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Table 1 Predictions for the distributions of autism or ASD and schizophrenia in children and adults under different models of CNV specificity to particular disorders

From: Association testing of copy number variants in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders

MODEL 1: AUTISM or ASD and schizophrenia as separate disorders

MODEL 1a: AUTISM OR ASD ONLY

 

Child

Adult

Comments

CNV is autism risk factor only

Autism or ASD

Autism or ASD; no schizophrenia

ASD traits, but no schizophrenia spectrum traits, in adults

MODEL 1b: SCHIZOPHRENIA ONLY

 

Child

Adult

Comments

CNV is schizophrenia risk factor

Non-clinical or mild premorbidity; no autism or ASD

Schizophrenia; no autism or ASD

Possibe schizophrenia spectrum traits in individuals with CNV but no schizophrenia diagnosis

MODEL 2: ASD and schizophrenia as apparently overlapping disorders

MODEL 2a: AUTISM OR ASD AND SCHIZOPHRENIA; TRUE OVERLAP

 

Child

Adult

Comments

CNV is risk factor for both autism or ASD and schizophrenia

Autism or ASD

Schizophrenia or autism or ASD

Traits overlapping ASD, autism and schizophrenia, such as sociality and language deficits/abnormalities, are prominent

MODEL 2b: SCHIZOPHRENIA ONLY; AUTISM OR ASD IS FALSE POSITIVE

 

Child

Adult

Comments

CNV is schizophrenia risk factor only; autism or ASD diagnoses are false positives

‘Autism or ASD’ (actually premorbidity to schizophrenia)

Schizophrenia; no autism or ASD

‘ASD’ children have adult relatives with schizophrenia or schizophrenia spectrum; ‘ASD’ is commonly PDD-NOS; child ‘ASD’ phenotypes resemble schizophrenia premorbid phenotypes that are relatively severe