Sex differences in WISC-III profiles of children with high-functioning pervasive developmental disorders.
Using the Japanese version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III), 26 girls with high-functioning (IQ > or = 70) pervasive developmental disorders (HFPDD) (mean age, 8.2 years) were compared with 116 boys with HFPDD (mean age, 9.0 years). Compared with the boys, the girls scored significantly higher on the Processing Speed index, Coding, and Symbol Search, but scored significantly lower on Block Design. Although both groups showed weakness on Comprehension in the verbal domain, the girls' subtest profile in the performance domain was relatively even and significantly different from the boys', which was characterized by a peak on Block Design. Such differences should be replicated, and possible behavioral, neurological, and genetic links to these sex differences should be clarified.
Koyama
Tomonori
T
Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan. tomok@ncnp.go.jp
Kamio
Yoko
Y
Inada
Naoko
N
Kurita
Hiroshi
H
D000293:Adolescent; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D014888:Wechsler Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*