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Autism
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Autistic features in girls from a psychiatric sample are strongly associated with a low 2D:4D ratio

Esther I. De Bruin

Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, e.debruin{at}erasmusmc.nl

Pieter F.A. De Nijs

Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Fop Verheij

Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Debora H. Verhagen

Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam,The Netherlands

Robert F. Ferdinand

4 Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam,The Netherlands

Autistic features such as deficits in social interactions and communication have been associated with a low 2D:4D ratio in normal children.This study assessed this association in a large sample of children with a variety of psychiatric disorders (n = 35 girls and n = 147 boys). Autistic features were assessed with a highly valid and reliable measure (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule—Generic). Correlations between the 2D:4D ratio and autistic features were computed separately for boys and girls. Some small negative correlations (r = —0.17 and r = —0.19) were found in the right hand for boys; however, particularly in girls, large negative correlations (r = —0.51 to r = —0.64) were found in the left hand. A low 2D:4D ratio in girls was highly predictive of the presence of autistic features. Thus, a low ratio could possibly be used as a diagnostic predictor in clinical practice.

Key Words: autism • diagnosis • digit ratio

Autism, Vol. 13, No. 5, 511-521 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1362361309335720
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