Sex differences in number of children administratively classified as mildly mentally retarded: an epidemiological review.

Many epidemiological studies of mental retardation have shown a higher prevalence of boys than girls. Data were reviewed from various studies consistently showing that the highest male/female ratios are found at the upper end of the IQ range for children classified as mentally retarded. One reason for this may be that boys with IQs at the upper end of this range have greater difficulty than girls in meeting the requirements of school performance. Factors that may cause boys to experience more difficulties than girls in the early school years were reviewed.