Autism study finds females show larger cognitive shifts than males

A large meta-analysis of 34 studies (over 1.2 million participants) finds autistic females exhibit larger departures from the typical female cognitive profile than autistic males do from the typical male profile, supporting a female protective effect and a stronger application of the Extreme Male Brain theory to females; empathy shifts drive the signal more than systemizing, with a notable cognitive trade-off in autism. Limitations include reliance on self-reports and sample clustering, underscoring the need for further research to improve identification of autistic females.