A study published yesterday suggests that autism may be as common in females as in males, contradicting prevailing estimates of the disorder's prevalence. While it is known that this neurological and developmental disorder is more common in males at a younger age, the study published in the British Medical Journal found a significant effect in later life stages for girls that erases this difference. Researchers found that the male-to-female ratio equalized by age 20, reaching approximately 1:1. To analyze diagnosis rates with age, researchers in Sweden and the U.S. followed 2.7 million people born in Sweden between 1985 and 2022 from birth until a maximum age of 37. Overall, 2.8% of individuals were diagnosed with autism at an average age of 14. Diagnosis rates were higher among boys aged 10 to 14 and among girls aged 15 to 19.
