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Journal article
Gender, assigned sex at birth, and gender diversity: Windows into diagnostic timing disparities in autism
Autism : the international journal of research and practice
08 Apr 2024
PMID: 38587289
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Later autism diagnosis is associated with risk for mental health problems. Understanding factors related to later autism diagnosis may help reduce mental health risks for autistic people. One characteristic associated with later autism diagnosis is female sex. However, studies often do not distinguish sex assigned at birth and gender identity. Gender diversity may be more common in autistic relative to neurotypical people, and autism is more common in gender-diverse populations. We studied age at autism diagnosis by sex assigned at birth, gender identity, and gender diversity (gender-diverse vs cisgender) status, separately. We studied three separate autistic samples, each of which differed in how they were diagnosed and how they were recruited. The samples included 193 persons (8.0-18.0 years) from a research-recruited academic medical center sample; 1,550 people (1.3-25.4 years) from a clinic-based sample; and 244 people (18.2-30.0 years) from a community-enriched sample. We found significant differences in the clinic-based and community-enriched samples. People assigned female sex at birth were diagnosed with autism significantly later than people assigned male at birth. People of female gender were diagnosed significantly later than people of male gender. Gender-diverse people were diagnosed significantly later than cisgender people. Sex assigned at birth, gender identity, and gender diversity may each show unique relationships with age of autism diagnosis. Differences in how autistic people are diagnosed and recruited are important to consider in studies that examine sex assigned at birth or gender identity. More research into autism diagnosis in adulthood is needed.
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Details
- Title
- Gender, assigned sex at birth, and gender diversity: Windows into diagnostic timing disparities in autism
- Creators
- Goldie A McQuaid - George Mason UniversityAllison B Ratto - Children's NationalAllison Jack - George Mason UniversityAlexis Khuu - Children's NationalJessica V Smith - Children's NationalSean C Duane - George Washington UniversityAnn Clawson - Children's NationalNancy Raitano Lee - Drexel UniversityAlyssa Verbalis - Children's NationalKevin A Pelphrey - University of VirginiaLauren Kenworthy - Children's NationalGregory L Wallace - George Washington UniversityJohn F Strang - Children's National
- Publication Details
- Autism : the international journal of research and practice
- Publisher
- Sage
- Grant note
- R01 MH100028 / NIMH NIH HHS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001199576300001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85190424178
- Other Identifier
- 991021867244104721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Psychology, Developmental