Top

Published in:

01-12-2008 | ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

A twin study investigating the genetic and environmental aetiologies of parent, teacher and child ratings of autistic-like traits and their overlap

Authors: Angelica Ronald, Francesca Happé, Robert Plomin

Published in: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry | Issue 8/2008

Abstract

In the present study we investigated phenotypic agreement between informants (parent, teacher and child self-report) on ratings of autistic-like traits and compared the genetic and environmental aetiologies of the informants’ ratings and of their covariance. Parents and teachers of >2,500 pairs from a community twin sample completed an abbreviated Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test (CAST). The twins also completed an adapted self-report version of the CAST. Structural equation model-fitting was carried out. Correlations between raters were significant but moderate (0.16–0.33). The magnitude of heritability estimates of autistic-like traits varied across raters, being highest for parent-rated autistic-like traits (82–87%) and more modest for child self-reported autistic-like traits (36–47%). Genetic overlap was significant but moderate across all raters. These findings are discussed in relation to population screening for autism and future genetic research.

Achenbach TM, McConaughy SH, Howell CT (1987) Child/Adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity. Psychol Bull 101:213–232PubMedCrossRef

American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edn. Washington DC

Baron-Cohen S (2002) The extreme male brain theory of autism. Trends Cognit Sci 6:248–254CrossRef

Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Skinner R, Martin J, Clubley E (2001) The autism-spectrum quotient (AQ): evidence from asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism, males and females, scientists and mathematicians. J Autism Dev Disorders 31:5–17CrossRef

Bartels M, Boomsma DI, Hudziak JJ, Rietveld MJ, Van Beijsterveldt TC, Van den Oord EJ (2004) Disentangling genetic, environmental, and rater effects on internalizing and externalizing problem behavior in 10-year-old twins. Twin Res 7:162–75PubMedCrossRef

Becker A, Hagenberg N, Roessner V, Woerner W, Rothenberger A (2004) Evaluation of the self-reported SDQ in a clinical setting: do self-reports tell us more than ratings by adult informants? Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 13(Suppl 2):II17–II24PubMed

Bishop DV, Maybery M, Wong D, Maley A, Hallmayer J (2006) Characteristics of the broader phenotype in autism: a study of siblings using the children’s communication checklist-2. Am J Med Genet 141:117–122CrossRef

Constantino JN, Davis SA, Todd RD, Schindler MK, Gross MM, Brophy SL, Metzger LM, Shoushtari CS, Splinter R, Reich W (2003) Validation of a brief quantitative measure of autistic traits: comparison of the social responsiveness scale with the autism diagnostic interview-revised. J Autism Dev Disorders 33:427–433CrossRef

Constantino JN, Hudziak JJ, Todd RD (2003) Deficits in reciprocal social behavior in male twins: evidence for a genetically independent domain of psychopathology. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 42:458–467PubMed

10.

Constantino JN, Przybeck T, Friesen D, Todd RD (2000) Reciprocal social behavior in children with and without pervasive developmental disorders. J Dev Behav Pediatr 21:2–11PubMedCrossRef

11.

Constantino JN, Todd RD (2000) Genetic structure of reciprocal social behavior. Am J Psychiatry 157:2043–2045PubMedCrossRef

12.

Department for education and skills (2002) Special educational needs in England. Bulletin

13.

Duvall JA, Lu A, Cantor RM, Todd RD, Constantino JN, Geschwind DH (2007) A quantitative trait locus analysis of social responsiveness in multiplex autism families. Am J Psychiatry 164:656–662PubMedCrossRef

14.

Ehlers S, Gillberg C, Wing L (1999) A screening questionnaire for asperger syndrome and other high-functioning autism spectrum disorders in school age children. J Autism Dev Disorders 29:129–141CrossRef

15.

Goodman R (2001) Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 40:1337–1345PubMedCrossRef

16.

Happonen M, Pulkkinen L, Kaprio J, Van der MJ, Viken RJ, Rose RJ (2002) The heritability of depressive symptoms: multiple informants and multiple measures. J Child Psychol Psychiatry Allied Disciplines 43:471–479CrossRef

17.

Hewitt JK, Silberg JL, Neale MC, Eaves LJ, Erickson M (1992) The analysis of parental ratings of children’s behavior using LISREL. Behav Genet 22:293–317PubMedCrossRef

18.

Hoekstra RA, Bartels M, Verweij CJ, Boomsma DI (2007) Heritability of autistic traits in the general population. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 161:372–377PubMedCrossRef

19.

Kenny DA (1991) A general model of consensus and accuracy in interpersonal perception. Psychol Rev 98:155–163PubMedCrossRef

20.

Kumpulainen K, Rasanen E, Henttonen I (1998) The persistence of teacher-reported behavioral problems among children aged 8 to 12. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 7:225–234PubMedCrossRef

21.

