Profil Gaya Kognitif Empathizing-Systemizing pada Anak Indonesia

Abstract—The present study examined Empathizing-Systemizing Theory (E-S Theory) in Indonesian Children. E-S Theory has known as a theory that is attempted to explain the cluster of both the social and non-social features in autism spectrum conditions. Children’s version of the Empathy Quotient (EQ-C) and the Systemizing Quotient (SQ-C) were administered to 372 Indonesia parents who had typically developed children aged 4-11 years old (boys = 182, girls = 190). The results showed that the girls scored higher that boys on EQ-C . In the case of SQ-C, there were no differences between boys and girls. However, the proportion of cognitive style shows clear individual differences between boys and girls. The proportion of participants with empathizing dominant cognitive sytle was shown higher by girls than boys, which distributed to E and Extreme E brain types, while the proportion of systemizing dominant cognitive styles is higher in boys whom brain types spread across the Type S and Extreme S categories. This study explaining inherited biological factors of autism and underscore the vulnerability among boys to develop autism spectrum condition if compared to girls. Keywords: Empathizing Quotient (EQ), extreme male brain of autism, sex, Systemizing Quotient (SQ) Abstrak—Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji teori Empathizing-Systemizing (E-S Theory) pada konteks anak Indonesia. E-S Theory dikenal sebagai sebuah teori yang digunakan untuk melihat gugus fitur sosial dan non-sosial kondisi spektrum autisme. Subjek penelitian ini adalah 372 orang tua Indonesia dengan anak berusia 4-11 tahun (anak laki-laki = 182, perempuan = 190), M usia = 7 Tahun, SD= 2.423 yang diminta untuk mengisi skala Empathizing Quotient (EQ) dan Systemizing Quotient (SQ). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa bahwa tingkat empati anak perempuan lebih tinggi daripada tingkat empati anak laki-laki. Dalam hal mensistemasi tidak ditemukan adanya perbedaan kemampuan antara anak laki-laki dan perempuan. Namun, proporsi gaya kognitif menunjukkan adanya perbedaan individual yang signifikan antara anak laki-laki dan perempuan. Gaya kognitif dominan berempati lebih tinggi pada anak perempuan, yang tersebar pada kategori tipe otak E dan Ekstrim E, sedangkan proporsi gaya kognitif mensistemasi lebih tinggi pada anak laki-laki dengan tipe otak yang tersebar pada kategori Tipe S dan Ekstrim S. Hasil penelitian ini memberikan bukti adanya faktor biologis bawaan dari autism ditinjau dari jenis kelamin dan menunjukkan kerentanan bawaan anak laki-laki terhadap kondisi autism jika dibandingkan dengan anak perempuan. Kata kunci: Empathizing Quotient (EQ), extreme male brain of autism, jenis kelamin, Systemizing Quotient (SQ)

Autistic traits, systemising, empathising, and theory of mind in transgender and non-binary adults

Background Prior research examining autistic traits in gender minority adults has reported mixed findings. Most prior studies did not include non-binary individuals. Little is known about the mechanisms shaping autistic traits in gender minority adults. This study examined autistic traits, as well as constructs related to the extreme male brain theory of autism and the mindblindness theory, in transgender and non-binary adults. Methods An online survey was conducted to assess autism-related traits in 323 gender minority adults, including 74 transgender men (individuals assigned female at birth and identify as a man), 95 transgender women (individuals assigned male at birth and identify as a woman), 104 non-binary AFAB (individuals assigned female at birth and identify as non-binary), and 50 non-binary AMAB (individuals assigned male at birth and identify as non-binary). Autistic traits, systemising, empathising, and Theory of Mind (ToM) were measured using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the short forms of the Systemising Quotient (SQ-Short) and the Empathy Quotient (EQ-Short), the 10-item version of the Empathy Quotient (EQ-10) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (Eyes Test). Participants’ scores on these measures were compared with previously published scores based on large-scale general population samples including thousands of participants. Results On average, compared with control females in the general population samples, both transgender men and non-binary AFAB scored significantly higher on the AQ and the SQ-Short but scored significantly lower on the EQ-Short, the EQ-10, and the Eyes Test. No clear or consistent group differences emerged when transgender women and non-binary AMAB were compared with control males. Limitations The present study does not have a large sample of gender minority adults. It has been argued that the measures employed may not provide a precise assessment of the psychological constructs of interest. The present study has a “non-clinical” sample. However, not all gender minorities have access to or require clinical services, and so a “non-clinical” sample may be more representative of the gender minority community as a whole than samples recruited through clinics. Conclusions The current findings suggest a “masculinised” autism-related profile and reduced ToM in transgender men and in non-binary AFAB. These findings might be interpreted to support the extreme male brain theory of autism and the mindblindness theory. Further research is needed to corroborate these findings.

Autistic traits, empathizing-systemizing, and gender variance

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.

AMBRA1, Autophagy, and the Extreme Male Brain Theory of Autism

The extreme male brain theory of autism posits that its male bias is mediated by exaggeration of male-biased sex differences in the expression of autism-associated traits found in typical populations. The theory is supported by extensive phenotypic evidence, but no genes have yet been described with properties that fit its predictions. The autophagy-associated gene AMBRA1 represents one of the top genome-wide “hits” in recent GWAS studies of schizophrenia, shows sex-differential expression, and has been linked with autism risk and traits in humans and mice, especially or exclusively among females. We genotyped the AMBRA1 autism-risk SNP in a population of typical humans who were scored for the dimensional expression of autistic and schizotypal traits. Females, but not males, homozygous for the GG genotype showed a significant increase in score for the single trait, the Autism Quotient-Imagination subscale, that exhibits a strong, significant male bias in typical populations. As such, females with this genotype resembled males for this highly sexually dimorphic, autism-associated phenotype. These findings support the extreme male brain hypothesis and indicate that sex-specific genetic effects can mediate aspects of risk for autism.

Studio multifattoriale sulle strategie riabilitative per i disturbi dello spettro autistico a funzionamento limitato

Il presente studio intende fornire una brachilogica cornice comparativa riguardo alle più impiegate tecniche riabilitative per le sindromi autistiche, con particolare riferimento ai soggetti con funzionamento limitato. Si propone una visione multifattoriale in chiave prognostica, all’interno dell’orizzonte interpretativo tracciato dallo psicopatologo inglese Baron-Cohen della mente autistica intesa come extreme male brain. Il paradigma del continuum neurobiologico-psicopatologico consente, infatti, da una parte di abbracciare in guisa convergente molteplici macrostatistiche epidemiologiche concernenti i disturbi autistici, dall’altra di sviscerare pregi e criticità di ciascuno degli approcci terapeutici, i cui risultati vengono documentati nel corpo del presente articolo tramite riferimenti a pubblicazioni mediche e ricerche scaturite dall’analisi della letteratura clinica sull’argomento. Si giungerà, quindi, all’acquisizione di un paradigma riabilitativo polifunzionale e multi-prospettico, nel quale i punti di forza di ciascuna tecnica presuppongono un’integrazione che sia al contempo reciproca e flessibile, e che si ponga l’obiettivo di scorgere nella mente autistica una particolare configurazione neurologica degna di varcare l’inveterata e dicotomica demarcazione convenzionalmente professata in ambito psichiatrico tra le categorie del fisiologico e del patologico, nonché in grado di riconoscere alle terapie uno statuto dinamico-personalizzante ancorché semplicisticamente medicalizzante.