Are the diagnostic rates of autistic females increasing? An examination of state‐wide trends

Author:

Harrop Clare12,Tomaszewski Brianne23,Putnam Orla1,Klein Claire24,Lamarche Elena2,Klinger Laura23

Affiliation:

1. Department of Health Sciences University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA

2. University of North Carolina TEACCH Autism Program Chapel Hill NC USA

3. Department of Psychiatry University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA

4. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA

Abstract

BackgroundAutism has been considered a ‘male‐dominant’ condition. However, recent research suggests that autistic females are underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed, and later diagnosed. Females may also have different and more nuanced behavioral profiles. To examine diagnosis rates of females, we used 20 years of state‐wide data to characterize historical trends in the diagnosis of autism in females to determine whether the proportion of females diagnosed with autism has changed over time.MethodsData were drawn from 10,247 participants (males = 8,319, females = 1928) who received an autism diagnosis between 2000 and 2021 from state‐wide autism centers associated with the University of North Carolina TEACCH Autism Program.ResultsThe rates of females diagnosed with autism increased at a greater rate compared with males. Age of diagnosis remained consistently higher for females. Late diagnosis (defined as 13+) increased over time across both males and females, however, was more commonly associated with females, particularly those with co‐occurring intellectual disability.ConclusionsOur results indicate that the proportion of females diagnosed with autism has increased steadily over a 20‐year period, which likely reflects greater societal knowledge of how autism may manifest differentially in females.

Funder

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

U.S. Department of Education

Publisher

Wiley

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