The Broader Autism Phenotype in Mothers is Associated with Increased Discordance Between Maternal-Reported and Clinician-Observed Instruments that Measure Child Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Children were identified through providers that serve developmental disabilities or autism, so the results may not apply to children who have never been referred for evaluation. The SEED sample was more educated and less frequently Hispanic than the general population. 167 mothers were missing the maternal broader autism phenotype questionnaire, and the researchers used weights to check whether this changed the results. The same clinician may have completed all instruments, which could increase agreement between instruments. The relationship between the person completing the maternal broader autism phenotype questionnaire and the mother was often left blank, so some questionnaires may have been self-report. Mothers self-reported past depression or anxiety diagnoses, and these reports were not verified with medical records. The study did not assess fathers or other caregivers as informants.

Do not conclude that mothers with broader autism traits are poor reporters of autism in their children. The study used clinician instruments as the reference for discordance, so it cannot show that clinician judgment was the correct diagnosis.