Autism Screening Questionnaire

What this questionnaire is

This is the AQ-10: ten items taken from the longer Autism Spectrum Quotient developed by the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge. NICE recommends it in the UK as a first step when an adult asks about assessment.

Its purpose is narrow. It is designed to help decide whether a specialist assessment is worth arranging — nothing more. A score of 6 or above is the usual threshold for considering a referral.

What it cannot do

An actual autism diagnosis is a long process: a specialist clinician gathers developmental history, often speaks to family, uses structured observation and interview tools, and considers what else might explain the same traits. It takes hours and it is done by people who are trained to do it. Ten questions cannot approximate that.

It misses people, and it is worth knowing who

The AQ and its short forms were validated on samples that were largely male, and they are known to under-identify autistic women. The same is true of anyone who has learned to mask — to consciously imitate expected social behaviour — which many autistic adults do so habitually that they answer these questions about the performance rather than the effort.

If you score below the threshold but recognise yourself in autistic people's accounts of their lives, that recognition is better evidence than this questionnaire.

Several questions are reverse-scored

Half the items score a point for agreeing and half for disagreeing. This is deliberate: it stops people falling into a pattern of answering and makes the questionnaire harder to game in either direction.

How to use it

1. Answer about how you actually are, not how you manage to appear.
2. Read each statement carefully. Some are phrased positively and some negatively.
3. Treat the result as a question, not an answer. If it prompts you to look into this further, it has done its job.

What to do with the result

• If you want an assessment, start with your doctor, who can refer you. Waiting lists for adult assessment are long in many countries, so asking early matters.
• Read autistic people's own accounts. Many adults say that recognising themselves in first-hand descriptions was more significant than any questionnaire.
• A diagnosis is not the only useful outcome. Plenty of people find that understanding how they work changes things regardless of whether a formal assessment follows.

Nothing you answer here is recorded, transmitted or stored.

Questions people ask

Can this diagnose autism?

No. It is a ten-item screening questionnaire designed only to help decide whether a specialist assessment is worth arranging. A real diagnosis takes hours and a trained clinician.

What score suggests a referral?

Six or above is the usual threshold. It is a prompt for a conversation, not a finding.

I scored low but I think I am autistic.

That is common, and worth taking seriously. The AQ-10 was validated largely on men and is known to miss autistic women and anyone who has learned to mask. Your own recognition is better evidence than ten questions.

Why do some questions score the opposite way?

Half the items are reverse-scored on purpose, so that agreeing with everything does not produce a high score.

Are my answers saved?

No. Scoring happens in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.