Sex differences in the reciprocal behaviour of children with autism.

Backer van Ommeren et al. (2017) watched boys and girls with autism play with a partner. They coded how well each child kept the back-and-forth going.

The team compared kids with autism to typically developing kids of the same sex.

Girls with autism showed stronger give-and-take than boys with autism. They still looked a little different from typical girls, but the gap was smaller.

The result hints that current autism cut-offs may be set mostly on boys.

The finding backs up Kirkovski et al. (2013). That review warned girls are missed because their signs are softer. Tineke gives real numbers for one soft sign—reciprocity.

Fyfe et al. (2007) saw the same girl advantage in toddlers, but only in visual skills. Tineke shows the edge lasts into later social play.

Lemons et al. (2015) looks like a clash. They found no clear sex gap in fluent, verbal kids. The difference is focus: J looked at IQ and language scores, not live play. Both can be true—girls talk fine yet still give social cues that boys miss.

If you test for autism with boy-based checklists, girls can pass. Add a five-minute reciprocal play probe. Watch who keeps the ball rolling, not just who speaks. Lower your cutoff for girls and you may catch the ones who camouflage with quick, polite turns.