Male and Female Toddlers with DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder have Similar Developmental Profiles and Core Autism Symptoms.

The study is a retrospective chart review from a single tertiary care site, which may limit generalizability. Ethnicity data were limited to 'Latino/Non-Latino' due to medical record constraints, increasing the risk of ethnoracial bias. Core ASD symptoms were abstracted from clinical notes rather than using original ADOS scores or codes, which were not available for all patients. The study design cannot determine if sex differences emerge at older ages or different developmental stages. Diagnostic gender bias may have influenced the sample, as girls included may be more phenotypically similar to boys with ASD to have received a diagnosis.

Do not conclude that autism presents identically in all boys and girls. While this study found few differences in a toddler cohort at diagnosis, it suggests that girls who are diagnosed may already be a specific subgroup, and differences might emerge later in development or be masked by diagnostic bias.