C/PS/33. Critical Review of Baron-Cohen's (2002) Extreme Male Brain Theory of Autism

This paper is a critical review of Baron-Cohen's 2002 article 'The extreme male brain theory of autism'. The paper outlines the psychological and genetic theories of autism as presented by Baron-Cohen and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. It then goes on to describe theories of male and female 'brain types' and the evidence that autism is an extreme manifestation of the male brain. It is argued that while there is some strong evidence to support Baron-Cohen's theory further research is needed before any conclusions may be drawn