductive abnormalities, and thyroid problems...

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia have been conceived as partly opposing disorders in terms of systemizing vs. empathizing cognitive styles, with resemblances to male vs. female average sex differences. Left-right asymmetry of the brain is an important aspect of its organization that shows average differences between the sexes and can be altered in both ASD and schizophrenia. Here we mapped multivariate associations of polygenic risk scores for ASD and schizophrenia with asymmetries of regional cerebral cortical surface area, thickness, and subcortical volume measures in 32,256 participants from the UK Biobank...

Females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been long overlooked in neuroscience research, but emerging evidence suggests they show distinct phenotypic trajectories and age-related brain differences. Sex-related biological factors (e.g., hormones, genes) may play a role in ASD etiology and have been shown to influence neurodevelopmental trajectories. Thus, a lifespan approach is warranted to understand brain-based sex differences in ASD. This systematic review on MRI-based sex differences in ASD was conducted to elucidate variations across the lifespan and inform biomarker discovery of ASD in females We identified articles through two database searches...

In popular media, autistic subjectivity is most often produced through the lens of the neurotypical gaze. Dominant understandings of autism therefore tend to focus on perceived deficits in social communication and relationships. Accordingly, this article has two primary concerns. First, it uses the Danish/Swedish television series The Bridge (Bron/Broen, 2011-2018) and critical responses to the series as examples of how the neurotypical gaze operates, concentrating on the pleasures derived from looking at autism, how autism is 'fixed' (Frantz Fanon, 1986) as a socially undesirable subject position, and the self-interested focus of the gaze...

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are far more prevalent in males than in females. Little is known however about the differential neural expression of ASD in males and females. We used a resting-state fMRI-dataset comprising 42 males/42 females with ASD and 75 male/75 female typical-controls to examine whether autism-related alterations in intrinsic functional connectivity are similar or different in males and females, and particularly whether alterations reflect 'neural masculinization', as predicted by the Extreme Male Brain theory...

BACKGROUND: The 'extreme male brain' theory suggests that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an extreme variant of male intelligence. However, somewhat paradoxically, many individuals with ASD display androgynous physical features regardless of gender. AIMS: To assess physical measures, supposedly related to androgen influence, in adults with and without ASD. METHOD: Serum hormone levels, anthropometry, the ratio of 2nd to 4th digit length (2D:4D) and psychiatric symptomatology were measured in 50 adults with high-functioning ASD and age- and gender-matched neurotypical controls...