Brief Description
The Autism Spectrum Quotient-10 (AQ-10) is a brief self-assessment tool designed to help identify whether an individual might have traits associated with being on the Autism Spectrum. It is a shortened version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), which consists of 50 items and was developed by Simon Baron-Cohen and colleagues (2001). In this assessment, respondents are asked to rate the degree to which they agree with each statement (e.g., “I find it easy to work out what someone is thinking or feeling by just looking at their face”) on a scale from ‘Definitely agree’ to ‘Definitely disagree.’
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
10
Age Range for Administration
16+
Recommended Frequency of Administration
Screening tool (i.e., one-time); may be used more often if clinically indicated.
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The AQ-10 contains 10 questions scored on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from ‘Definitely agree’ to ‘Definitely disagree.’ Depending on the question, responses are valued at “0” or “1” (see table below). A total score is calculated by summing the item responses and high scores suggest greater presence of traits associated with Autism Spectrum. A total score of 6 or greater is clinically significant and suggests that further assessment for Autism be considered.
Questions | Response | Point Value |
1, 7, 8, 10 | Definitely Agree, Slightly Agree | 1 |
1, 7, 8, 10 | Slightly Disagree, Definitely Disagree | 0 |
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 | Definitely Agree, Slightly Agree | 0 |
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 | Slightly Disagree, Definitely Disagree | 1 |
Blueprint Adjustments
Due to current platform scoring limitations, Blueprint must assign a different value for each response (i.e., ‘Definitely agree’ and ‘Slightly agree’ cannot both be ‘1’). Thus, Blueprint utilizes values of ‘1’ and 1.01’ to denote ‘1’ and ‘0’ and ‘0.01’ for ‘0.’ Given that the scores are rounded to the nearest integer, this adjustment does not impact total score calculations.
Clinical Considerations
Estimated time to completion: 2-5 minutes.
Blueprint also offers the 50-item Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ).
A diagnosis should not be determined solely by a single score from a questionnaire and thus, if a client screens positively on the AQ-10, it is recommended that further clinical evaluation be completed by a trained professional.
Citation
Relevant Articles + Further Resources
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