Interesting theory,perhaps they'll find the answer and the cure in my son's lifetime
Could a Too-Male Brain Be One Cause of Autism?, Wall Street Journal,
By ROBERT MCGOUGH
7/16/2003 --
A respected cognitive scientist at Cambridge University has proposed a provocative theory: Autism can best be understood as an extreme version of the male brain.
Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen defines the "extreme male brain" in quite a different way than being macho. He refers to two cognitive characteristics that differ measurably in most men and women.
Women, he says, are slightly more empathetic than men on average -- that is, they are more likely to recognize, and respond to, the emotions of others. In tests, women are better at recognizing the emotions conveyed in photographs of eyes. In a skill related to social interaction, girls tend to develop language abilities and vocabulary faster than boys. Various studies show that women use both sides of their brains for language, while men use only one side, he says.
Men, meanwhile, are on average slightly better at understanding systems that respond to inputs and outputs, he says. Examples include math, engineering and carpentry, fields that tend to be dominated by men. Systemizing, while a good way of interacting with things, is not a good way of handling the subtleties of social interaction, Dr. Baron-Cohen argues.
Lack of empathy, late development of language skills and expertise in systems, taken to an extreme, describe many autistic people.
There are other clues that autism may be linked to gender. Among those with classic autism, males outnumber females four to one, and among those with Asperger's Syndrome, which resembles a type of high-functioning autism, males outnumber females nine or 10 to one.
If Dr. Baron-Cohen is right, his theory may lead to new options for detection of autism, and one day could even lead to prevention or treatment.
Dr. Baron-Cohen "has got a handle on one thing that's been noticed for a long time and nobody's dared to deal with it," says Uta Frith, a professor at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. "This theory is ambitious, and it may not explain everything about autism," she adds, but currently there is no theory explaining all of autism.
Some researchers think it is an audacious leap to go from maleness to autism. Isabelle Rapin, a professor of neurology and pediatric neurology at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, finds Dr. Baron-Cohen's theory "provocative" but adds that "it does not account for some of the many neurological features of the disorder, like the motor symptoms [such as repetitive movements and clumsiness], the sleep problems or the seizures."
Others worry that the term "extreme male brain" could be misinterpreted. Males are commonly associated with "qualities such as aggression," says Helen Tager-Flusberg, professor of anatomy and neurobiology at Boston University School of Medicine. "What's dangerous is that's the inference people will make: Oh, these are extreme males."
Dr. Baron-Cohen concedes that his theory, outlined in a recent book, "The Essential Difference," might be used to pigeon-hole men or women, or that he could be disparaged as sexist. He says many women have exceptional skills at systemizing, and individual men can excel at empathy.
Still, he argues that the autistic person -- male or female -- often has an extreme ability to systemize. This would help explain the remarkable mathematical ability of some high-functioning autistics, as celebrated in the movie "Rain Man," or the ability to memorize reams of arcane information.
He also argues that this systemizing bent may help explain the repetitive behavior of some autistic people. An autistic child "might take the wheel of a toy car and spin it around for hours," he says. "We often describe this as purposeless repetitive behavior. But from this new perspective, they are trying to systemize," to learn small details of how the wheel turns with varying force, or how different diameter wheels turn at different speeds.
Another hint of the connection between systemizing and autism: "If you look at the occupations of fathers of children with autism, you find higher rates of fathers in engineering." In a study he did of more than 1,000 Cambridge University students, science-oriented students, including those studying engineering, mathematics and computer science, had a higher rate of autism in their families than humanities students.
Why? A freezer in the basement of a laboratory at Cambridge may hold a vital clue. Inside the freezer are test tubes with samples of amniotic fluid from 3,000 children born in England two to four years ago. That fluid shows how much testosterone the children were exposed to in the fetus.
Already, Dr. Baron-Cohen and colleagues have checked some of those children at ages 12 months and 24 months. While autism isn't usually diagnosed so early, the researchers did find that the higher the levels of fetal testosterone, the less the children made eye contact with others. A hallmark of autism is a marked lack of eye contact. Moreover, the children with lower levels of fetal testosterone had larger vocabularies.
Now the team is tracking down children who are diagnosed with autism, Asperger's Syndrome or related conditions, such as language delay and low social sensitivity, and then checking their amniotic fluid for testosterone. The results won't likely be known for another year.
If evidence supports Dr. Baron-Cohen's theory, parents could one day face the type of ethical challenges familiar in other lines of genetic research: Should they screen for testosterone as an indicator of risk for autism? Should they seek any treatments that are developed to counteract it?
Dr. Baron-Cohen cringes at talk of "treating" autistic people, saying that while some suffer because of their condition, others consider it an integral part of themselves they wouldn't want to change.
He also says the world might be poorer without them. He cites evidence that some greats of science and mathematics, such as Isaac Newton, might have had autistic tendencies
Could a Too-Male Brain Be One Cause of Autism?, Wall Street Journal,
By ROBERT MCGOUGH
7/16/2003 --
A respected cognitive scientist at Cambridge University has proposed a provocative theory: Autism can best be understood as an extreme version of the male brain.
Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen defines the "extreme male brain" in quite a different way than being macho. He refers to two cognitive characteristics that differ measurably in most men and women.
Women, he says, are slightly more empathetic than men on average -- that is, they are more likely to recognize, and respond to, the emotions of others. In tests, women are better at recognizing the emotions conveyed in photographs of eyes. In a skill related to social interaction, girls tend to develop language abilities and vocabulary faster than boys. Various studies show that women use both sides of their brains for language, while men use only one side, he says.
Men, meanwhile, are on average slightly better at understanding systems that respond to inputs and outputs, he says. Examples include math, engineering and carpentry, fields that tend to be dominated by men. Systemizing, while a good way of interacting with things, is not a good way of handling the subtleties of social interaction, Dr. Baron-Cohen argues.
Lack of empathy, late development of language skills and expertise in systems, taken to an extreme, describe many autistic people.
There are other clues that autism may be linked to gender. Among those with classic autism, males outnumber females four to one, and among those with Asperger's Syndrome, which resembles a type of high-functioning autism, males outnumber females nine or 10 to one.
If Dr. Baron-Cohen is right, his theory may lead to new options for detection of autism, and one day could even lead to prevention or treatment.
Dr. Baron-Cohen "has got a handle on one thing that's been noticed for a long time and nobody's dared to deal with it," says Uta Frith, a professor at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. "This theory is ambitious, and it may not explain everything about autism," she adds, but currently there is no theory explaining all of autism.
Some researchers think it is an audacious leap to go from maleness to autism. Isabelle Rapin, a professor of neurology and pediatric neurology at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, finds Dr. Baron-Cohen's theory "provocative" but adds that "it does not account for some of the many neurological features of the disorder, like the motor symptoms [such as repetitive movements and clumsiness], the sleep problems or the seizures."
Others worry that the term "extreme male brain" could be misinterpreted. Males are commonly associated with "qualities such as aggression," says Helen Tager-Flusberg, professor of anatomy and neurobiology at Boston University School of Medicine. "What's dangerous is that's the inference people will make: Oh, these are extreme males."
Dr. Baron-Cohen concedes that his theory, outlined in a recent book, "The Essential Difference," might be used to pigeon-hole men or women, or that he could be disparaged as sexist. He says many women have exceptional skills at systemizing, and individual men can excel at empathy.
Still, he argues that the autistic person -- male or female -- often has an extreme ability to systemize. This would help explain the remarkable mathematical ability of some high-functioning autistics, as celebrated in the movie "Rain Man," or the ability to memorize reams of arcane information.
He also argues that this systemizing bent may help explain the repetitive behavior of some autistic people. An autistic child "might take the wheel of a toy car and spin it around for hours," he says. "We often describe this as purposeless repetitive behavior. But from this new perspective, they are trying to systemize," to learn small details of how the wheel turns with varying force, or how different diameter wheels turn at different speeds.
Another hint of the connection between systemizing and autism: "If you look at the occupations of fathers of children with autism, you find higher rates of fathers in engineering." In a study he did of more than 1,000 Cambridge University students, science-oriented students, including those studying engineering, mathematics and computer science, had a higher rate of autism in their families than humanities students.
Why? A freezer in the basement of a laboratory at Cambridge may hold a vital clue. Inside the freezer are test tubes with samples of amniotic fluid from 3,000 children born in England two to four years ago. That fluid shows how much testosterone the children were exposed to in the fetus.
Already, Dr. Baron-Cohen and colleagues have checked some of those children at ages 12 months and 24 months. While autism isn't usually diagnosed so early, the researchers did find that the higher the levels of fetal testosterone, the less the children made eye contact with others. A hallmark of autism is a marked lack of eye contact. Moreover, the children with lower levels of fetal testosterone had larger vocabularies.
Now the team is tracking down children who are diagnosed with autism, Asperger's Syndrome or related conditions, such as language delay and low social sensitivity, and then checking their amniotic fluid for testosterone. The results won't likely be known for another year.
If evidence supports Dr. Baron-Cohen's theory, parents could one day face the type of ethical challenges familiar in other lines of genetic research: Should they screen for testosterone as an indicator of risk for autism? Should they seek any treatments that are developed to counteract it?
Dr. Baron-Cohen cringes at talk of "treating" autistic people, saying that while some suffer because of their condition, others consider it an integral part of themselves they wouldn't want to change.
He also says the world might be poorer without them. He cites evidence that some greats of science and mathematics, such as Isaac Newton, might have had autistic tendencies
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