Cited by 2,804Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchChild Nutrition and Feeding IssuesSexual Differentiation and Disorders

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 85 of the 86 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

What Is the Male-to-Female Ratio in Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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Loomes, Rachel, Hull, Laura, Mandy, William Polmear Locke·2017·Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Abstract

Objective To derive the first systematically calculated estimate of the relative proportion of boys and girls with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through a meta-analysis of prevalence studies conducted since the introduction of the DSM-IV and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision.Method Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. The Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO databases were searched, and study quality was rated using a risk-of-bias tool. Random-effects meta-analysis was used. The pooled outcome measurement was the male-to-female odds ratio (MFOR), namely the odds of being male in the group with ASD compared with the non-ASD group. In effect, this is the ASD male-to-female ratio, controlling for the male-to-female ratio among participants without ASD.Results Fifty-four studies were analyzed, with 13,784,284 participants, of whom 53,712 had ASD (43,972 boys and 9,740 girls). The overall pooled MFOR was 4.20 (95% CI 3.84-4.60), but there was very substantial between-study variability (I 2 = 90.9%). High-quality studies had a lower MFOR (3.32; 95% CI 2.88-3.84). Studies that screened the general population to identify participants regardless of whether they already had an ASD diagnosis showed a lower MFOR (3.25; 95% CI 2.93-3.62) than studies that only ascertained participants with a pre-existing ASD diagnosis (MFOR 4.56; 95% CI 4.10-5.07).Conclusion Of children meeting criteria for ASD, the true male-to-female ratio is not 4:1, as is often assumed; rather, it is closer to 3:1. There appears to be a diagnostic gender bias, meaning that girls who meet criteria for ASD are at disproportionate risk of not receiving a clinical diagnosis.

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  1. 2014, Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders—autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, 11 sites, United States, 2010, MMWR Surveill Summ, 63, 1

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Metadata

Authors
Loomes, R., Hull, L., & Mandy, W. P. L.
Affiliations
University College London (GB)
Venue
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-06
Volume
56
Issue
6
Pages
466-474
ISSN
0890-8567 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2604697269
Cited by
2,804
References
86
Citations by year
2026: 371 · 2025: 334 · 2024: 398 · 2023: 355 · 2022: 357 · 2021: 366 · 2020: 331 · 2019: 177 · 2018: 91 · 2017: 19
FWCI
18.91
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, sex ratio, male-to-female ratio, prevalence, risk of bias
MeSH terms
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Population Surveillance, Sex Factors

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