ArticleChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2026
Clinical Profile of First-Time Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in School-Aged Youth.
Article in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivesThere is limited research on clinical profiles of school-aged children receiving a first-time diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) Level 1 and mixed findings related to sex differences in phenotype. This study aimed to describe the clinical profile of school-aged children receiving a first-time diagnosis of ASD Level 1, explore sex differences in phenotype by symptom severity and symptom domain profiles, and compare parent and teacher ratings on standardized measures of social, emotional, and behavioral functioning.
methodsA retrospective chart review of an ASD assessment clinic was completed. Eighty-one school-aged children were diagnosed with ASD Level 1. Measures of social, emotional, adaptive, and behavioral functioning were completed.
resultsFemales were significantly older at the time of diagnosis (M = 9.7 years) in comparison to males (M = 8.5 years). Additionally, over half of children diagnosed with ASD Level 1 presented with ADHD and over a third presented with an anxiety disorder. Approximately one-fourth of those diagnosed were currently taking psychotropic medication, and a substantial proportion had reported speech or language delay. Approximately half presented with food selectivity and sleep problems, with only 38% currently receiving behavioral health therapy services. Caregivers reported significantly higher internalizing symptoms and externalizing behavior on all Achenbach scales in comparison to teachers. Caregivers also reported significantly greater autism-specific social concerns. No statistically significant sex differences were found in parent or teacher ratings of domain scores. Based on caregiver reports, males demonstrated greater severity of aggressive behavior. Females displayed greater deficits in social communication and motivation based on both parent and teacher reports. Overall cognitive ability fell in the average range, while adaptive behavioral functioning was in the moderately low range.
conclusionsASD Level 1 in school-aged children presents a distinct clinical profile marked by high rates of co-occurring conditions (ADHD and anxiety), existing academic accommodations/modifications, physician referral for evaluation, and varied symptom severity by informant type, all of which may contribute to diagnostic overshadowing and delay, especially in females.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.