Objective: There have been few studies on the prevalence of autistic–spectrum symptoms in adults. We sought to study the frequency of autistic-spectrum symptoms among master degree and Ph.D. students of medical universities in Tehran. Psychometric properties of the study instrument were also examined.
Method: One thousand students were offered a Farsi version of Autism- Spectrum Questionnaire. The frequency of symptoms, demographic variables and impact of participants’ gender were assessed. The instrument was also examined for the internal consistency, and test-retest reliability.
Results: A total of 943 subjects completed the questionnaires. One hundred and twenty subjects (12.7%) scored above 32. The mean scores were significantly higher for males compared to females. The translated version of the instrument proved to be good in terms of internal consistency and test-retest reliability.
Conclusion: Our study indicates that deficits in various aspects of social cognition seen in autism spectrum disorders are common phenomena. The findings may imply a continuum of autism spectrum symptoms and normality.