Autistic Clinical Profiles and Age At First Concern and At Diagnosis Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Objectives: To explore the relationship between autistic clinical profiles and age at first concern and at diagnosis among children with autism spectrum disorder. The clinical profiles included the severity of autism, cognition, adaptability, language development, and regression.

Methods: The multivariate linear regression model was used to examine the association of diagnostic age and first-concern age with autistic clinical profiles, and with further stratification analysis.

Results: A total of 801 autistic children were included. Language delay and regression were associated with earlier diagnostic age and the age of first concern of autistic children. After stratification by sex, language delay tended to be more associated with the earlier diagnostic age among boys than among girls. After stratification by maternal education level or family income level, language delay was most associated with the earlier diagnostic age in autistic children from families with higher socioeconomic levels.

Conclusion: Language delay promoted the earlier diagnostic age. Among male autistic children or children from families with higher socioeconomic levels, language delay was most significantly associated with the earlier age of diagnosis. Cognitive delay or adaptive delay was associated with later age at diagnosis presented only in autistic children from families with lower socioeconomic levels. There may be sex or socioeconomic inequality in the diagnostic age for autistic children.