title: Hand dominance of parents and other relatives of autistic children.
abstract: Hand preferences of 219 mothers and 186 fathers of autistic children were assessed using the Annett Handedness questionnaire. Subgroups of 54 mothers and 57 fathers with a family history of language-related developmental disorders were identified. Parents also reported the handedness of other relatives. Mothers (but not fathers) in the main group were significantly more likely to be consistently right-handed than females in the general population, but this was not specifically associated with a family history of language problems. There was no evidence of an increased incidence of consistent left-handedness in either the whole group of parents or the subgroups. Reported handedness of other relatives showed no abnormal distribution in relation to a comparison group. The findings are discussed in relation to theories about genetic factors in language-related developmental disorders in general, and autism in particular.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boucher
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Collis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires