Trajectory of Irritability in Autistic and Typically Developing Youth From Early Childhood to Adolescence.

The study used two separate samples for pre-adolescence and late adolescence, meaning participants were not tracked continuously from childhood through both adolescent periods, leaving a gap in data for ages 12-15. Irritability was measured solely by parent report using the ABC, which focuses on observable behaviors rather than internal emotional states and may introduce sex-based biases in reporting. There was substantial missing data for the Child Behavior Checklist, particularly in the late-adolescence group, which may affect the robustness of the psychopathology findings. The study did not account for factors like school placement, sensory differences, or puberty onset, which are known to influence irritability.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the National Institute of Health (Intramural).

Do not assume that autistic girls will naturally outgrow irritability as they age. The study found that while autistic boys and typically developing peers showed significant reductions in irritability by late adolescence, autistic girls maintained high levels, indicating a need for targeted intervention rather than waiting for improvement.