Autism: Experiment reveals scientists and engineers are more likely to have autistic traits

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy People working in science and engineering jobs are more likely to have autistic-like traits than less technical professions according to a nationwide experiment involving nearly half a million members of the public – which also confirmed that men tend to be more autistic than women. “Previous studies have found the number of autistic traits a person has is influenced by both genetic factors and prenatal testosterone levels,” said Professor Baron-Cohen. The Cambridge researchers believe that the findings support the idea that autistic traits are linked to both sex and to having a “systems-thinking mind”, which could explain the why many people working in Silicon Valley and related high-tech occupations tend to exhibit more autistic-like behaviour than the wider population. 'Living with autism “ is a valuable research instrument and autistic quotient scores correlate with brain structure, brain function, social perception and attention to detail, among other things,” Dr Allison said.