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.

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doi.org/10.1177/1362361309335720, hdl.handle.net/1765/25311
Autism
Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam

de Bruin, E., de Nijs, P., Verheij, F., Verhagen, D., & Ferdinand, R. (2009). Autistic features in girls from a psychiatric sample are strongly associated with a low 2D:4D ratio. Autism, 13(5), 511–521. doi:10.1177/1362361309335720