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Compared to males, females are at a much greater likelihood of receiving a later diagnosis of autism, which impacts their opportunity to receive early support. To assist with early identification, this systematic literature review aimed to ascertain whether females differ from males in the early childhood signs of autism. The small number of heterogeneous studies made it difficult to draw conclusions, although it appears that females and males under 6 years of age are more similar than different in terms of their expression of autistic behaviours. Given the discrepant sex/gender ratio in autism, these findings highlight the importance of exploring whether there are different and/or specific, not yet identified, early signs of autism in females and males.

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This study evaluated the influence of activity preference and involvement on season completion in a community-based football program for children with and without neurodevelopmental disorders. Caregivers (n = 1428) of 1529 children aged 4 to 17 (M = 7.27, SD = 1.85), with (n = 175) and without (n = 1354) neurodevelopmental disorders who were currently participating or had previously participated in a group-based NAB AFL Auskick football program completed an online survey. The survey collected information on their child’s completion of any attempted seasons of the football program, level of involvement during the sessions and preference for football over other sports and activities. Eighty percent of children with a neurodevelopmental diagnosis had completed all seasons of Auskick, compared with 93% of children without a neurodevelopmental diagnosis. Results indicated that children with neurodevelopmental disorders (n = 135) were 3.71 times less likely to complete a football season than their typically developing peers (n = 903). Higher levels of involvement during football sessions and greater preference for football were linked to a higher football season completion rate, irrespective of neurodevelopmental disability diagnosis. This study highlights the influence of child-related factors, in particular, preference and involvement, on children’s sustained participation in community football programs, regardless of neurodevelopmental disability status.