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The Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST): Sex Differences

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Abstract

The Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST) (formally known as the Childhood Asperger Screening Test) identifies autism spectrum conditions by measuring social and communication skills. The present study explored the sex distribution of scores. The CAST was distributed to 11,635 children aged 4–9 years in Cambridgeshire primary schools (UK). 3,370 (29%) were returned. The median score was significantly higher in boys (median test, P < 0.001) (Boys, median = 5 (IQR: 3,8); girls, median = 4 (IQR: 2,6)). There was a predominance of boys (n = 81 (79.4%) over girls (n = 21 (20.6%)) amongst those scoring ≥ 15. Exclusion of children with ASC did not significantly affect the results. We conclude that different profiles of social and communication skills in boys and girls must be taken into account when measuring these skills in the general population.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the schools who participated in this study, and the parents who took time to complete the questionnaires. We wish to thank Carol Stott for her contribution to the study. We are grateful to the Shirley Foundation for their generosity in funding this study. Simon Baron-Cohen was also supported by the MRC during the period of this work.

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Author notes

  1. Joanna G. Williams

    Present address: Bath and North East Somerset Primary Care Trust, Bath, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Joanna G. Williams & Carol Brayne

  2. Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Carrie Allison, Fiona J. Scott & Simon Baron-Cohen

  3. MRC Centre for Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Child Psychiatry , The Institute of Psychiatry, Decrespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK

    Patrick F. Bolton

  4. MRC Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Public Health, University Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 2SR, UK

    Fiona E. Matthews

  5. Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18b Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8AH, UK

    Carrie Allison

Authors
  1. Joanna G. Williams
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  2. Carrie Allison
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  3. Fiona J. Scott
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carrie Allison.

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Fiona Scott is now freelance.

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Williams, J.G., Allison, C., Scott, F.J. et al. The Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST): Sex Differences. J Autism Dev Disord 38, 1731–1739 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0558-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0558-6

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