Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2019 Apr;49(4):1693-1699. doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3838-9.
Previous research found repetitive and restricted behaviors (RRBs) were less predictive of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in females, indicating the diagnostic construct may not adequately describe RRB presentations in females. This mixed-methods study investigated the female presentation of RRBs, namely restricted interests, in a clinic sample of 125 participants (n = 40 female; ages 2-83 years; 75 ASD). RRB severity did not differ between sexes, t = 1.69, p = 0.094, though male participants scored higher on the Restricted Behavior subscale. Qualitatively, females demonstrated a narrower range of restricted interests and expressed them in a socially oriented manner compared to males. The results suggest unique quantitative and qualitative sex differences in RRB profiles that could shed light on the female ASD phenotype.
先前的研究发现，重复性和局限性行为（RRB）在女性中对自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的预测性较低，这表明诊断结构可能无法充分描述女性中 RRB 的表现。这项混合方法研究调查了 125 名参与者（n=40 名女性；年龄 2-83 岁；75 名 ASD）的女性 RRB 表现，即局限性兴趣。RRB 的严重程度在性别间没有差异，t=1.69，p=0.094，尽管男性参与者在受限行为分量表上的得分更高。定性分析表明，与男性相比，女性表现出更窄范围的局限性兴趣，并以社交为导向表达这些兴趣。结果表明，RRB 特征存在独特的定量和定性性别差异，这可能有助于揭示女性 ASD 表型。
