Why do we need sex-balanced studies of autism?

WHAT IT FOUND

This paper is an argument for better research design, not a report of clinical results.

It highlights how excluding females from past studies led to missed diagnoses and incorrect treatment assumptions, but it offers no new evidence on how to treat autistic patients today.

What this paper is

This is a commentary and historical review arguing for sex-balanced recruitment in autism research. It discusses the consequences of excluding females from past studies and the statistical challenges in current neuroimaging work, but it reports no new clinical trial data, patient outcomes, or treatment efficacy. There are no findings here to change clinical practice.

Read it on PubMed →