Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the link between autism disorders and engineering training of parents. METHODS: All Autistic-Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) children that were diagnosed on the bases of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), and met the required criteria for autism, over a defined period (March 2006 to June 2007) were included. We then took all non-PDD developmental disorders cases seen during the same time frame as the autistic children as a control; these included speech delay, mental retardation, and Down’s syndrome. Our data covered demographic data, parents and grandparents’ education, and profession. Parents’ education/professions were classified into 2 groups only, 1-engineering or mathematician; and 2-humanities, neither engineering nor math. The children were divided into 2 groups, autism (57 cases), and developmental disorders (40 cases). RESULTS: Regarding the main question of this study (hypothesized engineering link), the data showed some differences between the 2 groups (x2=2.503, degrees of freedom [df]=1; p=0.093), but not of major significance. There was no significant difference (x2=0.370; df=2; p=0.831) between the 2 groups on the variable of consanguinity. CONCLUSION: We have found that the Saudi Arabian sample, though relatively small, has considerable similarities with both the UK and USA data. There is a possibility of an association between autism and the engineering/math training of fathers. The implication is briefly discussed.
Article Type
Research Article
First Page
97
Last Page
100
Recommended Citation
Al-Eithan, Muwafak H.; Balkhi, Sohair H.; and Al-Bluwi, Amal M.
(2010)
"Autism and parents’ education. New data from the developing world,"
Neurosciences: Vol. 15:
Iss.
2, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17712/1658-3183.1775