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Brief Report: Autistic-Like Traits in Childhood Predict Later Age at Menarche in Girls

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders volume 41, pages 1125–1130 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between autistic-like traits in early childhood and age at menarche in typically developing girls. Autistic-like symptoms were measured at age 2 years using the Child Behaviour Checklist, and age at menarche (AAM) was determined prospectively using self-report questionnaires at age 8, 10, 14 and 17 years. Girls with ‘high’ autistic-like symptoms at age 2 years demonstrated significantly later AAM (n = 70; M = 13.07 years; SD = 1 year) than girls reported to show ‘typical’ (n = 216; M = 12.72 years; SD = 1.1) or ‘low’ (n = 47; M = 12.66 years; SD = 1.13 years) levels of these behaviors. These data further establish a link between the autism phenotype and later AAM and may provide insights into the etiology of the condition.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) for their long term contribution to funding the study over the last 20 years. Core Management of the Raine study has been funded by the University of Western Australia (UWA), the UWA Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, the Raine Medical Research Foundation, the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, and the Women’s and Infants Research Foundation. The 2- and 10-year follow-up was funded by the NH&MRC and the Raine Medical Research Foundation. The authors are extremely grateful to the study participants and their families as well as the Raine Study team for cohort co‐ordination and data collection.

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Affiliations

  1. Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

    Andrew J. O. Whitehouse

  2. Neurocognitive Development Unit, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, 100 Roberts Road, Subiaco, Perth, WA, Australia, 6008

    Andrew J. O. Whitehouse & Murray T. Maybery

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VC, Australia

    Martha Hickey

  4. The Liggins Institute and the National Research Centre for Growth and Development, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Deborah M. Sloboda

Authors
  1. Andrew J. O. Whitehouse
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  2. Murray T. Maybery
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  3. Martha Hickey
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  4. Deborah M. Sloboda
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Correspondence to Andrew J. O. Whitehouse.

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Whitehouse, A.J.O., Maybery, M.T., Hickey, M. et al. Brief Report: Autistic-Like Traits in Childhood Predict Later Age at Menarche in Girls. J Autism Dev Disord 41, 1125–1130 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1129-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1129-1

Keywords

  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Menarche
  • Testosterone
  • Raine study
  • Child behavior checklist