Ratings of Broader Autism Phenotype and Personality Traits in Optimal Outcomes from Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The study did not follow children over time, so it cannot show whether extraversion helped them lose an autism diagnosis or simply followed it. The sample was small and recruited through media, clinics, and therapists, so it may not represent all children who achieve an optimal outcome. Ratings came from short clips of a structured assessment with an adult stranger, not from everyday peer interaction, so they may not show how children behave in real social settings. Naïve raters may not detect internal traits such as neuroticism well, and the study did not use self, parent, or peer ratings. Many comparisons were made without correction for chance, so some subtle differences could be false positives. The sample was mostly Caucasian, so results may not apply to children from other racial or ethnic backgrounds.

Do not conclude that children with optimal outcomes have no social communication or attention concerns. They were rated similarly to typically developing peers overall, but they were still rated more likely to get sidetracked, lose their point, and talk too much, and the study did not show whether these differences affect daily life.