Parental educational levels association with autism risk in offsprings and their autistic phenotypes

This study aims to explore the association between parental education levels and the risk of autism in offspring, as well as to further investigate the relationship between parental education and the phenotypic characteristics of autistic symptoms. The study is based on an autism cohort of 835 autistic children, with a control group of 504 typically developing children randomly selected for comparison. Socioeconomic data from the parents of the study participants were collected, and the clinical phenotypes of the autistic children were assessed. Multivariate logistic regression and linear analyses were conducted. Our findings indicate that higher parental education levels significantly reduce the risk of autism in offspring. Furthermore, higher parental education is associated with milder autism severity and better cognitive, language, and adaptive behavior development. This study underscores the association between higher parental education levels and a lower risk of autism in offspring, as well as milder clinical phenotypes, highlighting the urgent need for targeted support for families with lower educational attainment. LAY SUMMARY: This study found that higher parental education levels are associated with a lower risk of autism in children, as well as milder autism symptoms. Additionally, higher parental education is linked to better cognitive, language, and adaptive behavior development in children. The study highlights the impact of parental education levels on autism risk and clinical phenotypes, and calls for more support for families with lower educational attainment.