Abstract：
Adolescence is a period of social, psychological, and physiological change, including the onset of puberty. Differential pubertal onset has been linked to a myriad of problems, including mental health problems. Therefore, we aim to investigate deviating pubertal development in autism, and whether this is more pronounced in girls than in boys. A total of 68 individuals (nASC = 34, nCOM (comparisons) = 34) aged 12 to 16 years were administered test concerning pubertal development and mental health (i.e., sensory sensitivity, autistic traits, depression, anxiety, and externalizing problems). Frequentist and Bayesian ANOVA was used to examine deviations in pubertal development in ASC and possible sex effects. Regression analyses was used to test whether this asynchronicity was linked to mental health problems. Our (frequentist and Bayesian) analyses revealed earlier onset and slower development of pubertal development in ASC but we did not find any sex differences. Maturation disparity was linked to higher mental health problems in ASC, but not in COM. No sex differences in the relation with mental health outcomes was found. We found evidence for a slower development of \"true\" puberty in those with ASC compared to those without. Moreover, we show that disparities in pubertal development are related to mental health in ASC, suggesting a greater impact on mental health in autistic than in non-autistic teens. Longitudinal studies are necessary to elucidate important developmental trajectories in puberty in neurodiverse populations.
摘要：
青春期是一个社会性的时期,心理,和生理变化，包括青春期的开始。青春期的差异与无数的问题有关，包括心理健康问题。因此,我们的目的是调查自闭症患者的青春期发育偏差，以及这是否在女孩中比在男孩中更明显。共有68名年龄在12至16岁之间的个体（nASC=34，nCOM（比较）=34）进行了有关青春期发育和心理健康的测试（即，感官敏感性，自闭症特征，抑郁症,焦虑,和外部化问题)。使用频率统计和贝叶斯方差分析来检查ASC青春期发育的偏差和可能的性别影响。回归分析用于测试这种异步性是否与心理健康问题有关。我们的（频率论和贝叶斯）分析显示，ASC的青春期发育发生较早，发育较慢，但我们没有发现任何性别差异。成熟差距与ASC中更高的心理健康问题有关，但不是在COM。在与心理健康结果的关系中没有发现性别差异。我们发现有证据表明，与没有ASC的人相比，患有ASC的人的“真正的”青春期发展较慢。此外，我们发现青春期发育的差异与ASC的心理健康有关，这表明自闭症患者对心理健康的影响要大于非自闭症青少年。纵向研究对于阐明神经多样性人群青春期的重要发育轨迹是必要的。
