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The Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire: Mothers Versus Fathers of Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Parents of individuals with autism were examined using the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ; Hurley et al. in J Autism Dev Disord 37:1679–1690, 2007) assessing BAP-related personality and language characteristics. The BAPQ was administered to parents as a self-report and as an informant (spouse)-based measure. Results indicated the same pattern of differences for the informant and best-estimate (average between self-report and informant scores) reports. Fathers were rated as more “aloof” than mothers, whereas mothers were rated as more “rigid” than fathers. Fathers described their wives as less “aloof” and more “rigid” compared to the mothers’ self-descriptions. Correlational analyses revealed no significant associations among parent/child characteristics and parents’ BAPQ scores. Results are discussed in reference to sex differences in BAP-related characteristics in parents of children with autism.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Israeli Science Foundation (ISF) grant number 18.0-540/03 awarded to Nurit Yirmiya. We are grateful to the families who took part for their cooperation and to Dee B. Ankonina for her editorial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, 91905, Jerusalem, Israel

    Ifat Seidman, Nurit Yirmiya, Shahaf Milshtein & Richard P. Ebstein

  2. Herman Dana Child Psychiatry Unit, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

    Shlomit Levi

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  1. Ifat Seidman
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  2. Nurit Yirmiya
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Correspondence to Nurit Yirmiya.

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Seidman, I., Yirmiya, N., Milshtein, S. et al. The Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire: Mothers Versus Fathers of Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 837–846 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1315-9

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