AQ-10: Adult Autism Spectrum Screening

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AQ-10, Autism Spectrum Quotient (adult, 10-item)

The AQ-10 is a brief autism screen for adults, derived from the longer AQ-50. It is recommended by NICE (UK) as a first-pass screen when adults are wondering whether autism assessment might fit. About two minutes to complete.

This is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. Autism is a way of being, not a deficit. The AQ-10 simply asks whether more conversation might be useful.

For each statement below, choose how much you agree or disagree. There are no right answers, please choose the option that fits you best.
1. I often notice small sounds when others do not.
2. When I’m reading a story, I find it difficult to work out the characters’ intentions.
3. I find it easy to “read between the lines” when someone is talking to me.
4. I usually concentrate more on the whole picture, rather than the small details.
5. I know how to tell if someone listening to me is getting bored.
6. I find it easy to do more than one thing at once.
7. I find it easy to work out what someone is thinking or feeling just by looking at their face.
8. If there is an interruption, I can switch back to what I was doing very quickly.
9. I like to collect information about categories of things.
10. I find it difficult to work out people’s intentions.

AQ-10 Total

0
What this means: The AQ-10 is a screening tool, not a diagnostic instrument. A score of six or more suggests an autism assessment with a clinician familiar with adult presentations could be a useful next step. A lower score does not rule autism out, many autistic adults, especially those who have learned to mask, score below the cut-off.
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AQ-10 © MRC Autism Research Centre, Cambridge. Developed by Dr Carrie Allison, Dr Bonnie Auyeung, and Professor Simon Baron-Cohen. Allison, Auyeung & Baron-Cohen (2012). Toward brief “Red Flags” for autism screening. JAACAP, 51(2), 202–212. Free for clinical and research use.