Gender differences in symptoms of comorbidity in toddlers with ASD using the BISCUIT-Part 2.

Objective: Examine if gender differences exist with respect to comorbid symptoms in young children with Autistic Disorder (AD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) and atypical controls.
Design: A factorial MANOVA was conducted for the main analysis and follow-up post-hocs were conducted where significant differences were found.
Methods: The Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits, Part 2 was administered to caregivers of 438 young children.
Results: The MANOVA was significant, F(10, 858) = 19.38, p < 0.001, Pillai's Trace = 0.37. No gender differences were found; however, diagnostic groups differed significantly on symptoms with AD exhibiting more symptoms than PDD-NOS, followed by atypical controls. No interaction between gender and diagnosis was found.
Conclusions: Those with AD exhibited greater comorbid symptoms which is consistent with previous research. Current finding also support previous literature which state that gender differences are evident only during certain periods in the lifespan.