Autistic girls much less likely to be diagnosed, study says

A large-scale study in Sweden, tracking 2.7 million people born between 1985 and 2020, found that autism diagnosis rates between males and females are nearly equal by age 20, challenging previous assumptions. The research, led by the Karolinska Institutet, revealed that boys are three to four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism in childhood, specifically before age 10, and are diagnosed nearly three years earlier on average. While gender disparities in diagnosis rates remained consistent for children under 10 over the last three decades, they decreased rapidly for all other age groups. The study, published in the BMJ, suggests that underdiagnosis or late diagnosis in women and girls contributes to the previously perceived higher prevalence of autism in males. Researchers and advocates emphasize the need to investigate the reasons for delayed diagnoses in females, including potential biases in diagnostic tools and methods.

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