Sociodemographic, clinical, and global functioning vulnerabilities in Mexican children and adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorders.

This study looked at 22 Mexican children and teens with autism compared to 81 without autism. Children with autism were more likely to need special education and had lower overall functioning in daily activities. The researchers found that some children with autism had additional mental health challenges that made things even harder for them. This shows that autism affects children differently and some may need extra support.

This cross-sectional study compared sociodemographic, clinical, and functioning profiles between 22 Mexican children/adolescents with ASD and 81 without ASD at two Mexico City outpatient facilities. Using semi-structured interviews and standardized assessments, researchers found that participants with ASD had significantly higher rates of special education placement and lower global functioning scores on both the Children's Global Assessment Scale and WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. Those without ASD showed more oppositional/defiant symptoms. Latent class analysis identified a vulnerable subgroup within the ASD cohort characterized by increased psychosocial and psychopathological symptoms alongside reduced functionality, highlighting the heterogeneity within ASD presentations in Mexican youth.

Mexican children with ASD require comprehensive functional assessments and educational support planning. Clinicians should screen for co-occurring psychosocial symptoms to identify those at higher vulnerability. Findings support need for culturally relevant ASD services in Mexico and highlight importance of individualized intervention approaches.

Small ASD sample size (n=22) limits generalizability. Cross-sectional design prevents causal inferences. Study limited to two Mexico City institutions may not represent broader Mexican population. Unknown study methodology details affect interpretation of findings.

Research indicates that sociodemographic, clinical, and global functioning are associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To measure and compare sociodemographic, clinical, and global functioning vulnerability profiles of a sample of Mexican children and adolescents with and without ASD. The study was done at two outpatient institutions in Mexico City. The assessment used semi-structured interviews with rating scales, and-tests and chi-squared () tests were run to evaluate group comparisons.

A latent class analysis was executed to generate probabilistic vulnerability profiles. A total of 103 participants were recruited, 22 with ASD (21.3%, mean age 12.8 ± 3.17, 77.27% male). Those without ASD showed a significantly special education placement (= 3.91, = 0.048), had oppositional and defiant symptoms ( = 3.32, = 0.001), and lower global functioning as measured by the Children's Global Assessment Scale ( = 11.78; = 0.001) and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 ( = -4.10; = 0.001). Vulnerability was identified in a subgroup of participants with ASD due to increased psychosocial and psychopathological symptoms and lower global functionality.

Mexican children and adolescents with ASD experience special education placement and impaired global functioning.