Autistic girls much less likely to be diagnosed, study says

"Of the 2.7 million people tracked, 2.8% were diagnosed with autism between the ages of two and 37. They found that by the age of 20, diagnosis rates of men and women were almost equal, challenging previous assumptions that autism is more common among males. Our findings suggest that the gender difference in autism prevalence is much lower than previously thought, due to women and girls being underdiagnosed or diagnosed late, said the lead author, Dr Caroline Fyfe."

"The research calculated that in childhood, boys were diagnosed on average nearly three years earlier than girls the median age at diagnosis was 15.9 for girls, but 13.1 for boys. Overall, boys were three to four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism under the age of 10, although girls were found to catch up by the time they were 20, owing to a rapid increase in autism diagnosis during adolescence."

"These observations highlight the need to investigate why female individuals receive diagnoses later than male individuals, the authors conclude. The study, published in the BMJ, also found that while gender disparities in diagnosis rates remained pretty consistent over the last three decades for children under 10, they decreased rapidly for all other age groups. Findings indicate that the male to female ratio for autism spectrum disorder has decreased over time and with increasing age at diagnosis, the authors observe."

Diagnosis records for 2.7 million people born in Sweden between 1985 and 2020 show 2.8% received autism diagnoses between ages two and 37. By age 20, diagnosis rates for men and women were almost equal, indicating a smaller gender difference in prevalence than previously assumed. Median age at diagnosis was 15.9 for girls and 13.1 for boys, with boys diagnosed nearly three years earlier on average. Boys were three to four times more likely to be diagnosed under age 10, while diagnoses among females increased rapidly during adolescence, closing the gap by adulthood. Gender disparities under age 10 remained stable over three decades, while disparities declined for older age groups.

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