Studies have shown that there are differences between the presentations of males and females diagnosed with autism. There remains a developing understanding about how the presentation of autism differs between boys (hereafter referred to as 'assigned males at birth') and girls (assigned females at birth). This study sought to investigate the…

Girls, more than boys, experience a decrease in the severity of autism symptoms during childhood. It is unclear, however, which specific autistic behaviors change more for girls than for boys. Trajectories of autism symptoms were evaluated using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-calibrated severity scores (ADOS-CSS). Change in the…

As an information-bearing auditory attribute of sound, pitch plays a crucial role in the perception of speech and music. Studies examining pitch processing in autism spectrum disorder have produced equivocal results. To understand this discrepancy from a mechanistic perspective, we used a novel data-driven method, the reverse-correlation paradigm,…

Siblings play an important role in shaping the developmental trajectories of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Having siblings has been associated with better social communication, non-verbal communication, and theory of mind abilities in autism spectrum disorder. However, little is known about the impact of siblings on adaptive skill…

This study examined trajectories of repetitive sensorimotor (RSM), insistence on sameness (IS), and verbal RRBs from ages 2-19 in a well-characterized longitudinal cohort. We also tested the factor structure of the ADI-R restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) domain at age 19 and the inclusion of a verbal RRBs factor, in addition to previously…

Approximately 3-4 boys for every girl meet the clinical criteria for autism in studies of community diagnostic patterns and studies of autism using samples of convenience. However, girls with autism have been hypothesized to be underdiagnosed, possibly because they may present with differing symptom profiles as compared to boys. This secondary…

Motor abnormalities are highly prevalent in children with autism spectrum disorder and are strongly predictive of adaptive functioning. Despite the documented sex bias in the prevalence of the disorder, the impact of sex differences on motor abnormalities has been overlooked. The goal of this study was to investigate differences in the motor…

The ability to repair breakdowns in communication is a critical pragmatic language skill. To date however, studies of repairs have been conducted with mothers or examiners. Little is known about repairs children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) use in interactions with fathers. Expanding our understanding of communication repairs used with…

When partners coordinate their movement in time and space to reach a goal, they perform joint action, an important part of every interaction. Joint action involves motor abilities and socio-cognitive skills like theory of mind. Autistic children's lower joint motor coordination (joint action) abilities as well as their motor functioning and theory…

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition, characterized by altered social communication and repetitive behavior. Typically diagnosed in early childhood, screening and diagnosis at a later age can be challenging, particularly in girls who exhibit a wider range of behaviors and characteristics. This study aimed to examine the Childhood Autism…

Adaptive functioning, or the suite of skills essential for real-world, day-to-day functioning, includes daily living, communication, and socialization abilities. Even in the absence of co-occurring intellectual disability (IQ < 70), difficulties in adaptive functioning are prominent in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Further, ASD individuals…

Despite emerging awareness of gender diversity in the autistic population, our understanding of autism remains limited to cisgender boys and men. We conducted a scoping review to better understand how structural language skills (i.e. syntax, semantics, narrative) differ across sex/gender within autism, and how gender diversity is incorporated in…

Objectives: The purpose of this article is to review research that has been conducted over the past five years on language development, reading skills and word learning with the use of the eye tracking machine as regards the population with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in comparison to typically developed population. Materials and methods: A…

Youth with autism spectrum conditions have been shown to be at an increased risk for bullying victimization. The overall aim of this study was to identify factors associated with increased risk for bullying victimization in youth with autism during middle childhood to early adolescence (aged 5-12 years) and to explore the potential time-ordered…

A recent study suggests that parent report on the Social Symptom and Prosocial scales of the Childhood Joint Attention Rating Scale provides useful information about differences in the social development of school-aged autistic children. The current study provides additional psychometric data on the Childhood Joint Attention Rating Scale regarding…