Time is of the essence: Age at autism diagnosis, sex assigned at birth, and psychopathology.

ABSTRACT:

Lay abstract

Previous research has shown that girls/women are diagnosed later than boys/men with autism. Individuals who are diagnosed later in life, especially girls/women, have greater anxious and depressive symptoms. Previous research has been limited due to narrow inclusionary criteria for enrollment in studies. The present study uses two samples-one clinic-based, large "real-world" sample and another research-based sample with strict criteria for autism diagnosis-to understand the relationships between diagnostic age, sex assigned at birth, and symptoms of anxiety/depression. In both samples, those who were diagnosed later had greater anxious/depressive symptoms, and anxiety was not predicted by sex. In the clinic-based but not research-based sample, those assigned female at b

SUBMITTER: Smith JV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11496012 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature