Parent reports of autism features vary by country

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Parents in the United States tend to rate their children’s autism features as more severe than do parents in four other countries, according to a new survey1. The work is one of the first attempts to zero in on how parents from different cultures perceive the condition.

One culture’s autism ‘hallmarks’ may be seen as nothing unusual in another, says Rosa Hoekstra, lecturer in psychology at King’s College London, who was not involved in the study. “A better understanding of that is important, especially if we want to use screening measures cross-culturally,” she says.

But the findings could also reflect systematic differences among clinics or diagnostic tests in the different countries, says William Mandy, senior lecturer in clinical psychology at University College London, who was not involved in the work.

The study included a mix of public and private clinics, which might attract different sets of people. The diagnostic tests used also varied. “The groups differ, but you don’t quite know what variable accounts for that difference,” Mandy says. “They’re not really able to tease that stuff apart.”

Parents in Poland were most likely to report that their children have restricted interests, and U.S. parents were most apt to identify their children’s repetitive movements. Parents in Greece were most liable to say their children have unusual routines and rituals.