AS more prevalent in males?

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While the "extreme male brain" theory of Asperger's has a certain face validity, I cannot help but question it. The traits of those with Asperger's are quite varied, indeed... it's not just social difficulties combined with a nonnormatively high systemization score.

Yes, female aspies tend to have certain traits which are normally considered masculine in our culture. For example, they are typically not obsessed with their appearance, display good spatial relations skills, are logical thinkers, are interested in science, technology, and/or mathematics, and tend to be forthright in their personal dealings. At the same though, they display some traits which are normally considered female in our culture, such as increased sensitivity of touch, taste, and smell, anger generally expressed through verbal means rather than physical, and a tendency to protect those weaker than themselves. In many ways, it's as if female aspies have brains which are mixed or androgynous in nature, rather than extremely male or extremely female.

Yes, male aspies have certain traits which are considered the extreme stereotype of the masculine, such as a complete inability to read social cues, a tendency to see people as things, self-obsessed behaviors, and aggression for little/no reason. At the same time, I cannot help but notice that many of them display traits which are normally considered very feminine, such as a tendency to wallow in self-pity, whining too much, lack of self-esteem, relying on the opinions of others to determine their self-worth, and so on. It's as if male aspies don't have "stereotypically male" brains, nor do they have brains which are androgynous in nature. Rather, when one looks at them in their totality, they are more a mix of the extreme traits associated with each gender.

Hazelwudi, I agree with your comments and have felt that way for a while. Despite my sometimes androgynous interests and dress, I've never been a tomboy. My son has the same tendencies. He dresses up as princesses and has fantastic inflection in his speech. He might be gay but it's way too early to know. He used to talk about his "husbands" (male friends at school) and then started repeating that "boys don't marry boys". So, I'm sure someone "corrected" him at some point. wasn't me.
But he certainly doesn't think of himself as a girl or otherwise act effeminate. It's definitely, extremes of both genders. My husband is only like that emotionally. He's emotionally like a woman, but manly in other ways.

I agree that Aspie girls are underdiagnosed because they don't show the same symptoms and are less likely to be disruptive in school. However, I do believe that autism is predominantly a male disorder. I strongly support the "testosterone theory," which states that an abundance of testosterone in utero changes the brain circuitry and allows for certain disorders. Autism, learning disorders, and left-handedness are all examples and are all more common in males. It also explains why Aspie girls tend to be more masculine in their interests and why many autistics are left-handed. I wholeheartedly agree with the testosterone theory because of my own development. My mother took very good care of herself during pregnancy, but something went wrong with me. There is absolutely no autism/Asperger's in my family and there's only two left-handed people in my family (two of my mom's cousins and they aren't siblings). So why is it that I'm a left-handed Aspie girl?
-OddDuckNash99-