Parental influence on a childs autistic traits

Randall Phelps, Robert Nickel, Debra Eisert, Martin T. Stein

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

CASE: Robbie is a 4-year-old boy whose parents are concerned about his speech, social skills, and repetitive behaviors. He has poor articulation; at time, he is difficult to understand. On the other hand, he has a fair vocabulary, and he has good intent to communicate. He is generally able to communicate his needs and wants. He likes to tell his parents about his day. When he begins the day at preschool, Robbie initially stands by himself and watches. He slowly warms up and eventually participates in activities. He engages in parallel play or follows other children. He knows names of children at preschool, and he is well liked. He is affectionate with his parents. When Robbie is excited, he wiggles his fingers, flaps his arms, and grimaces. He can be quite rigid; for example, he gets very distressed when his mother sets his cup down on his right side instead of his left. However, in general, Robbie has a sunny personality. He likes to watch childrens television shows. He pretends plays with action figures. Robbie is an only child who lives with both parents. His mother works fulltime, and his father is in home with Robbie during the day. When examined in the office, Robbie had a bright affect, good eye contact, and social referencing. He demonstrated good communicative intent, but poor articulation and some jargoning. He frequently wiggled his fingers and flapped his hands with excitement. Robbie had a borderline score on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. During the visit, the pediatrician noted that Robbies father was rather quiet and rarely responded to questions. When he did respond, he had a monotone quality to his voice. He maintained either a flat or nervous affect throughout the visit. He made limited eye contact, and occasionally he stared excessively.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)S73-S75
JournalJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
Volume38
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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