| Title: |
Are We Getting Better at Identifying and Diagnosing Neurodivergent Girls and Women? Insights into Sex Ratios and Age of Diagnosis from Clinical Population Data in Scotland |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Donald Maciver (ORCID 0000-0002-6173-429X); Anusua Singh Roy; Lorna Johnston; Marie Boilson; Eleanor Curnow (ORCID 0000-0001-9332-8248); Victoria Johnstone-Cooke (ORCID 0000-0002-0162-1226); Marion Rutherford (ORCID 0000-0002-2283-6736) |
| Source: |
Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice. 2026 30(2):375-389. |
| Availability: |
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
15 |
| Publication Date: |
2026 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: |
Autism Spectrum Disorders; Gender Differences; Clinical Diagnosis; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Intellectual Disability; Children; Adolescents; Adults; Foreign Countries; Referral |
| Geographic Terms: |
United Kingdom (Scotland) |
| DOI: |
10.1177/13623613251383343 |
| ISSN: |
1362-3613; 1461-7005 |
| Abstract: |
This study examined differences in referral and diagnosis based on sex recorded at birth (hereafter, 'sex'), using case notes from 408 individuals diagnosed by 30 multidisciplinary teams across Scotland. Analyses focused on male-to-female ratios and median ages at referral and diagnosis across attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism and intellectual disability. The lifespan male-to-female ratio across all diagnoses was 1.31, varying by category and age. In autism, the male-to-female ratio was 2.21 for children under 10 years, but there were more females in adolescence (male-to-female ratio = 0.79) and adulthood (male-to-female ratio = 0.94). Across the lifespan, combining all diagnoses, females were referred later (median ages: 14.4 vs 19.7 years; p < 0.001) and diagnosed later (median ages: 15.2 vs 20.2 years; p < 0.001), indicating a 5-year delay. Among autistic children and adolescents, females were referred later (median age: 7.5 vs 10.5 years; p = 0.002) and diagnosed later (median age: 9.3 vs 11.9 years; p = 0.003). However, no significant differences were found in age of referral or diagnosis for autistic adults. Overall, the results indicate increasing balance in sex ratios with age, greater asymmetry in younger age groups, and consistent delays in referral and diagnosis ages for females. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2026 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1494695 |
| Database: |
ERIC |