Abstract
Discernment of possible sex-based variations in presentations of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms is limited by smaller female samples with ASD and confounds with ASD ascertainment. A large national cohort of individuals with autism, SPARK, allowed parent report data to be leveraged to examine whether intrinsic child characteristics and extrinsic factors differentially impact males and females with ASD. Small but consistent sex differences in individuals with ASD emerged related to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, with different markers for males and females. Language concerns in males may make discernment of ASD more straightforward, while early motor concerns in females may hamper diagnosis as such delays are not identified within traditional ASD diagnostic criteria.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1305-1318 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders |
Volume | 53 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2023 |
Keywords
- ASD
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Diagnosis
- Sex/gender differences
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology