Behavioral and emotional problems in high-functioning girls and boys with autism spectrum disorders: Parents' reports and adolescents' self-reports.
Ewa Pisula, Monika Pudło, Monika Słowińska and 4 others
PMID 27899716WHAT IT FOUND
Girls and boys with ASD did not differ in behavioral or emotional problems.
Both groups reported more withdrawn, anxious/depressed, and social problems than matched peers, and parents rated them higher on all scales.
Key findings
01The main analysis found no sex difference and no group-by-sex interaction for behavioral or emotional problem ratings.
02Adolescents with ASD self-reported more Withdrawn, Anxious/Depressed, Social Problems, and Internalizing problems than controls.
03Parents of adolescents with ASD reported higher scores than parents of controls on all analyzed scales, and parents and adolescents with ASD disagreed about Social Problems.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The authors state the sample size was relatively small. The sample was not representative of girls with ASD in Poland, and many participating families had relatively high socioeconomic status. Most parent respondents were mothers, so the parent reports may reflect mainly mothers' views. The study used questionnaire reports only, with no direct observation or clinical interview. The sex-specific comparisons were made after the main analysis found no interaction, despite the authors noting there were no grounds for further comparisons. Three participants withdrew because the questionnaire was too difficult, so the findings may not apply to adolescents who cannot complete self-report.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Polish National Science Centre (grant no. N N106 352940), the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (PFRON), and the University of Warsaw. The supplied text gives no competing-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that girls with ASD have more behavioral or emotional problems than boys with ASD. The main analysis found no sex difference and no group-by-sex interaction, and the sex-specific comparisons were added after that null result.