Investigating associations between birth order and autism diagnostic phenotypes
Duration: 3 mins
Publication Date: 16 Dec 2020
Next Review Date: 16 Dec 2023
DOI: 10.13056/acamh.14284
Description
In this Video Abstract, Gail A. Alvares discusses her JCPP paper ‘Investigating associations between birth order and autism diagnostic phenotypes’. Birth order effects have been linked to variability in intelligence, educational attainment and sexual orientation. First- and later-born children have been linked to an increased likelihood of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis, with a smaller body of evidence implicating decreases in cognitive functioning with increased birth order. The present study investigated the potential association between birth order and ASD diagnostic phenotypes in a large and representative population sample.
Learning Objectives
1. Investigate the effects of birth order on autism diagnostic phenotypes.
2. Explore birth order and family size as potential sources of variability contributing to clinical phenotypes.
3. Examine the relationship between increasing order of birth and severity of phenotypic features (decreased adaptive functioning, decreased IQ) at the time of ASD diagnosis.
