Developmental Markers of Genetic Liability to Autism in Parents: A Longitudinal, Multigenerational Study.
Molly Losh, Gary E Martin, Michelle Lee and 4 others
PMID 28070788WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of children with ASD had lower childhood language scores and slower math growth than controls.
Their early language profiles were linked to adult social communication traits and to symptom severity in their children.
Key findings
01Parents of individuals with ASD scored lower than controls on the language composite, with marginally significant reading and math differences.
02Parents of individuals with ASD showed significantly slower growth in math, with marginally slower growth in language and reading.
03Relatively lower language performance and slower rates of development in language and math in parents were associated with more severe ASD symptoms in children.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample came only from Iowa school records, so the results may not apply to other regions or school systems. The control group was small and screened to exclude ASD and developmental delays, so it may have been stronger on school testing than a typical population. Group differences were subtle, and both groups performed above grade level overall. The study was observational and retrospective, so it cannot show that childhood school scores caused or identified genetic liability. Several outcomes and correlations were tested, and some group differences were only marginal. Child symptom data were not available for every child with ASD, because gold-standard assessments were used when possible.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these school-test patterns as a clinical tool for identifying genetic liability or predicting a child's severity. The differences were subtle, the study was observational, and no diagnostic or treatment decision was tested.