scholarly journals Mentalising Moderates the Link between Autism Traits and Current Gender Dysphoric Features in Primarily Non-autistic, Cisgender Individuals

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 4148-4157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimilia Kallitsounaki ◽  
David Williams
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Gender Dysphoria ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Population Number ◽  
Autism Traits ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Mind

Abstract The co-occurrence between autism and gender dysphoria has received much attention recently. We found that, among 101 adults from the general population number of autism traits, as measured using the autism-spectrum quotient was associated significantly with recalled and current gender dysphoric traits. Furthermore, performance on an objective measure of mentalising, such as the “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” test was associated with current gender dysphoric traits, but most importantly it moderated the relation between number of autism traits and number of current gender dysphoric traits, such that the association was significant only when mentalising ability was relatively low. Results suggest mentalising may represent a contributing factor to the relation between autism and gender dysphoric traits in the general population.

Short Report: Speeded Reasoning Moderates the Inverse Relationship Between Autistic-Like Traits and Emotion Recognition

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Bertrams ◽  
Katja Schlegel
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Inverse Relationship ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Short Report ◽  
Reasoning Ability ◽  
Reasoning Test ◽  
The Mind

People high in autistic-like traits have been found to have difficulties with recognizing emotions from nonverbal expressions. However, findings on the autism—emotion recognition relationship are inconsistent. In the present study, we investigated whether speeded reasoning ability (reasoning performance under time pressure) moderates the inverse relationship between autistic-like traits and emotion recognition performance. We expected the negative correlation between autistic-like traits and emotion recognition to be less strong when speeded reasoning ability was high. MTurkers (N = 217) completed the ten item version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10), two emotion recognition tests using videos with sound (Geneva Emotion Recognition Test, GERT-S) and pictures (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, RMET), and Baddeley's Grammatical Reasoning test to measure speeded reasoning. As expected, the higher the ability in speeded reasoning, the less were higher autistic-like traits related to lower emotion recognition performance. These results suggest that a high ability in making quick mental inferences may (partly) compensate for difficulties with intuitive emotion recognition related to autistic-like traits.

scholarly journals The Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory (CATI): development and validation of a new measure of autistic traits in the general population

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. W. English ◽  
Gilles E. Gignac ◽  
Troy A. W. Visser ◽  
Andrew J. O. Whitehouse ◽  
James T. Enns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
General Population ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Predictive Ability ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Sensory Sensitivity ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Background Traits and characteristics qualitatively similar to those seen in diagnosed autism spectrum disorder can be found to varying degrees in the general population. To measure these traits and facilitate their use in autism research, several questionnaires have been developed that provide broad measures of autistic traits [e.g. Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ)]. However, since their development, our understanding of autism has grown considerably, and it is arguable that existing measures do not provide an ideal representation of the trait dimensions currently associated with autism. Our aim was to create a new measure of autistic traits that reflects our current understanding of autism, the Comprehensive Autism Trait Inventory (CATI). Methods In Study 1, 107 pilot items were administered to 1119 individuals in the general population and exploratory factor analysis of responses used to create the 42-item CATI comprising six subscales: Social Interactions, Communication, Social Camouflage, Repetitive Behaviours, Cognitive Rigidity, and Sensory Sensitivity. In Study 2, the CATI was administered to 1068 new individuals and confirmatory factor analysis used to verify the factor structure. The AQ and BAPQ were administered to validate the CATI, and additional autistic participants were recruited to compare the predictive ability of the measures. In Study 3, to validate the CATI subscales, the CATI was administered to 195 new individuals along with existing valid measures qualitatively similar to each CATI subscale. Results The CATI showed convergent validity at both the total-scale (r ≥ .79) and subscale level (r ≥ .68). The CATI also showed superior internal reliability for total-scale scores (α = .95) relative to the AQ (α = .90) and BAPQ (α = .94), consistently high reliability for subscales (α > .81), greater predictive ability for classifying autism (Youden’s Index = .62 vs .56–.59), and demonstrated measurement invariance for sex. Limitations Analyses of predictive ability for classifying autism depended upon self-reported diagnosis or identification of autism. The autistic sample was not large enough to test measurement invariance of autism diagnosis. Conclusions The CATI is a reliable and economical new measure that provides observations across a wide range of trait dimensions associated with autism, potentially precluding the need to administer multiple measures, and to our knowledge, the CATI is also the first broad measure of autistic traits to have dedicated subscales for social camouflage and sensory sensitivity.

scholarly journals Sensory Abnormality and Quantitative Autism Traits in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder in an Epidemiological Population

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 180-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Jussila ◽  
M. Junttila ◽  
M. Kielinen ◽  
H. Ebeling ◽  
L. Joskitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
General Population ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Screening Questionnaire ◽  
Sensory Abnormalities ◽  
Autism Traits ◽  
Parental Questionnaire ◽  
Sensory Abnormality ◽  
Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire

Abstract Sensory abnormalities (SAs) are recognized features in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and a relationship between SAs and ASD traits is also suggested in general population. Our aims were to estimate the prevalence of SAs in three different settings, and to study the association between SAs and quantitative autism traits (QAT) using the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) and a parental questionnaire. In an epidemiological population of 8-year-old children (n = 4397), the prevalence of SAs was 8.3%, in an ASD sample (n = 28), 53.6%, and in a non-ASD sample (n = 4369), 8.0%, respectively. Tactile and auditory hypersensitivity predicted an ASD diagnosis. The ASSQ was able to differentiate children with and without SA. In conclusion, QAT level and SAs were associated in all study samples.

