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As genomic and personalized medicine is integrated into healthcare, the need for patients to understand and make decisions about their own genetic makeup increases. Genetic literacy, or one’s knowledge of genetic principles and their applications, measures an individual’s ability to apply genetic information to their own treatment. Increased genetic literacy can improve comprehension of genetic tests and therefore increase participation in testing to detect and treat genetic disorders. It can also help providers understand and explain genetic information to their patients. However, current research indicates that the population’s genetic literacy is generally low. Because many medical students, providers, and patients cannot adequately apply genetic information to their health, new and beneficial genetic technologies can be underused. More specifically, though genetic testing is recommended at the time of diagnosis for those affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as few as 22% of families undergo genetic testing after diagnosis. While ASD, a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impaired social communication and restricted interests, has both genetic and environmental risk, genetic testing can give clinicians useful information and help families avoid potentially painful and costly tests, even when many families do not receive a “positive” genetic result through microarrays or gene panels. Improving genetic literacy in populations affected by ASD can also improve attitudes toward genetic testing, thereby ensuring access to genetic health risk information. In this mini review, we discuss the current literature describing genetic literacy and genetic testing rates for ASD.

As genomic and personalized medicine becomes mainstream, assessing and understanding the public's genetic literacy is paramount. Because genetic research drives innovation in this area and involves much of the public, it is equally important to assess its impact on genetic literacy. We designed a survey to assess genetic literacy in three ways (familiarity, knowledge, and skills) and distributed it to two distinct samples: 2050 members of the general population, and 2023 individuals currently enrolled in a large-scale genetic research study. We compared these data to a similar survey implemented in 2013. The results indicate that familiarity with basic genetic terms in 2021 (M = 5.36, p<.001) and knowledge of genetic concepts in 2021 (M = 9.06, p = 0.002) is significantly higher compared to 2013 (M = 5.08; M = 8.72). Those currently enrolled in a genetic study were also significantly more familiar with genetic terms (M = 5.79, p<.001), more knowledgeable of genetic concepts (M = 10.27, p<.001), and scored higher in skills (M = 3.57, p<.001) than the general population (M = 4.98; M = 9.06; M = 2.65). The results suggest that genetic literacy is improving over time, though there is room for improvement. The data also suggest that participating in genetic research is one avenue for improving genetic literacy. We conclude that educational interventions are needed to ensure familiarity with and comprehension of basic genetic concepts. We also suggest further exploration of the impact of genetic research participation on genetic literacy to determine mechanisms for potential interventions.