Post-Pandemic Rise in Autism Diagnoses Among Females

A recent analysis of electronic health records from a large U.S. health system shows that the overall number of newly recorded autism diagnoses, which had been declining through 2019, began to increase after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase is not uniform: teenage girls and women account for the bulk of the rise, while diagnoses among boys and men have remained stable or fallen.

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Researchers at Saint Louis University examined records for 171,134 patients who received care annually between 2016 and 2024. Across the whole cohort, the annual rate of new autism diagnoses fell until 2020 and then climbed. When separated by sex, diagnoses among females grew by roughly 19 % per year from 2020 to 2024, with teenage girls seeing a 22 % annual increase. The number of females receiving a first recorded diagnosis nearly doubled, from 284 in 2016 to 513 in 2024. In contrast, male diagnoses stayed flat or declined during the same period. The study appears in *JAMA Network Open*.

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Autism has traditionally been identified more often in males, partly because screening tools and diagnostic criteria were developed using predominantly male samples. Prior research, including a 2026 *BMJ* study, documented that girls are typically diagnosed later than boys—by about three and a half years in adulthood and by roughly 1.5 years in childhood. These gaps have been attributed to differences in social motivation and the tendency of many autistic females to camouflage symptoms, making conventional assessments less sensitive to their presentation.

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The authors argue that the post-pandemic surge reflects improved recognition of autism in females rather than a true increase in prevalence. They note that pandemic-related service interruptions likely delayed assessments, creating a rebound effect once in-person services resumed. Expanded use of telehealth and heightened public awareness—particularly through women sharing their experiences online—may have also facilitated earlier identification. Limitations include reliance on billing codes rather than standardized diagnostic assessments, potential omission of earlier diagnoses made outside the health system, and a predominantly White cohort that may not represent the broader U.S. population.

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If the rise stems from closing a longstanding diagnostic gap, earlier identification could enable timely access to educational, workplace, and community supports for autistic females. The findings underscore the need for screening tools that capture the diverse presentations of autism across sexes and for continued monitoring of diagnostic trends as health-care delivery evolves.

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