Your child might seem more irritable or cranky, cry, scream, fidget or seem restless. Or your child might find it hard to adapt to change, or have trouble concentrating. This often happens because autistic children and teenagers can find it hard to identify, manage and express their emotions.

But it’s normal for the start of puberty to range from 8-13 years in girls and 9-14 years in boys. So there’s no way of knowing exactly when your child will start puberty. Autism doesn’t affect when puberty starts.

Girls with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to enter puberty at an earlier age than neurotypical girls, according to a new study. Blythe Corbett and colleagues analyzed data from 239 children between 10 and 13 years of age. Of the children, 137 were diagnosed with ASD while 102 were neurotypical controls.

Do symptoms of autism change over time? For many children, symptoms improve with age and behavioral treatment. During adolescence, some children with ASD may become depressed or experience behavioral problems, and their treatment may need some modification as they transition to adulthood.

Genetic and other effects occurring during the earliest times of life are thought to play a significant contributory role to the presentation of autism, denoting that autism is typically seen as an innate or inborn condition.

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. One in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.

In others, behaviors become obvious as late as age 2 or 3. Not all children with autism show all the signs. Many children who don’t have autism show a few. That’s why professional evaluation is crucial.

If you mention autism to most people they will think about children, but it is a lifelong diagnosis. Children with autism grow up to be adults with autism. Little is known about how the symptoms change with age.