A preliminary study on the relationship between symptom severity and age of diagnosis in females versus males with autistic spectrum disorder
In the latest autism observation, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more frequently diagnosed in males than in females. Efforts have been made in recent years to detect specific clinical patterns in females, improving their detection and diagnosis. Despite advancements, there are still challenges in...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1472646/full |
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| author | Alberto Sánchez-Pedroche Eva Aguilar-Mediavilla Mario Valera-Pozo Daniel Adrover-Roig Magdalena Valverde-Gómez |
| author_facet | Alberto Sánchez-Pedroche Eva Aguilar-Mediavilla Mario Valera-Pozo Daniel Adrover-Roig Magdalena Valverde-Gómez |
| author_sort | Alberto Sánchez-Pedroche |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the latest autism observation, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more frequently diagnosed in males than in females. Efforts have been made in recent years to detect specific clinical patterns in females, improving their detection and diagnosis. Despite advancements, there are still challenges in detecting ASD in females. This preliminary study explores whether the age at the time of diagnosis of ASD in females is related to a higher severity index compared to male participants. A total of 202 participants (52 females; M = 5.51) in Spain underwent ADOS-2 assessment for ASD clinical severity. The results indicate a significant inverse association between the severity index and the age of diagnosis, which was independent of sex. Despite this, the present results revealed that the age at diagnosis was higher in females compared to males. Further analyses also revealed a tendency toward higher severity levels in females. Factors contributing to this difference in the age of diagnosis of ASD between females and males are discussed concerning the presumed differential characteristics of ASD in females. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ee0419495c594774a18049524bbed236 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-ee0419495c594774a18049524bbed2362025-02-10T06:48:45ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-02-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.14726461472646A preliminary study on the relationship between symptom severity and age of diagnosis in females versus males with autistic spectrum disorderAlberto Sánchez-Pedroche0Eva Aguilar-Mediavilla1Mario Valera-Pozo2Daniel Adrover-Roig3Magdalena Valverde-Gómez4Department of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology, Institute for Educational Research and Innovation (IRIE), University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, SpainDepartment of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology, Institute for Educational Research and Innovation (IRIE), University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, SpainDepartment of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology, Institute for Educational Research and Innovation (IRIE), University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, SpainDepartment of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology, Institute for Educational Research and Innovation (IRIE), University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, SpainInstitute of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Can Misses Hospital, Ibiza, SpainIn the latest autism observation, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more frequently diagnosed in males than in females. Efforts have been made in recent years to detect specific clinical patterns in females, improving their detection and diagnosis. Despite advancements, there are still challenges in detecting ASD in females. This preliminary study explores whether the age at the time of diagnosis of ASD in females is related to a higher severity index compared to male participants. A total of 202 participants (52 females; M = 5.51) in Spain underwent ADOS-2 assessment for ASD clinical severity. The results indicate a significant inverse association between the severity index and the age of diagnosis, which was independent of sex. Despite this, the present results revealed that the age at diagnosis was higher in females compared to males. Further analyses also revealed a tendency toward higher severity levels in females. Factors contributing to this difference in the age of diagnosis of ASD between females and males are discussed concerning the presumed differential characteristics of ASD in females.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1472646/fullASDfemale genderdiagnosisseverity indexchild and adolescentsex differences |
| spellingShingle | Alberto Sánchez-Pedroche Eva Aguilar-Mediavilla Mario Valera-Pozo Daniel Adrover-Roig Magdalena Valverde-Gómez A preliminary study on the relationship between symptom severity and age of diagnosis in females versus males with autistic spectrum disorder Frontiers in Psychology ASD female gender diagnosis severity index child and adolescent sex differences |
| title | A preliminary study on the relationship between symptom severity and age of diagnosis in females versus males with autistic spectrum disorder |
| title_full | A preliminary study on the relationship between symptom severity and age of diagnosis in females versus males with autistic spectrum disorder |
| title_fullStr | A preliminary study on the relationship between symptom severity and age of diagnosis in females versus males with autistic spectrum disorder |
| title_full_unstemmed | A preliminary study on the relationship between symptom severity and age of diagnosis in females versus males with autistic spectrum disorder |
| title_short | A preliminary study on the relationship between symptom severity and age of diagnosis in females versus males with autistic spectrum disorder |
| title_sort | preliminary study on the relationship between symptom severity and age of diagnosis in females versus males with autistic spectrum disorder |
| topic | ASD female gender diagnosis severity index child and adolescent sex differences |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1472646/full |
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