Delayed Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adolescent Boys.

This research looked at why autism diagnosis is often delayed in teenage boys. They reviewed 14 studies involving over 5,000 boys aged 10-18. The main reasons for late diagnosis included earlier misdiagnosis, other mental health conditions, social stigma, family income issues, lack of autism knowledge among parents and professionals, and boys not showing typical autism signs. Late diagnosis led to problems like lack of support, wrong medications, bullying, family stress, and worsening autism traits.

This systematic review examined delayed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis in adolescent boys aged 10-18 years. The review included 14 studies with 5,185 participants from databases searched through August 2023. Key factors contributing to diagnostic delays included prior misdiagnosis, comorbidities, social stigma, socioeconomic factors, lack of specialized education and parental awareness, diagnostic reclassification, and absence of typical ASD characteristics. The study found substantial delays between initial concerns and final assessment, often resulting in diagnoses occurring during adolescence or young adulthood.

Consequences of delayed diagnosis included inadequate support, inappropriate pharmacological treatment, psychological bullying, family strain, declined social interaction, and reinforcement of ASD traits.

Healthcare systems should develop targeted strategies to reduce diagnostic delays in adolescent boys, including improved training for professionals, enhanced parental education, addressing socioeconomic barriers, and creating more efficient diagnostic pathways. Early identification protocols should account for atypical presentations in this population.

The abstract does not provide details about study quality assessment, heterogeneity between included studies, or methodological limitations. The search was limited to three databases and specific inclusion criteria may have excluded relevant research.

The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an exceptionally crucial and sensitive topic in the field of mental health. Despite the importance of early diagnosis, there is often a delay in recognizing autism, especially in the particularly sensitive age group of adolescent boys. The main consequences of this delay are a lack of support, incorrect pharmacological treatment, psychological bullying, family strain, decline in social interaction, and reinforcement of ASD traits. This systematic literature review aims to study the phenomenon of delayed diagnosis of autism in boys during adolescence or young adulthood.

Eligible studies were extracted from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases up to August 30, 2023. The participants included only boys, adolescents aged 10-18 years. A total of 14 eligible studies and 5.185 participants were included. The primary reasons for delayed ASD diagnosis concerned prior misdiagnosis, comorbidities, social stigma, socio-economic factors, lack of specialized education and parental awareness, diagnostic reclassification, and absence of ASD characteristics.

Substantial delays are recorded between the initial concern and the final assessment of boys, resulting in diagnoses occurring during adolescence or adulthood.