What does it mean to be on the broader autism spectrum?
The broader autism phenotype (BAP) is a term applied to individuals with personality and cognitive traits that are similar to but milder than those observed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Can you self diagnose as autistic?
While you cannot officially diagnose yourself with autism, this work can start you down the path to an official diagnosis. It is helpful for adults who may struggle in life to assess what they think is wrong and aim to identify the underlying problems. However, self-diagnosis should not end there.
Can a child show signs of autism and not be autistic?
Not all children with autism show all the signs. Many children who don’t have autism show a few. That’s why professional evaluation is crucial.
What is the broad autism phenotype?
The broad autism phenotype (BAP) is a set of personality and language characteristics that reflect the phenotypic expression of the genetic liability to autism, in non-autistic relatives of autistic individuals. These characteristics are milder but qualitatively similar to the defining features of autism.
What is the broad autism phenotype questionnaire (bapq)?
A new instrument designed to measure the BAP in adults, the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ), was administered to 86 parents of autistic individuals and 64 community control parents. Sensitivity and specificity of the BAPQ for detecting the BAP were high (>70\%).
Do parents of autistic children show milder traits?
As far back as Leo Kanner’s original study on autism, researchers have been observing a tendency for parents of autistic children to exhibit traits that are milder but qualitatively similar to the defining characteristics of autism, especially in the area of social communication.
Do subtle traits in relatives add up to autism?
These subtle traits in relatives do not add up to autism but still serve as useful phenomena to study the condition, Losh says. “We think of it as the distilled expression of autism’s genetic liability.”