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Curious about the origins of my own autism, in 1994 I offered the Gradient Correlation theory, which proposes that autism and gender have a common origin in object topology and simple physics.  (A Topological Theory of Autism gives the results pertaining to autism.) A recent book, The Essential Difference: The truth about the male and female brain (by Simon Baron-Cohen, co-director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University) traces evidence about autism to this provocative conclusion: "The female brain is predominantly hard-wired for empathy. The male brain is predominantly hard-wired for understanding and building systems." This confirms Hans Asperger's 1944 insight that "The autistic personality is an extreme variant of male intelligence. Even within the normal variation, we find typical sex differences in intelligence..." The Gradient Correlation theory gives a stronger foundation to Asperger's insight and to the Essential Difference theory -- and outreaches them. The Gradient Correlation theory shows that autism and some abilities likely correlate not only with gender, but with global position of ancestral homeland. These conclusions are testable. Despite pains to avoid bias, the Gradient Correlation and Essential-Difference theories draw into question the notion that all groups of people have, on average, identical abilities at birth. Good can come from these theories. For example, the Gradient Correlation theory shows how abilities and disabilities arise together, so that abilities are complementary and all depend on each other. Misunderstanding the theories, however, can cause needless strife. Concerned about the social implications of the Gradient Correlation theory, I circulated the 1996 paper within a small group of academics, and chose to develop the theory later as a chapter in a book that allowed careful treatment of its implications.  (Dragon Puzzle Story: Self-building brain theory and its link to spiritual practice. Gradient Correlation theory devoloped into the A-Priori Object theory presented in that book.) See further how the theories are similar, different, and *IMPORTANT*.