Relationship of autistic traits between parents and children with and without autism spectrum disorder

Although parents with a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have usually been identified as having the “broader autism phenotype”, empirical research on the differences in autistic-like characteristics between parents with and without ASD children has yielded inconsistent results. This survey of the autistic traits of parents and children was conducted in 119 parents with ASD children and 108 parents with typically developing (TD) children. Parents’ autistic traits were quantified using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient and children’s autistic traits were quantified using the Autism Spectrum Quotient—Children’s Version. The autistic traits of ASD children were significantly higher than those of the TD children; however, autistic traits were similar between parents in the two groups. Furthermore, the correlations of autistic traits between parents and children were only significant for the TD group and not for the ASD group. The current findings indicate that the relationship of autistic traits between parents and children exists in the TD group, and that the Autism-Spectrum Quotient may be used for parents as a screening aid to identify children who should be further screened for autistic traits.