Investigation of broad autism phenotype levels and mind-reading from the eyes skills of parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and language disorder

Yazar S., KARDAŞ B.

International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/20473869.2026.2628123
  • Dergi Adı: International Journal of Developmental Disabilities
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, CINAHL, Education Abstracts, EMBASE, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Psycinfo
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Autism spectrum disorder, broad autism phenotype, emotıon recognition, endophenotype, genetic overlap, language disorder, mind reading from the eyes, social cognıtıon
  • Kocaeli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Objectives: This study aimed to compare broad autism phenotype (BAP) features–considered an endophenotype of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)–and mind-reading from the eyes skills in parents of children diagnosed with ASD and language disorder (LD) with those of parents of healthy developing (HD) children, and to identify possible differences. Methods: The study included 92 children (ASD n = 31, LD n = 31, HD n = 30) and their parents (n = 184). Parents who participated completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient (ASQ) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). Results: Fathers of children with ASD and LD showed similar scores on the social skills and attention to detail subscales and scored significantly higher than fathers of HD children (p <.05). No significant differences were found in RMET scores among parent groups (mothers p =.344; fathers p =.834). Across all participants, ASQ total and social skills subscale scores were negatively correlated with RMET total scores. Conclusions: Parents of children with ASD and LD differed from controls in BAP characteristics, but RMET performance showed no group differences. These findings support previous research indicating etiological and pathological continuity between ASD and LD.