Some aspects of autism do run in families, according to a new study about how parents of autistic children process facial expressions. As noted in today’s Science Daily, neuroscientist Ralph Adolphs of the California Institute of Technology and psychiatrist Joe Piven at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studied 42 parents of autistic children and found that some of the parents evaluated facial expressions in ways similar to autistic individuals. 15 of the parents were classified as “aloof”—not preferring interactions with others or having “few close friendships involving sharing and mutual support”— according to psychological testing.
The parents participated …read more