title: Foetal testosterone, social relationships, and restricted interests in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sex-differences exist in some areas of human social behaviour. In animals, foetal testosterone (fT) plays a central role in organising the brain and in later social behaviour. fT has also been implicated in language development, eye-contact, and spatial ability in humans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-eight children (35 male and 23 female), whose fT was analysed in amniotic fluid, were followed up at age 4. Their mothers completed the Children's Communication Checklist, a questionnaire assessing language, quality of social relationships and restricted interests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  fT was negatively correlated to quality of social relationships, taking sex-differences into account. fT was also positively correlated with restricted interests in boys.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings implicate fT in both social development and attentional focus. They may also have implications for understanding the sex ratio in autism.
authors.affiliation: Autism Research Centre, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK. rk250@cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Knickmeyer
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baron-Cohen
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Raggatt
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000378:metabolism; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012919:Social Behavior; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone