Do early caregiver concerns differ for girls with autism spectrum disorders?
Lauren M Little, Anna Wallisch, Brenda Salley and 1 others
PMID 27542396WHAT IT FOUND
Caregiver concerns tied to autism did not separate girls with autism from boys with autism.
Girls with autism had reported concern patterns more like boys with other developmental delays than boys with autism.
Key findings
01ASD-related concerns were not significantly different across groups, although boys with ASD had a higher number of ASD-related concerns than girls with ASD (p=.075).
02Boys with ASD were more likely than girls with ASD to have social interaction concerns.
03Girls with ASD did not significantly differ from boys with DD in caregiver concerns.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study only included children already referred for neurodevelopmental disabilities, so it may not show what caregivers notice in children who are never referred. Cognitive scores were not available for all participants, so matching on cognitive ability was incomplete. The analysed matched sample was 242, not the full 699 children. Findings depend on how caregivers wrote their concerns and how coders grouped them. The study did not test whether girls with autism are actually missed or diagnosed later.
Declared interests
The supplied metadata lists non-U.S. government research support. No author conflict of interest or funding declaration is provided in the article text.
The easy way to misread this
Readers should not conclude that girls with autism have fewer autism symptoms or do not need assessment. The study compared caregiver concerns before diagnosis, not child symptoms, and the girls with autism were already referred to a clinic.