Child's verbal ability and gender are associated with age at diagnosis in a sample of young children with ASD in Europe

Background Autism spectrum disorder can in some cases be reliably diagnosed by age 2 years, but in community settings, the mean age at diagnosis is often considerably higher. Later diagnosis has been found to be associated with lower symptom severity, lower parental socioeconomic status and fewer parental concerns. Gender differences in age at diagnosis have been examined, with mixed evidence. Methods We examined the association of child's verbal ability and gender, and parental education, with age at diagnosis in a large sample of young children with autism spectrum disorder in 18 European countries (n = 1410). Results There was considerable variation in age at diagnosis across countries. Children with better communication skills were diagnosed significantly later than non-verbal and minimally verbal children. There was also a significant interaction of gender with verbal ability on age at diagnosis, in that female children with complex phrase speech were diagnosed later than male children with the same level of verbal ability. Conclusions Our findings highlight the need to implement public awareness initiatives and training for professionals to promote early detection and, consequently, early intervention for autism spectrum disorder in Europe.