ASD occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, but are almost five times more common among boys than among girls. What causes this disparity has largely remained unknown. Scientists now have uncovered genetic evidence to explain why the biological scales aren’t balanced. My researchers and scientists believe that there is something that protects the developing female brain from neurodevelopmental disorders including autism. The “Female Protective Model” proposes that more extreme genetic mutations are required for a female to develop autism than for a male. With matching genetic mutations, a male could show symptoms of ASD while a female could show none. However, as the female mutation threshold is higher, when girls are diagnosed with ASD, they tend to fall on the more severe end of the spectrum. Females with Autism are also often detected and diagnosed later than