Research Question
http://www.snagglebox.com/article/autism-play
Background
Better understand how Autism affects those who
Similar Studies
Study done on prenatal exposure to testosterone and
This study was only looking for the presence of ASD, and not the
severity of symptoms.
This study compares the symptoms of children with ADHD and ASD
to children with only ASD as opposed to comparing male and female
children with ASD.
http://kimberlykaplan.com/category/socialskills/page/2/
genetic bias
68 children
1
in 42 boys
1 in 189 girls
Boys are nearly 5
http://kimberlykaplan.com/category/socialskills/page/2/
Hypothesis
http://wonderwoman.intoday.in/story/animals-helpautistic-children-interact-better/1/102892.html
Methodology
1. Attain data from Dr. Roberts
a.
This data was collected in conjunction with many of her
studies done in the past 10 years
2. Analyze data using an independent sample t-test
http://kimberlykaplan.com/category/social-skills/page/2/
Data
This is a screenshot showing a
portion of the data collected by
Dr. Roberts that I analyzed.
On the left it shows the data for
females and the right shows the
data for males.
Results
The data has been collected and given to me by Dr.
Roberts
http://www.mydiffability.com.au/blogs/news/3826
592-activities-for-autistic-children
Descriptive Statistics
These are the descriptive statistics for the totals of this data.
They are separated by the female statistics on the top, and the male
statistics on the bottom
These show that the mean for the female is significantly lower than the
male means
They also show that the standard deviations are close enough for the data
to be comparable
Statistical Significance
Graphical Analysis
Results
The hypothesis of my project was, If the severity of symptoms of both male
and females with ASD are studied using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale
(CARS), then males will be found to demonstrate the most severe symptoms.
2.
This hypothesis was proved by the analysis of the data.
a.
Through the analysis, it was found that on average males have higher rates
of severity of the symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
i.
This study included 501 data points
ii.
74 of those points were females and 427 were males.
iii.
A possible limit of this study is that there were far less data points for
females than there were for males. This could be due to the fact that
males are nearly 5 times more likely than females to be diagnosed with
ASD, according to AutismSpeaks.org.
1.
Conclusions
The results of this study can help to provide more understanding
of ASD. It can also help to let people know that males with ASD
might need more specialized help or attention.
a.
This could mean that in education, there needs to be
differential treatment for males and females.
2.
From this study and the research experience gained through it,
Ive learned a lot more about ASD and how it affects males and
females. I also learned how to conduct research and how to
analyze data using Minitab and excel. This project could be
expanded by helping educators to apply this information into their
Autism programs.
1.
Citations
Attermann, J., Obel, C., Bilenberg, N., Nordenbk, C., Skytthe, A.,&
Olsen, J. (2012). Traits of ADHD and autism in girls with a twin
brother: a Mendelian randomization study. European Child &
Adolescent Psychiatry, 21(9), 503-509. doi:10.1007/s00787-012-02874
2 Effects of Child Characteristics on the Autism Diagnostic
Interview-Revised: Implications for Use of Scores as a
Measure of ASD Severity - Springer. (2013, February
01). Retrieved December 2, 2014, from http://link.springer.com
3The Impact of ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders on
Temperament, Character, and Personality Development.
(n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2014, from
http://focus.psychiatryonline.org
4 Severity of ASD Symptoms in Relation to Childrens Gender [Personal interview].
(2014, June).
5Learn the Signs of Autism. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.autismspeaks.org
1