Dorothy V. M. Bishop
Overlaps Between Autism and Language Impairment: Phenomimicry or Shared Etiology?
University of Oxford
traditionally autistic spectrum disorder asd specific language impairment sli regarded distinct conditions separate etiologies yet disorders cooccur chance levels suggesting shared etiology simulations however show additive pleiotropic genes cannot account observed rates language impairment relatives higher probands sli asd language impairment alternative account terms phenomimicry ie language impairment comorbid cases may consequence asd risk factors different seen sli however cannot explain molecular genetic studies found common risk genotype asd sli paper explores whether nonadditive genetic influences could account family molecular findings modified simulation involving g x g interactions obtained levels comorbidity rates impairment relatives consistent observed values simulations suggest shape distributions phenotypic trait scores different genotypes may provide evidence whether gene involved epistasis