ERIC Number: EJ855111
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1362-3613
EISSN: N/A
Autistic Features in Girls from a Psychiatric Sample Are Strongly Associated with a Low 2D:4D Ratio
De Bruin, Esther I.; De Nijs, Pieter F. A.; Verheij, Fop; Verhagen, Debora H.; Ferdinand, Robert F.
Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, v13 n5 p511-521 2009
Autistic features such as deficits in social interactions and communication have been associated with a low 2D:4D ratio in normal children.This study assessed this association in a large sample of children with a variety of psychiatric disorders (n = 35 girls and n = 147 boys). Autistic features were assessed with a highly valid and reliable measure (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic). Correlations between the 2D:4D ratio and autistic features were computed separately for boys and girls. Some small negative correlations (r = -0.17 and r = -0.19) were found in the right hand for boys; however, particularly in girls, large negative correlations (r = -0.51 to r = -0.64) were found in the left hand. A low 2D:4D ratio in girls was highly predictive of the presence of autistic features. Thus, a low ratio could possibly be used as a diagnostic predictor in clinical practice. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)
Descriptors: Females, Autism, Males, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Mental Disorders, Correlation, Gender Differences, Human Body, Children, Early Adolescents, Predictor Variables, Questionnaires, Foreign Countries, Behavior Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Parent Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Netherlands
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A