Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of participants
| Autistic boys (N = 29) | Autistic girls (N = 16) | p-value (autistic girls vs. autistic boys) | NT boys (N = 23) | NT girls (N = 24) | p-value (all group comparisons) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 12.3 (3.1) | 10.0 (1.5) | 0.043 | 10.0 (2.8) | 10.1 (2.9) | 0.006 |
| Race | 0.213 | 0.122 | ||||
| N-missing | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| African American or Black | 2 (6.9%) | 0 (0.0%) | 7 (30.4%) | 3 (12.5%) | ||
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (6.7%) | 1 (4.3%) | 1 (4.2%) | ||
| Caucasian or White | 26 (89.7%) | 12 (80.0%) | 12 (52.2%) | 17 (70.8%) | ||
| More than one race | 1 (3.4%) | 2 (13.3%) | 3 (13.0%) | 3 (12.5%) | ||
| Full-scale IQ (DAS-II GCA) | 103.9 (13.4) | 109.2 (8.7) | 0.155 | 108.4 (12.2) | 108.7 (12.6) | 0.363 |
| Verbal IQ | 104.2 (14.3) | 106.9 (9.6) | 0.502 | 106.8 (13.2) | 110.1 (15.0) | 0.471 |
| Nonverbal IQ | 102.8 (11.8) | 109.1 (12.8) | 0.105 | 107.9 (11.9) | 104.4 (12.8) | 0.286 |
| Maternal education | 0.176 | 0.136 | ||||
| N-Missing | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Bachelor’s or less | 13 (56.5%) | 4 (30.8%) | 15 (68.2%) | 12 (50.0%) | ||
| Graduate degree | 10 (43.5%) | 8 (61.5%) | 5 (22.7%) | 12 (50.0%) | ||
| High school or less | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (7.7%) | 2 (9.1%) | 0 (0.0%) | ||
| ADOS-2 Total | 6.5 (1.8) | 6.2 (2.4) | 0.715 | 1.3 (0.4) | 1.1 (0.3) | < 0.001 |
| ADOS-2 Social affect | 6.9 (1.6) | 5.9 (2.1) | 0.105 | 1.7 (0.9) | 1.5 (0.8) | < 0.001 |
| ADOS-2 RRB | 6.4 (2.3) | 7.5 (1.6) | 0.097 | 1.7 (1.9) | 1.3 (1.1) | < 0.001 |
| SCQ lifetime | 18.5 (7.5) | 18.2 (7.0) | 0.897 | 3.0 (3.2) | 1.8 (2.1) | < 0.001 |
| Social Responsiveness Scale (total) | 67.1 (9.4) | 73.9 (11.0) | 0.051 | 46.4 (7.3) | 45.5 (5.5) | < 0.001 |
| VABS Communication | 83.9 (14.4) | 88.4 (11.1) | 0.306 | 108.0 (12.4) | 110.1 (10.1) | < 0.001 |
| VABS Socialization | 75.9 (12.2) | 79.6 (13.1) | 0.362 | 105.3 (9.8) | 106.4 (8.5) | < 0.001 |
| Total conversation duration (sec) | 323.6 (17.6) | 323.8 (17.7) | 0.975 | 326.1 (36.2) | 333.3 (38.7) | 0.642 |
Results of t-tests comparing autistic boys and girls are presented in the first p-value column. Results of the ANOVA models for the comparison of all four groups are shown in the second p-value column (autistic girls vs. autistic boys vs. NT girls vs. NT boys)
NT: neurotypical; ADOS-2: Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Edition; RRB: Restricted and repetitive behaviors; SCQ: Social Communication Questionnaire; VABS: Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales