The profile of autism characteristics in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Living with undiagnosed fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can result in adverse secondary life outcomes. Despite an identified overlap between these two conditions in the literature, the profile of autistic traits in FASD is widely under-researched. This study investigated this profile by conducting an exploratory factor analysis on SCQ data (the Social Communication Questionnaire; an ASD screening tool) from individuals with FASD (n=178) and compared SCQ total and domain scores between and within three equal sized (n=30), age-comparable groups (FASD+ASD, FASD-only, and idiopathic ASD). Results indicate that FASD is highly heterogeneous, with an atypical ASD profile. This has implications for diagnosis and intervention.