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Child, Maternal and Demographic Factors Influencing Caregiver-Reported Autistic Trait Symptomatology in Toddlers.

Author
Abstract
:

Current research on children's autistic traits in the general population relies predominantly on caregiver-report, yet the extent to which individual, caregiver or demographic characteristics are associated with informants' ratings has not been sufficiently explored. In this study, caregivers of 396 Singaporean two-year-olds from a birth cohort study completed the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers. Children's gender, cognitive functioning and birth order, maternal age, and ethnic group membership were not significant predictors of caregiver-reported autistic traits. Poorer child language development and higher maternal depressive symptoms significantly predicted more social-communicative autistic traits, while lower maternal education predicted more behavioural autistic traits. Children's language and informants' educational level and depressive symptomatology may need to be considered in caregiver-reports of autistic traits.

Year of Publication
:
2018
Journal
:
Journal of autism and developmental disorders
Volume
:
48
Issue
:
4
Number of Pages
:
1325-1337
ISSN Number
:
0162-3257
URL
:
https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3471-7
DOI
:
10.1007/s10803-018-3471-7
Short Title
:
J Autism Dev Disord
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