Autistic traits profiles among undergraduate students in Malaysia: A descriptive analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/bitara.vol17.sp.10.2024Keywords:
Autistic Traits, Undergraduate Students, Malaysia, AQ-28Abstract
Autistic traits (ATs) describe characteristics and features associated with autism, which are thought to be continuously distributed in the general population. Exploration of ATs in the general population is important as it can inform the understanding of both autistic and non-autistic populations. Extending this idea, an understanding of the distribution of ATs within certain environments and settings may be useful in developing strategies for supporting those with specific needs associated with their level of ATs. ATs are divided into social behavior (with sub-factors of social skills, routine, switching, and imagination) and fascination with numbers or patterns. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the internal consistency of the Autism Quotient short (AQ-28) instrument had used in this study, evaluate the pattern of ATs among undergraduate students at a university in Malaysia, and compare the findings between this study with the original AQ -28. We examined self-reported ATs using a newly translated Malay version of the AQ-28. Participants were 1344 Malaysian undergraduate students who completed an online survey. The internal consistency of the AQ-28 Malay version is 0.708 and descriptive analysis indicates the mean score for ATs was 66.88 (SD = 7.00) among the samples. Thus, an analysis of sub-trait scores was also made, and comparisons were made with previous studies (results from the original AQ-28), by comparing non-clinical groups. Overall, this study provides further support for the idea that the expression of ATs is diverse across the student.
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