Sex-Differential Trajectories of Domain-Specific Associations Between Autistic Traits and Co-Occurring Emotional-Behavioral Concerns in Autistic Children.
Yun-Ju Chen, Thomas W Frazier, Peter Szatmari and 11 others
PMID 40083203WHAT IT FOUND
Associations between autistic traits and emotional-behavioral concerns shift with age and sex.
Boys showed peak links between social difficulties and mental health concerns at ages 7-9. Girls showed stable or increasing links with anxiety at ages 10-12, suggesting different critical windows for support.
Key findings
01The association between social avoidance and affective problems peaked between ages 7 and 9 in boys, but not in girls.
02Autistic girls showed stronger associations between social-emotional unawareness and anxiety symptoms at ages 11-12, reversing the pattern seen in boys at younger ages.
03Specific SRS items regarding clinging to adults or wandering aimlessly were endorsed more often when children had higher anxiety or ADHD symptoms, regardless of autistic trait level.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample included relatively few autistic females (n=62), which reduced statistical power to detect sex differences at certain ages. Intellectual functioning was not included as a time-varying covariate, so its potential influence on the observed associations is unknown. Data relied entirely on parent-report measures, which may inflate correlations between different questionnaires due to shared reporter bias. The study did not have clinician-ascertained diagnoses for co-occurring conditions, limiting the ability to verify parent-reported symptoms.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by the Kids Brain Health Network, Sinneave Family Foundation, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Autism Speaks.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a high score on SRS items like 'clings to adults' or 'wanders aimlessly' definitively indicates core autistic traits. These items showed significant differential item functioning, meaning they were more likely to be endorsed when the child had high anxiety or ADHD symptoms, even when controlling for overall autistic trait levels.