Sex-Differential Trajectories of Domain-Specific Associations Between Autistic Traits and Co-Occurring Emotional-Behavioral Concerns in Autistic Children.

ABSTRACT: Assessing autistic traits alongside co-occurring emotional/behavioral concerns (EBCs) is challenging due to their overlap in clinical presentations, which can vary by age and sex. This study aimed to investigate domain-specific associations between autistic traits and EBCs-including anxiety, affective, attention-deficit/hyperactivity, and oppositional-defiant problems-across childhood in autistic boys and girls. We prospectively followed 389 children (84% male) diagnosed with autism at ages 2-5 years, using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) across eight timepoints until age 12. Moderated nonlinear factor analysis was used to identify and adjust for measurement non-invariance of SRS items by age, sex, and EBCs. The adjusted scores were then used for s

SUBMITTER: Chen YJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12015799 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature