Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, 1379 Seymour Street, Halifax, NS B3H 3M6, Canada.
J Bioeth Inq. 2012 Mar;9(1):93-103. doi: 10.1007/s11673-011-9350-y. Epub 2012 Jan 5.
Autism, typically described as a spectrum neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in verbal ability and social reciprocity as well as obsessive or repetitious behaviours, is currently thought to markedly affect more males than females. Not surprisingly, this encourages a gendered understanding of the Autism Spectrum. Simon Baron-Cohen, a prominent authority in the field of autism research, characterizes the male brain type as biased toward systemizing. In contrast, the female brain type is understood to be biased toward empathizing. Since persons with autism are characterized as hyper-systemizers and hypo-empathizers, Baron-Cohen suggests that, whether they are male or female, most possess an "extreme male brain profile." We argue that Baron-Cohen is misled by an unpersuasive gendering of certain capacities or aptitudes in the human population. Moreover, we suggest that this may inadvertently favour boys in diagnosing children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. If this is correct, it could also have rather serious consequences for treatment and services for girls (and women) on the Autism Spectrum.
自闭症，通常被描述为一种谱系神经发育障碍，其特征是言语能力和社会互惠方面的损伤，以及强迫性或重复性的行为，目前被认为明显影响男性多于女性。毫不奇怪，这鼓励了对自闭症谱系的性别化理解。自闭症研究领域的权威人士西蒙·巴伦-科恩（Simon Baron-Cohen）将男性大脑类型描述为偏向于系统化。相比之下，女性大脑类型被理解为偏向于共情。由于自闭症患者被描述为过度系统化和同理心不足，巴伦-科恩（Baron-Cohen）认为，无论他们是男性还是女性，大多数人都具有“极端男性大脑特征”。我们认为，巴伦-科恩（Baron-Cohen）被人类群体中某些能力或才能的说服力不强的性别化所误导。此外，我们还认为，这可能会在诊断自闭症谱系障碍儿童时无意中偏向男孩。如果这是正确的，那么对于自闭症谱系上的女孩（和女性）的治疗和服务也可能会产生相当严重的后果。
