No Sex Differences Seen for Autistic Traits in Toddlers at Initial Diagnosis
TUESDAY, June 3, 2025 -- Autistic traits in toddlers do not differ based on clinical sex when they are first diagnosed with autism, according to a study published online May 26 in Nature Human Behaviour.
Sanaz Nazari, Ph.D., from the Autism Center of Excellence at the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues used data from 2,618 toddlers (mean age, about 27 months) participating in the Get SET Early program to assess sex differences with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the time of first symptom onset.
The researchers found no significant sex differences in toddlers with ASD across 17 of 18 measures, including symptom severity based on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, receptive and expressive language based on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning, and social attention based on the GeoPref eye-tracking test. Results persisted across severity subgroups. Girls with typical development outperformed boys on several measures.
"Although later environmental influences could arguably impact later-age symptom presentation, particularly in females, the current body of evidence and our present study do not support previous speculations about sex differences in ASD at the time of first diagnosis," the authors write. "Therefore, it is unlikely that girls with ASD differ clinically from boys with ASD across early development."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Read this next
Features of Immunesenescence Present in Early Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis
THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2025 -- Some features of immunesenescence are present in the very early stages of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study published online Sept. 3 in...
Urine Biomarker Panel Sensitive, Specific for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2025 -- A urine-based biomarker panel has high accuracy for diagnosing prostate cancer (PCa), according to a study published in the September issue of...
Hospitals Vary in Their Definition of Blood Culture Contamination
THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2025 -- U.S. hospitals vary in how they define blood culture contamination (BCC), according to a study published online July 11 in the Journal of Clinical...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.