Describing Outcomes in Autistic Young Adults One Year After High School Graduation.

The team tracked autistic kids from age 3 to age 6. They used the ADOS severity score to see if symptoms went up, down, or stayed the same.

Girls and boys were compared to spot any sex differences.

About 3 in 10 children scored at least 2 points lower on the ADOS by age 6. Just over half stayed the same. Nearly 2 in 10 scored higher.

Girls improved more often than boys.

Lovell et al. (2016) saw high label stability: 9 out of 10 kids kept the autism diagnosis from age 3 to middle childhood. Orsmond et al. (2025) show the label can stay while the symptom count still moves around.

Clark et al. (2018) found that children diagnosed before age 3 got more therapy and later needed less school support. The new data back the push for early identification; catching kids early gives room for those symptom drops to happen.

Oredipe et al. (2023) asked autistic adults and learned that earlier diagnosis disclosure linked to higher life satisfaction. Together the three studies build a chain: spot autism early, watch symptoms ease in some, and see happier grown-up years.

For you at the clinic table, the takeaway is clear: keep re-testing. A stable diagnosis does not mean a stable score. Schedule fresh ADOS checks before big school transitions. If a girl’s score drops, use the momentum to fade prompts and push peer play. If a boy’s score holds steady, stay calm and keep teaching new skills either way. Progress can still come even when numbers don’t budge.