Parents of children with autism often have autistic traits

Just read an interesting article in Medical Xpress.  Lyall Constantino headed up a team of researchers looking at the social skills of the parents of autistic children.  Using the SRS (Social Responsiveness Scale) which identifies the presence and severity of social impairment, the study indicates children with autism are more likely to have one or both parents with elevated SRS scores.  It also shows that folks with elevated SRS scores are more likely to marry and have children with autism.

The article and the study information below:

More information: Lyall K, Constantino JN, Weisskopf MG, Roberts AL, Ascherio A, Santangelo SL, “Parental social responsiveness and risk of autism spectrum disorder in offspring.” JAMA Psychiatry, published online June 18, 2014. DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.476
Journal reference: JAMA Psychiatry search and more info website
Provided by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis