The Prevalence of Broad Autism Phenotype in Young Adults: The Roles of Genetic Relationship to Autism, Gender, and Academic Major

Abstract

Abstract Subclinical levels of autism traits are known as the Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP) and include a rigid personality, aloof personality, and pragmatic language difficulties. Genetic relatives of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), males, and those in math- or science-oriented careers may be more likely to exhibit BAP. This study examined the prevalence of BAP in young adults to assess the influence of genetic relationship to ASD, gender, and academic field. Online self-report data from 170 undergraduate college students included the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ), information about genetic relationship to ASD, and demographic information. Results showed no relationship between BAP and level of shared ASD genes, gender, or academic major. However, 25.3% of our college-aged sample met BAP cutoffs, compared to previous estimates of only 5–9% of adult parents of neurotypical children and 14–23% of parents of children with ASD. These findings expand our understanding of subclinical autistic traits in young adults. This research highlights the need to investigate community-based samples of various age groups when estimating the prevalence of BAP to better-understand the extent to which these personality characteristics are present in the general population.