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Measuring quantitative autism traits in families: informant effect or intergenerational transmission?

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Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have a high degree of heritability, but there is still much debate about specific causal genes and pathways. To gain insight into patterns of transmission, research has focused on the relatedness of quantitative autism traits (QAT) between family members, mostly using questionnaires. Yet, different kinds of bias may influence research results. In this paper, we focus on possible informant effects and, taking these into account, on possible intergenerational transmission of QAT. This study used multiple informant data retrieved via the Social Responsiveness Scale from 170 families with at least one member with ASD. Using intraclass correlations (ICCs) and mixed model analyses, we investigated inter-informant agreement and differences between parent and teacher reports on children and between self- and other-reports on adults. Using structural equation modelling (SEM), we investigated the relatedness of QAT between family members in ASD families. Parent–teacher agreement about social responsiveness was poor, especially for children with ASD, though agreement between parents was moderate to strong for affected and unaffected children. Agreement between self- and other-report in adult men was good, but only moderate in women. Agreement did not differ between adults with and without ASD. While accounting for informant effects, our SEM results corroborated the assortative mating theory and the intergenerational transmission of QAT from both fathers and mothers to their offspring.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all participating families; V. Stevens and C. Aerts for the recruitment and assessment of the families; and all students for the accurate data-entry.

This research was supported by the research foundation flanders, FWO (Grant Number G.0609.07 to JS; BB is postdoctoral fellow of the FWO) and by a grant from the research council of the KU Leuven (IDO/08/013).

IN, JS and WD receive royalties from Hogrefe Uitgeverij for the SRS-A (although not for the questionnaires used in this research).

Conflict of interests

The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Wouter De la Marche, Ilse Noens, Bart Boets & Jean Steyaert

  2. Youth Department, Public Psychiatric Care Centre Geel, Dr. Sanodreef 4, 2440, Geel, Belgium

    Wouter De la Marche

  3. Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Ilse Noens

  4. Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Ilse Noens

  5. HIVA - Research Institute for Work and Society, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Sofie Kuppens

  6. School Psychology and Child and Adolescent Development Research Unit, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Jantine L. Spilt

  7. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, UPC, KU Leuven campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Bart Boets & Jean Steyaert

  8. Clinical Genetics, Maastricht University Hospital, Maastricht, Netherlands

    Jean Steyaert

Authors
  1. Wouter De la Marche
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  2. Ilse Noens
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  4. Jantine L. Spilt
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  5. Bart Boets
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  6. Jean Steyaert
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Wouter De la Marche or Jean Steyaert.

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De la Marche, W., Noens, I., Kuppens, S. et al. Measuring quantitative autism traits in families: informant effect or intergenerational transmission?. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 24, 385–395 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0586-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0586-z

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