The results showed that the performance of the autistic children was better than the other two groups on concrete discrimination tasks, was poorer than the other two groups on formal discrimination tasks, and the quality of the autistic children's performance decreased as task requirements for formal discrimination increased. (Author/SB)

This study of hyperlexia in 80 children with developmental delays found no significant differences in the frequency of hyperlexia in girls compared with boys; a significantly elevated frequency of hyperlexia in children diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) compared with children with non-PDD diagnoses; and a similar range of IQ…

Comparison of 384 male and 91 female autistic children (three through eight years old) revealed that females as a group scored less well on intelligence tests. Boys also performed better than girls on eye-hand integration and perceptual tasks. Predictions of female superiority in affect and receptive vocabulary were not supported. (CL)

The Autism Diagnostic Interview was used to assess the difference between a group of 21 males and 21 females (ages 6-36) with autism with equivalent chronological nonverbal intelligence quotients greater than 60. Males were rated more severely autistic than females on several measures of early social development but not in other areas such as…

This study examined the relationship between (1) sex and family size of 33 siblings of autistic children; and (2) siblings' performance on achievement, self-concept, home behavior, and school behavior measures. Overall, the siblings' performance was not suggestive of a need for special intervention. (Author/JDD)

Twenty-two siblings of autistic boys and 34 other siblings were compared on measures of depression, social adjustment, and family responsibilities. Results showed that siblings of autistic boys scored significantly higher on depression than the comparison group, but not on problems of social adjustment. There were no significant gender…