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Adult Autism Screening · Members’ library

The AQ-10 Autism Test

A 10-question screening for autism spectrum traits in adults, by Allison, Auyeung & Baron-Cohen (2012). Used in NICE primary-care guidance as a quick first-pass screen.

10
Questions
~3m
Duration
Instant
Score

Read each statement and pick how strongly you agree or disagree. Answer based on how you generally are, not just today.

Start AQ-10 →
Screening, not diagnosis. Only a qualified clinician can formally diagnose autism. A high score is a reason to consider further evaluation; a low score does not rule autism out.
Allison, C., Auyeung, B., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2012). Toward Brief "Red Flags" for Autism Screening: The Short Autism Spectrum Quotient and the Short Quantitative Checklist. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(2), 202–212.

What is the AQ-10?

The AQ-10 is the 10-item short form of the original 50-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001). It is one of the most widely used adult autism screeners, recommended by the UK's NICE guidelines for primary care. It produces a single total score from 0 to 10; a score of 6 or higher is the cut-off for considering further specialist assessment.

If you'd like a more comprehensive profile across four sub-scales — Language, Social Relatedness, Sensory-Motor, and Circumscribed Interests — try the RAADS-R instead.

References

  1. Allison, C., Auyeung, B., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2012). Toward brief “red flags” for autism screening: The Short Autism Spectrum Quotient and the Short Quantitative Checklist in 1,000 cases and 3,000 controls. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(2), 202–212. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2011.11.003
  2. Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Skinner, R., Martin, J., & Clubley, E. (2001). The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ): Evidence from Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism, males and females, scientists and mathematicians. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31(1), 5–17. doi:10.1023/A:1005653411471