Gender Theory

Autism spectrum disorders are a class of developmental disorders that impair social skills, behavior, and communication (Center for Disease Control). ASDs are considered ‘spectrum’ disorders because each patient has a unique experience in the nature and severity of their symptoms (Center for Disease Control). Under the umbrella of ASDs, there are three types of disorders, including Autistic disorder, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (Center for Disease Control). Autistic disorder is the most severe of the three, and patients exhibit significant problems with language, communication, and behavior (Center for Disease Control). Furthermore, people with Autistic disorder often have some intellectual impairment (Center for Disease Control). Asperger Syndrome is a milder form of autistic disorder where patients have some developmental delays, but their language and intellect are not affected (Center for Disease Control). The mildest of the ASDs is the pervasive developmental disorder. These patients usually don’t meet all of the criteria for autistic disorder, but do show some signs of social and communication problems (Center for Disease Control). The number of children diagnosed with ASD is growing, and currently 1 in 88 children fall somewhere on the spectrum (Mari-Bauset et al., 2013). Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism, and while the exact cause of these disorders is unknown, both genetic and

Assumptions about gender are embedded in scientific bias. In Cordelia Fine’s From Scanner to Sound Bite: Issues in Interpreting and Reporting Sex Differences in the Brain, the author examines four scientific issues that are overlooked about sex differences in the brain. She concludes that there are numerous misinterpretations of neuroimaging research that ultimately influence gender biases, and society should be cautious when reading these articles about sex differences.

Differences in brain structure between males and females result in important differences in perceptions, emotional expressions, priorities and behaviors. (*) Relationship traits, problem solving approaches, mathematical abilities, reactions to stress, language, emotions, brain size, pain perception, spatial ability and susceptibility to disorders are just some areas in which men and women react differently because of their differences in brain structure. (*) To some scientists and theorists these many influential biological differences between men and women make gender roles inevitable. (*)

In chapter 9 of Trelease, we look at an age old topic, the learning chasm that exists between boys and girls. One of the concepts I found most interesting and relatable was that boys are twice as likely to be diagnosed with a learning disorder or attention-deficit disorder in comparison to girls. Partly why i find this so interesting is because I am the only girl of my siblings and all three of my younger brothers have been tested and diagnosed with some form of ADD whereas it was never even discussed having me tested. The chapter goes on to provide various excuses for these differences between sexes. These include faster development, natural organization, and most significantly that the person who is supposed to be raising the boys is the

But they couldn’t be more wrong. Victoria M. Indivero of Penn State News’s ‘Sex segregation in schools, detrimental to equality’ say,”Neuroscientist have found a few difference between male and female brains, but none have been linked to different learning styles.” And to further back up this claim, I have Gina Rippon of Neuroscience News’s ‘Are Female and Male brains really different.’Which states,”It can be shown that a ‘characteristically male’ density of dendritic spines or branches of a neuro cell can be changed to the ‘female’ form simply by the application of a mild external stress. Biological sex alone cannot explain brain differences; to do so requires an understanding of how, when, and to what extent external events affect the struggle of the brain.” So as you can see the gender of the host does not determine nor change any aspect on the brain. It all has to do with the uniqueness of the brain and what happens outside it to the rest of the body that determines exactly what is need for living and learning. For example, if someone had been in a traumatizing car accident, but he was a young boy, it would be best not to stick him into a classroom that is littered with pictures and pictures of cars because they are seen as ‘boyish’. The things we do and happen to us as people

To understand this, we must first understand what the recognized perception of autism is. For most of the public and many within the research community, autism is seen as a very masculine disease. Not only do males make up most of the population diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, but autism is also seen as an exaggeration of the stereotypical male brain. As a matter of fact, Simon Baron-Cohen, the scientist who discovered the “extreme male brain” (EMB) theory of autism, found that females on the autism spectrum displayed more masculinized personality traits. Baron-Cohen acknowledged that there was a slight difference in the severity of

In a recent study done in August of 2013, scientists found that autism had a peculiar affect on the female brain. Researchers were looking to find differences between the two genders, something to support the already explored EMR theory, (also known as the “Extreme Male Brain Theory”), but they did not expect the possibility of the female autistic brain having a masculine resemblance. Scientists studied several men and women, with and without autism, which led to the discovery of the differences between the two genders.

