Autism, thy name is man: Exploring implicit and explicit gender bias in autism perceptions.

ABSTRACT: Males are around three times more likely to possess an autism diagnosis than females. For years this was explained by accounts that considered the male gender more compatible with the autistic phenotype. However, new research suggests that a lack of understanding and recognition of the female autistic phenotype, and a predisposition to associate males with autistic traits, could lead to structural inequalities that hinder the identification of autistic females. To explore how autism and gender are more widely perceived, the present study tested implicit and explicit associations between autism and binary gender using the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and the Autism Quotient (AQ) presented alongside a male or female vignette. A significant association was found on the IAT, identifying an

SUBMITTER: Brickhill R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10446214 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature