Parent-Child Interactions May Help to Explain Relations Between Parent Characteristics and Clinically Observed Child Autistic Behaviours.

The study measured associations at one time point, so it cannot show whether parent characteristics shaped child behaviour or child behaviour shaped parent interaction. The work was exploratory and did not adjust for multiple comparisons, so some significant correlations need replication. Only mothers were analysed. Three families were excluded because the father took part in the interaction while the mother completed questionnaires. The sample was made up of two-parent families, so it does not represent all families of children with early autism signs. Parent psychological distress was measured in a non-clinical sample with relatively low levels, so it may not show what happens in clinically depressed or anxious parents. Parent broader autism traits were measured by self-report only, not by behavioural assessment. Some child outcomes were parent-reported, so the same parent completed both parent and child questionnaires, which may inflate some correlations. Missing data reduced the mediation analyses to 93 families for Model A and 97 families for Model B.

The paper lists the University of Western Australia as the funder. No other conflict-of-interest or author disclosure information is provided in the supplied text.

Do not read the mediated links as parents causing autistic behaviours. The study measured associations at one time point, had no significant direct effect from parent traits or distress to child outcomes, and the authors say child atypicalities may also drive parent directiveness and child attentiveness.