Fig. 1
From: Sex differences in the association between infant markers and later autistic traits
Sex differences can appear in the expression of early autism markers or in the relationship between marker and outcome. a The marker differentiates between the boys and girls, but relates to later symptoms in the same way in both sexes; here, having lower levels of this marker is protective in girls. b The early marker is similarly expressed in boys and girls but only relates to later symptoms in boys; this is due to additional moderating factors (which are likely to be type of marker described in a) decreasing the impact of this marker in girls. A combination of the two models is also possible