ABSTRACT

Background: Autism spectrum disorder is a complex and multifactor neurodevelopmental disorder, in which the interaction between environmental and genetic factors is considered to be the main mechanism of its occurrence.Therefore, investigating the important environmental factors during pregnancy, childbirth and neonatal can be helpful in early detection of this disorder and initiation of rehabilitation measures.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of autism spectrum risk factors in Iranian patients.

Methods: This article is a descriptive one. The target population consisted of all individuals with an autism spectrum disorder in Tehran. Totally, a sample of 1134 individuals with autism were selected. Primary questionnaires developed by Iran Autism Association were used for families in this study, and SPSS V21 software was used for descriptive analysis and frequencies of the data.

Results:The results of this study showed that the highest prevalence of risk factors related to autism spectrum disorder was male gender (79.2%), followed by parental education up to diploma in fathers (34.5%) and mothers (38.8%), cesarean delivery (66.5%), being the first child (54.7%), and early symptoms of jaundice (41%).

Conclusion: As a result, given to the role of factors such as fetal gender, type of delivery and parental education in autism spectrum disorder, there is a need to develop and provide educational programs for families and those couples who plan to have a child, and to pay more attention to the birth-related symptoms associated with autism (e.g. jaundice) in screening programs.