scholarly journals Autistic traits are associated with the functional connectivity of between—but not within—attention systems in the general population

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayaka Yoshimura ◽  
Kei Kobayashi ◽  
Tsukasa Ueno ◽  
Takashi Miyagi ◽  
Naoya Oishi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
General Population ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Trait Level ◽  
Attention Systems

Abstract Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit dysfunction in the three attention systems (i.e., alerting, orienting, and executive control) as well as atypical relationships among these systems. Additionally, other studies have reported that individuals with subclinical but high levels of autistic traits show similar attentional tendencies to those observed in ASD. Based on these findings, it was hypothesized that autistic traits would affect the functions and relationships of the three attention systems in a general population. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed in 119 healthy adults to investigate relationships between autistic traits and within- and between-system functional connectivity (FC) among the three attention systems. Twenty-six regions of interest that were defined as components of the three attention systems by a previous task-based fMRI study were examined in terms of within- and between-system FC. We assessed autistic traits using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient.Results: Correlational analyses revealed that autistic traits were significantly correlated with between-system FC, but not with within-system FC. Conclusions: Our results imply that a high autistic trait level, even when subclinical, is associated with the way the three attention systems interact.

Autistic traits in Indian general population and patient group samples: distribution, factor structure, reliability and validity of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asmita Karmakar ◽  
Manisha Bhattacharya ◽  
Susmita Chatterjee ◽  
Atanu Kumar Dogra
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Patient Group ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Criterion Validity ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Compulsive Disorder

Purpose The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) is a widely used tool to quantify autistic traits in the general population. This study aims to report the distribution, group differences and factor structure of autistic traits in Indian general population. The work also assesses the criterion validity of AQ across three patient group samples – autism spectrum disorder (ASD), obsessive-compulsive disorder and social anxiety disorder. Design/methodology/approach In this study, psychometric properties of the adapted AQ were assessed among 450 neurotypical university students matched for age. Confirmatory factor analysis was done to see if the adapted AQ fits the original factor structure. Test–retest, internal consistency reliability and criterion validity were found out. Group differences (gender and field of study) in AQ were also assessed. Findings Autistic traits were found to be continuously distributed in the population, and patterns of group differences were consistent with previous studies. The adapted AQ had five factors resembling the original factor structure with a good fit, and 38 items instead of the original 50 items. Acceptable reliability coefficients were demonstrated along with criterion validity across clinical groups. Originality/value This work is the first to present the pattern of distribution and factor structure of autistic traits among neurotypical adults from Eastern India, a culturally different population, as well as a reliable and valid tool to assess autistic traits in Bengali, a language with 300 million speakers. The findings add to the growing literature on AQ measurement and the concept of autism as a quantitative trait, examined outside of the western samples.

scholarly journals Altered neuronal habituation to hearing others’ pain in adults with autistic traits

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Meng ◽  
Zuoshan Li ◽  
Lin Shen
Keyword(s):  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Passive Listening ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Listening Task

Abstract This study tested the hypothesis that autistic traits influence the neuronal habituation that underlies the processing of others’ pain. Based on their autism-spectrum quotient (AQ), two groups of participants were classified according to their autistic traits: High-AQ and Low-AQ groups. Their event-related potentials in response to trains of three identical audio recordings, exhibiting either painful or neutral feelings of others, were compared during three experimental tasks. (1) In a Pain Judgment Task, participants were instructed to focus on pain-related cues in the presented audio recordings. (2) In a Gender Judgment Task, participants were instructed to focus on non-pain-related cues in the presented audio recordings. (3) In a Passive Listening Task, participants were instructed to passively listen. In the High-AQ group, an altered empathic pattern of habituation, indexed by frontal-central P2 responses of the second repeated painful audio recordings, was found during the Passive Listening Task. Nevertheless, both High-AQ and Low-AQ groups exhibited similar patterns of habituation to hearing others’ voices, both neutral and painful, in the Pain Judgment and Gender Judgment Tasks. These results suggest altered empathic neuronal habituation in the passive processing of others’ vocal pain by individuals with autistic traits.

scholarly journals Autistic traits, empathizing-systemizing, and gender variance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Hendriks ◽  
Yimeng Wei ◽  
Varun Warrier ◽  
Gareth Richards
Keyword(s):  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Gender Variance ◽  
Gender Variant ◽  
Sexual Orientations ◽  
Extreme Male Brain ◽  
Brain Theory ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Extreme Male Brain Theory

Previous research indicates a link between autism and gender variance, though the basis for this association is not fully understood. The current study examined autistic traits (as measured by the Autism Spectrum Quotient [AQ]) and empathizing and systemizing (as measured by the Empathizing Quotient-Short [EQ-S] and Systemizing Quotient-Short [SQ-S]) in a sample of n=89 UK adults representing a broad range of gender identities and sexual orientations. Compared with cisgender individuals (i.e. those who identify as the same gender as that assigned at birth), gender variant participants had significantly higher AQ and SQ-S scores, and stronger systemizing relative to empathizing (D-score). Further analysis revealed that there were significant differences between cisgender females and those assigned female at birth who do not identify as female (transgender AFAB), but not between cisgender males and those assigned male at birth who do not identify as male (transgender AMAB). These findings are broadly in line with the extreme male brain theory of autism, and may be relevant for developing effective support for gender variant and/or autistic individuals.

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