FACTORS RELATED TO SEX DIFFERENCES IN AGE OF DIAGNOSIS OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by deficits in social communication and the presence of repetitive and restricted patterns of behavior and interests. A rating of severity is also required when making a diagnosis. Early intervention has been shown to be most effective when started as early as two years old. Boys are diagnosed more frequently than girls, and at earlier ages, though it is not clear what causes this discrepancy in prevalence and age of diagnosis. The current study examined the prevalence of ASD and factors that may impact age of ASD diagnosis for boys and girls in a national sample. More boys were diagnosed with ASD than girls. When controlling for severity, factors such as race, income, and parent education were not significantly related to age of diagnosis. Parent-reported symptom severity was related to age of diagnosis such that lower severity was associated with a later age of diagnosis. This contributes to the evidence for the importance of early identification and intervention, particularly with children who exhibit mild symptoms of ASD and may therefore have a delayed diagnosis. These findings highlight the importance of provider and parent education regarding how ASD may present across different levels of severity.