ArticleMolecular autism2020
Physical health of autistic girls and women: a scoping review.
Article in Molecular autism, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- Experiences of females on the autism spectrum through the perspective of minority stress theory: a review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Sex/gender differences in the human autistic brains: A systematic review of 20 years of neuroimaging research.NeuroImage. Clinical · 2021Pooled it
- Emotion dysregulation is heightened in autistic females: A comparison with autistic males and borderline personality disorder.Women's health (London, England)Trial
- Sex differences in 5-year incidence and prevalence of physical illnesses following early childhood autism diagnosis.JCPP advances · 2026Article
- Advances in supporting development in autistic children and youth.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2026Review
- Socio-Demographic Associations and Frequencies of Physical Activity Participation of Autistic Adolescents Reported by Parents in Ontario, Canada.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Invisible disabilities and health among U.S. postsecondary students.Journal of American college health : J of ACH · 2026Article
- The healthcare experiences of middle and older age autistic women in the United Kingdom.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026Article
- "A combination of everything": a mixed-methods approach to the factors which autistic people consider important in suicidality.Autism in adulthood · 2025Article
- Male and Female Healthcare Trajectories in Autism: Are There Any Differences Considering Age at Diagnosis and Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities Status?Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2025Article
- 'Nothing About Us, Without Us': Research Priorities for Autistic Girls, Women and Gender Diverse People in Australia.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025Article
- Autistic and transgender/gender diverse people's experiences of health and healthcare.Molecular autism · 2025Article
- Maternal Autistic Traits and Adverse Birth Outcomes.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Mental health challenges faced by autistic people.Nature human behaviour · 2023Review
- Health conditions and service use of autistic women and men: A retrospective population-based case-control study.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Article
- Sex and gender in neurodevelopmental conditions.Nature reviews. Neurology · 2023Review
- Measuring subjective quality of life in autistic adults with the PROMIS global-10: Psychometric study and development of an autism-specific scoring method.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Article
- Current and lifetime somatic symptom burden among transition-aged autistic young adults.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2022Article
- The Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health Autistic Researcher Review Board.Pediatrics · 2022Article
- A capabilities approach to understanding and supporting autistic adulthood.Nature reviews psychology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThere is a growing recognition of sex and gender influences in autism. Increasingly, studies include comparisons between sexes or genders, but few have focused on clarifying the characteristics of autistic girls'/women's physical health.
methodsA scoping review was conducted to determine what is currently known about the physical health of autistic girls/women. We screened 1112 unique articles, with 40 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. We used a convergent iterative process to synthesize this content into broad thematic areas.
resultsAutistic girls/women experience more overall physical health challenges compared to non-autistic girls/women and to autistic boys/men. Emerging evidence suggests increased prevalence of epilepsy in autistic girls/women compared to non-autistic girls/women and to autistic boys/men. The literature also suggests increased endocrine and reproductive health conditions in autistic girls/women compared to non-autistic girls/women. Findings regarding gastrointestinal, metabolic, nutritional, and immune-related conditions are preliminary and inconsistent. LIMITATIONS: The literature has substantial heterogeneity in how physical health conditions were assessed and reported. Further, our explicit focus on physical health may have constrained the ability to examine interactions between mental and physical health. The widely differing research aims and methodologies make it difficult to reach definitive conclusions. Nevertheless, in keeping with the goals of a scoping review, we were able to identify key themes to guide future research.
conclusionsThe emerging literature suggests that autistic girls/women have heightened rates of physical health challenges compared to non-autistic girls/women and to autistic boys/men. Clinicians should seek to provide holistic care that includes a focus on physical health and develop a women's health lens when providing clinical care to autistic girls/women.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.