The conceptualization of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the framework of neurodiversity has been a revolutionary approach to the diagnosis. While this framework, as reviewed by Baron-Cohen (2017) can be applied to ASD and related disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it is not a viable approach to take on other categories of disorders in the newest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). According to Baron-Cohen (2017), ASD can be viewed under the neurodiversity framework because individuals with ASD have neurological differences and yet, are still able to function at a normal capacity given the proper environmental conditions. These two main characteristics that allow

The majority of females were indecisive about whether families, with an autistic child, should continue to reproduce, even if it increases the chances of their next child having the same disorder. Possible reasons for this could be because they may believe a woman should be allowed to decide for herself whether she continues to procreate or not. Meanwhile, 23% of males were against the idea of allowing women to continue

One more scientific approach found males to be less empathetic and more technically minded than females, though this is not true in every case. It can also be argued that the typical male personality is naturally inclined toward some of the characteristics that this disease carries. (Autism Help). A study published in 2006 suggested that men over 40 are more likely than younger men to father a child with Autism, and that the ratio of Autism incidence in boys are closer to 1:1 with older fathers. There are also false diagnoses happening. This will occur at school if the teacher sees’ autism related behavior and puts a label on that child for the rest of their schooling career. This is where controversy comes in because sometimes that child may just have had a troubling childhood or some other

Until relatively recently is has been widely accepted boys were four times more likely to be diagnosed with ASD than girls (Whiteley, et al., 2010). This idea is supported by an evaluation of forty three studies into pervasive development disorders conducted by Fombonne (2003), the study was longitudinal in nature and spanned a forty year period, the median ratio of males to females with ASD found was 4:1 Nevertheless, more recently, current studies which incorporate females within their samples, suggest the male-female ratio may be closer to 2:1 (Frazier et al., 2014; Idring et al., 2014; Halladay et al., 2014). Indicating results from previous research may possess an intrinsic bias in terms of gender, as historically the majority of enquiries have not included females within their sample (Thompson et al., 2003; Van Wijngaarden-Cremers et al., 2013).

Structural brain differences also occur in humans. One significant behavior difference is between men and women. Men tend to be more sexually aggressive and aroused more often. Women are generally more fluent verbally. The suprachiasmatic nucleus is usually about 2.5 larger in the male brain than the female brain and there is a part in the amygdala that is also larger (9). The suprachiasmatic nucleus affects sexual behavior and larger amounts of testosterone cause it to be larger. In females, the corpus callosum and the anterior commissure are larger (9). Both of these structures are responsible for communication between the two hemispheres in the brain. The better communication between the two sides leads to better verbal fluency. These examples show how small differences in the brain can greatly affect human behavior. This means that it is possible that criminals have differences in their brains which cause them to act in socially unacceptable ways.

Men need more neurons to control their greater muscle mass and larger body size, thus generally have a larger brain.

Combined research shows men and women vary little in experiencing emotion but contrast greatly in the expression of emotion. Psychologists have studied the reasons behind the differences through the years and there are still many unanswered questions but there are several well-accepted possible causes and combination of causes. Neuro science and the brain makeup is the first area of proven differences.

Studies by Broca concluded that, on average, the brain of a women is one hundred and eighty one grams lighter than that of a man, or fourteen percent (Gould, 1978). However, not all researchers are convinced of these findings. Researcher Gould (1978) explains how Broca may not have allowed for variations in height, body shape or degeneration when comparing his measurements. However, Rushton (1997) counters that even Gould’s revision of Broca’s data indicates a difference in relative