ISSUE #1
5
Social and Behavioral Challenges (≈37%)
Core autism traits: social difficulties and repetitive behaviors
Reaches developmental milestones (like walking and talking) on time
Commonly has co-occurring conditions: ADHD, anxiety, depression, or OCD
One of the largest subgroups
Moderate Challenges (≈34%)
Milder autism traits than other groups
Developmental milestones on-time
Typically, no co-occurring psychiatric conditions
Second-largest group
Mixed ASD with Developmental Delay (≈19%)
Delayed developmental milestones (like walking and talking)
Fewer emotional/psychiatric issues (less anxiety, depression, or behavior problems)
“Mixed” refers to variability in social and repetitive behavior traits
Middle-sized group
Broadly Affected (≈10%)
Most severely affected across many areas
Has delays in development, strong social and communication challenges
Repetitive behaviors and emotional issues (anxiety, mood disorders) are common
Smallest but most affected group
This helped them better understand how autism shows up in different ways and could lead to more personalized support and care for autistic people.
Litman, A., Sauerwald, N., Green Snyder, L. et al. Decomposition of phenotypic heterogeneity in autism reveals underlying genetic programs. Nat Genet (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-025-02224-z