Background As public awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increases, so does the number of adults seeking assessment. Research regarding ASD, a neurobiological disorder with behavioral presentations, often overlooks autistic adults in favor of childhood expressions. Barriers for adults seeking autism assessments–including lengthy wait times and low provider knowledge–drive many individuals to self-diagnostic tools and leave them without appropriate accommodations or therapies. To date, a comprehensive study revolving around the occurrence or degree of autistic tendencies in healthcare students has not been conducted. The present research explored the relationship between pre-healthcare distinction and variegated autistic trait manifestations as defined by RAADS-R scores and subscores.

Methods The cross-sectional study population consisted of 69 undergraduate students (34 pre-medical, 19 pre-dental, and 16 pre-nursing) enrolled in the 2024 Summer Health Professions Education Program at UTHealth Houston. The cohort was administered the RAADS-R screening tool followed by a 31-item QuestionPro survey measuring demographic, academic, and subjective data inquiring about participants’ feelings and confidence to obtain their desired healthcare degree in light of their RAADS-R results. Statistical analyses, including one-way t-tests, ANOVA, Fisher’s Exact, and linear regressions, were run to establish relationships between RAADS-R scores and various measures.

Results One-way t-tests revealed that autistic traits along all RAADS-R categories are more significantly expressed (p<0.001) in pre-healthcare students than in the general population. Additionally, the cohort demonstrated significantly higher (p<0.001) language-driven behaviors and lower (p<0.05) social relatability-driven autistic behaviors than is required for diagnostic consideration. ANOVA tests revealed no significant variance (p>0.05) in RAADS-R scores between pre-healthcare tracks, which may be attributable to small group sizes. Fisher’s Exact tests revealed statistically significant (p<0.05) relationships between total RAADS-R scores and participants’ degree of surprise regarding their results and confidence in obtaining their desired degree. Further investigation with linear regression models confirmed a moderate positive linear relationship between total RAADS-R scores and participant surprise (r2=0.15, p<0.05) and a modest negative linear relationship between confidence to obtain their desired degree and total RAADS-R score (r2=0.07, p<0.05).

Conclusion Results reveal an association between autistic trait manifestations and the pursuit of a pre-healthcare degree. These results introduce questions about why pre-healthcare students express higher autistic traits, how autistic traits impact student confidence to pursue healthcare degrees, and the implications on medical education, workplace culture, and accessibility of healthcare careers for adults expressing autistic traits.