Initial diagnosis patterns of coexisting mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions in autistic children and youth: Evidence from a nationally representative sample in Canada.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Elevated prevalence of coexisting health conditions has been observed in autistic people, yet how the timing of their initial diagnoses varies by sex and age of autism diagnosis remains understudied. Using a person-centered approach, we examined the patterns of initial diagnosis for mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions among autistic children and youth identified from the general population.

Methods

The sample was drawn from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY) cohort (N = 47,781), consisting of 776 5-17-year-olds (82% assigned-male-at-birth) with a caregiver-reported diagnosis of autism. Multigroup latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups based on ages of initial diagnoses of autism, anxiety, mood, learning, and att

SUBMITTER: Chen YJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12812786 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature