The relationship between age of autism diagnosis and life satisfaction in adulthood.

The study is cross-sectional and cannot prove that early diagnosis caused better outcomes; it may be that children with certain profiles (e.g., fewer co-occurring conditions) are diagnosed earlier and also fare better. The sample was largely self-selected, online, and predominantly non-Hispanic White (79.01%), limiting generalizability. Only 6.24% of participants had an intellectual disability, which is much lower than rates in the general autistic population. Age of diagnosis was reported retrospectively in broad categories, which may obscure precise timing. The study did not capture data on interventions or supports received, which could influence outcomes. Listwise deletion was used for missing data, which may introduce bias if missingness was not random.

Funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and Autism Speaks. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.

Do not interpret the association between early diagnosis and higher life satisfaction as proof that diagnosis itself improves adult well-being. The study is cross-sectional and did not control for interventions received or childhood socioeconomic factors, which could explain both the timing of diagnosis and the adult outcomes.