Merrell KW, McClun LA, Kempf KKG, Lund J (2002) Using self-report assessment to identify children with internalising problems: validity of the internalising symptoms scale for children. J Psychoeduc Assess 20:223–239CrossRef

22.

Neale MC, Boker SM, Xie G, Maes HH (2003) Mx Statistical Modeling, 6th edn

23.

Office for National Statistics (2002) Living in britain: results from the 2000/01 General Household Survey

24.

Oliver BR, Plomin R (2007) Twins’ early development study (TEDS): a multivariate, longitudinal genetic investigation of language, cognition and behavior problems from childhood through adolescence. Twin Res Hum Genet 10:96–105PubMedCrossRef

25.

Pellicano E, Maybery M, Durkin K, Maley A (2006) Multiple cognitive capabilities/deficits in children with an autism spectrum disorder: “weak” central coherence and its relationship to theory of mind and executive control. Dev Psychopathol 18:77–98PubMedCrossRef

26.

Posserud MB, Lundervold AJ, Gillberg C (2006) Autistic features in a total population of 7–9-year-old children assessed by the ASSQ (Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire). J Child Psychol Psychiatry Allied Disciplines 47:167–175CrossRef

27.

Price TS, Freeman B, Craig I, Petrill SA, Ebersole L, Plomin R (2000) Infant Zygosity can be assigned by parental report questionnaire data. Twin Res 3:129–133PubMedCrossRef

28.

Rapin I, Steinberg M, Waterhouse L (1999) Consistency in the ratings of behaviors of communicatively impaired autistic and non-autistic preschool children. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 8:214–224PubMedCrossRef

29.

Ronald A (2006) Quantitative genetic study of autistic-like traits in middle childhood: evidence from a population twin sample for genetic heterogeneity between the behaviours that characterise autism spectrum conditions, University of London

30.

Ronald A, Happé F, Bolton P, Butcher LM, Price TS, Wheelwright S, Baron-Cohen S, Plomin R (2006) Genetic heterogeneity between the three components of the autism spectrum: a twin study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 45:691–699PubMedCrossRef

31.

Ronald A, Happé F, Plomin R (2005) The genetic relationship between individual differences in social and nonsocial behaviours characteristic of autism. Dev Sci 8:444–458PubMedCrossRef

32.

Ronald A, Happé F, Price TS, Baron-Cohen S, Plomin R (2006) Phenotypic and genetic overlap between autistic traits at the extremes of the general population. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 45:1206–1214PubMedCrossRef

33.

Ronald A, Viding E, Happé F, Plomin R (2007) Individual differences in theory of mind ability in middle childhood and links with verbal ability and autistic traits: a twin study. Soc Neurosci 1:412–425CrossRef

34.

Scott FJ, Baron-Cohen S, Bolton P, Brayne C (2002) The CAST (Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test): preliminary development of a UK screen for mainstream primary-school-age children. Autism 6:9–31PubMedCrossRef

35.

Shrout PE, Fleiss J (1979) Intraclass correlations: uses in assessing rater reliability. Psychol Bull 86:420–428PubMedCrossRef

36.

Skuse DH, Mandy WP, Scourfield J (2005) Measuring autistic traits: heritability, reliability and validity of the social and communication disorders checklist. Br J Psychiatry 187:568–572PubMedCrossRef

37.

Szatmari P, Archer L, Fisman S, Streiner DL (1994) Parent and teacher agreement in the assessment of pervasive developmental disorders. J Autism Dev Disorders 24:703–717CrossRef

38.

van der EJ, Verhulst FC (2005) Informant, gender and age differences in ratings of adolescent problem behaviour. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 14:117–126CrossRef

39.

Williams J, Allison C, Scott F, Stott C, Bolton P, Baron-Cohen S, Brayne C (2006) The childhood asperger syndrome test (CAST): test–retest reliability. Autism 10:415–427PubMedCrossRef

40.

Williams J, Scott F, Stott C, Allison C, Bolton P, Baron-Cohen S, Brayne C (2005) The CAST (Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test): test accuracy. Autism 9:45–68PubMedCrossRef

Title: A twin study investigating the genetic and environmental aetiologies of parent, teacher and child ratings of autistic-like traits and their overlap
Authors: Angelica Ronald
Francesca Happé
Robert Plomin
Publication date: 01-12-2008
Publisher: D. Steinkopff-Verlag
Published in: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry / Issue 8/2008
Print ISSN: 1018-8827
Electronic ISSN: 1435-165X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-008-0689-5

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

A twin study investigating the genetic and environmental aetiologies of parent, teacher and child ratings of autistic-like traits and their overlap

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 8/2008

Parent and child agreement on reports of problem behaviour obtained from a screening questionnaire, the SDQ

Victimization and bullying among 8-year-old Finnish children

Psychopathology and prosocial behavior in adolescents from socio-economically disadvantaged families: the role of proximal and distal adverse life events

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Family Status

Investigation of the construct of trait emotional intelligence in children

Children with mixed language disorder do not discriminate accurately facial identity when expressions change