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Infantile autism and parental socioeconomic status: A case of bimodal distribution

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Abstract

Kanner, in his 1943 article, reported that parents of autistic children tended to be of high socioeconomic status (SES). According to Schopler, Andrews and Strupp (1979), subsequent studies did not reveal similar findings. However, a careful analysis of these studies will show that in all instances the SES distributions of the parents were bimodal. The evidence shows that when Kanner's strict criteria are used, parents of autistic children are of higher SES. However, when children withautistic features are included in the first group, bimodal distributions are obtained. It is suggested that the question of upper SES of parents of autistic children is still open.

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  1. Department of Psychology, St. John's University, 11439, Jamaica, N.Y.

    Victor D. Sanua Ph.D. (Professor)

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  1. Victor D. Sanua Ph.D.
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Sanua, V.D. Infantile autism and parental socioeconomic status: A case of bimodal distribution. Child Psych Hum Dev 17, 189–198 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00706229

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00706229

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