Do parents of children with autism show the same motor and mental problems as children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Introduction Mild expressions of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that does not reach the diagnostic threshold in relatives of ASD individuals has been defined as the broad autism phenotype (BAP). Moreover, research in ASD families has shown a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders (such as mood and anxiety disorders) as well as mild social cognitive impairment. However, there are inconsistent findings and results are inconclusive. Furthermore, there are few studies investigating motor function in parents of children with ASD. Objective We aimed to examine the mental health, social cognitive skills and motor ability of the parents of ASD children in comparison to parents of TD children. Methods Forty parents who have a child with ASD and 40 parents with typical children (TD) (control group) were included in the study. We administered General Health Questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory. Furthermore, the social cognition of subjects were evaluated using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RMET) test. Finally, we measured grip strength, motor speed, coordination and praxis of the dominant hand. Results Parents of ASD children scored significantly higher in GHQ test and Beck questionnaire ( P P =0.008). Parents of ASD children scored significantly lower in motor speed measures ( P =0.001), fine control ( P =0.01) and longer in coordination time ( P Conclusion Our model including depressive symptoms, social cognitive and motor abilities presented an endophenotype, which can be inherited, from parents with a broad autism phenotype.