Biological Key Issue: Is autism an extreme male brain condition?
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability. It is usually diagnosed around the ages of 3-4 but is thought to be present from
birth. It is part of the autistic spectrum and is sometimes referred to as an autism spectrum disorder, or an ASD.
People with autism find the following difficult:
Explaining the issue
Brain structure
Male brains are heavier than females. In people with autism the brain is even heavier
Male brains grow more quickly than females during early development. In people with autism this growth is even faster
Males have a smaller corpus callosum than females. In people with autism this is even smaller
The amygdala is larger in males. Brain scans of toddlers with autism show their amygdala to be abnormally large in comparison to toddlers without autism
Brain function
Males are generally better at spatial tasks such as map reading than females. People with autism seem to be even better than normal males at spatial tasks
Males develop language more slowly than females. People with autism develop language very slowly
However males tend to be more lateralised than females who use both hemispheres when performing language tasks
If the male brain theory is true we would expect people with autism would show even stronger lateralisation. This is not the case so does not support the theory
Role of Hormones
There are three times more males than females with autism. Males have greater exposure to male hormones than females as they are produced by the testes. Females do have some exposure to male hormones which are produced in the adrenal gland. This would account for why some females also have autism – this could have led to the possibility of a male brain structure.
Other biological explanations
Strong concordance rate for autism – 60 – 90% for MZ twins compared to just 5% for DZ twins
Autism could be due to undiagnosed PKU – a build up of this in the body prevents normal brain development so if undiagnosed could result in abnormal brain conditions
Evaluation
Biological accounts are scientific and objective.
Research has been conducted by Baron-Cohen to support explanations for autism however more research is needed to draw firm conclusions. Baron-Cohen’s research also looks at cognitive explanations, where he suggests that those with autism suffer mind blindness. This suggests the extreme male brain condition is not the only explanation for autism.
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability. It is usually diagnosed around the ages of 3-4 but is thought to be present from
birth. It is part of the autistic spectrum and is sometimes referred to as an autism spectrum disorder, or an ASD.
People with autism find the following difficult:
- Social communication – autistic children can find it hard to understand facial
expression, tone of voice, jokes, and phrases. - Social
interaction e.g. do not understand turn taking, may seem insensitive as do not
understand others emotions, act inappropriately - Social imagination – unable
to see things from others perspectives, find it hard to predict what will happen
next, find imaginative play difficult, find new situations difficult to cope
with.
Explaining the issue
Brain structure
Male brains are heavier than females. In people with autism the brain is even heavier
Male brains grow more quickly than females during early development. In people with autism this growth is even faster
Males have a smaller corpus callosum than females. In people with autism this is even smaller
The amygdala is larger in males. Brain scans of toddlers with autism show their amygdala to be abnormally large in comparison to toddlers without autism
Brain function
Males are generally better at spatial tasks such as map reading than females. People with autism seem to be even better than normal males at spatial tasks
Males develop language more slowly than females. People with autism develop language very slowly
However males tend to be more lateralised than females who use both hemispheres when performing language tasks
If the male brain theory is true we would expect people with autism would show even stronger lateralisation. This is not the case so does not support the theory
Role of Hormones
There are three times more males than females with autism. Males have greater exposure to male hormones than females as they are produced by the testes. Females do have some exposure to male hormones which are produced in the adrenal gland. This would account for why some females also have autism – this could have led to the possibility of a male brain structure.
Other biological explanations
Strong concordance rate for autism – 60 – 90% for MZ twins compared to just 5% for DZ twins
Autism could be due to undiagnosed PKU – a build up of this in the body prevents normal brain development so if undiagnosed could result in abnormal brain conditions
Evaluation
Biological accounts are scientific and objective.
Research has been conducted by Baron-Cohen to support explanations for autism however more research is needed to draw firm conclusions. Baron-Cohen’s research also looks at cognitive explanations, where he suggests that those with autism suffer mind blindness. This suggests the extreme male brain condition is not the only explanation for autism.