Time is of the essence: Age at autism diagnosis, sex assigned at birth, and psychopathology.

Previous research has shown that girls/women are diagnosed later than boys/men with autism. Individuals who are diagnosed later in life, especially girls/women, have greater anxious and depressive symptoms. Previous research has been limited due to narrow inclusionary criteria for enrollment in studies.

Randomized Feasibility Pilot of an Executive Functioning Intervention Adapted for Children's Mental Health Settings.

The critical role of executive functioning in autism as well as the co-occurring mental health challenges common among autistic youth support to the immense value of interventions targeting executive functioning for enhancing mental health services for autistic children. The goal of the present study was to conduct a randomized feasibility trial of Unstuck and On Target, an executive functioning intervention, adapted for delivery in children's community mental health setting. Mental health therapists (n = 26) enrolled with participating autistic clients (n = 32) were randomized to receive training in and deliver the adapted Unstuck intervention or to deliver care as usual.

Gender and Autism Program: A novel clinical service model for gender-diverse/transgender autistic youth and young adults.

Situated in Children's National Hospital (CNH)'s Neuropsychology Division, the Gender and Autism Program (GAP) is the first clinical service dedicated to the needs of autistic gender-diverse/transgender youth. This study describes GAP clinical assessment profiles and presents a multi-perspective programmatic review of GAP evaluation services. Seventy-five consecutive gender- and neuropsychologically-informed GAP evaluations were analyzed, including demographics, gender and autism characterization, and primary domains evaluated.

Probing heterogeneity to identify individualized treatment approaches in autism: Specific clusters of executive function challenges link to distinct co-occurring mental health problems.

Many autistic people struggle with mental health problems like anxiety, depression, inattention, and aggression, which can be challenging to treat. Executive function challenges, which impact many autistic individuals, may serve as a risk factor for mental health problems or make treating mental health conditions more difficult. While some people respond well to medication or therapy, others do not.

Gender, assigned sex at birth, and gender diversity: Windows into diagnostic timing disparities in autism.

Later autism diagnosis is associated with risk for mental health problems. Understanding factors related to later autism diagnosis may help reduce mental health risks for autistic people. One characteristic associated with later autism diagnosis is female sex.