Associations between autism traits and family functioning over time in autistic and non-autistic children.
Leontine W Ten Hoopen, Pieter Fa de Nijs, Geerte Slappendel and 5 others
PMID 36752154WHAT IT FOUND
In clinically referred children, lower autism traits at the start were associated with better family functioning about 13 months later.
When split by diagnosis, this was found only in non-autistic children with high traits, not autistic children. It does not prove cause.
Key findings
01Lower autism traits in children at the first assessment were associated with fewer family problems about 13 months later.
02Better family functioning at the first assessment was not associated with lower autism traits at the second assessment.
03When children were split by clinical diagnosis, the association was found only in non-autistic children with high autism traits, not in autistic children.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study is observational and shows association over time, not cause. The statistical models did not fit the data well, so the findings need replication. The sample was clinically referred and relatively well-functioning, with many intact families, so results may not apply to all children and families. The split by autism diagnosis was exploratory and included fewer children, so the non-autistic subgroup finding should be treated cautiously. Autism trait scores may reflect other neurodevelopmental or mental health problems, not autism alone. The study did not measure caregiver stress, caregiver mental health, sibling problems, or the services families received between assessments.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The Social Spectrum Study was funded by the Sophia Foundation for Scientific Research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the association as proof that autism traits cause family problems or that family functioning causes autism traits. The study only measured both over time, did not test cause, and the diagnostic split finding was limited to a small non-autistic subgroup with high autism traits.