Abstract
Research on sex differences in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suggests both higher prevalence and a more easily observable presentation of core ASD symptomology in males, which may lead to sex differences in parental concerns. The current study examined whether sex and diagnosis relate to the timing, number, and types of pre-diagnosis concerns for 669 (Nmale = 468) toddlers who screened at risk for ASD. No sex differences in parents’ concerns emerged for toddlers diagnosed with ASD; however, in the overall at-risk sample, parents of boys endorsed ASD symptoms, including restricted and repetitive behaviors, more than parents of girls. Future research should examine why sex differences in pre-diagnosis concerns emerge and how they might impact early diagnosis for at-risk boys versus girls.
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Acknowledgments
We thank our funding sources, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, R01HD039961, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, R40MC00270, U.S. Department of Education Student-Initiated Research Grant, University of Connecticut’s Research Foundation Faculty Grant, National Alliance of Autism Research, a National Institute of Mental Health Predoctoral Fellowship, F31MH12550, and Autism Speaks Targeted Research Award 8368. We would like to give special thanks to Megan Richards and Diana Thao for initial coding of history questionnaire responses. We also thank all of the children, parents, and physicians that participated in the study. We are thankful to the Early Detection Project research teams at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Georgia State University, and University of Connecticut for their support during this project. Preliminary results from this study were presented by the first author at the International Society for Autism Research 2017 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.
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RR conceived of the study, performed statistical analyses, participated in interpretation of the data, and drafted the manuscript; LN assisted with performing statistical analyses, participated in interpretation of the data, and helped to draft the manuscript; NL conceived of the study, participated in interpretation of the data, and helped to draft the manuscript; DF participated in study design and implementation; LA participated in study design and coordination and helped to draft the manuscript. DR conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, in the interpretation of the data, and in drafting the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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D. L. Robins and D. Fein are co-owners of M-CHAT, LLC, which receives royalties from companies that incorporate the M-CHAT(-R) into commercial products. Data in the current study are from the freely available version of the M-CHAT(-R). The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Ramsey, R.K., Nichols, L., Ludwig, N.N. et al. Brief Report: Sex Differences in Parental Concerns for Toddlers with Autism Risk. J Autism Dev Disord 48, 4063–4069 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3583-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3583-0