The Aspergers test, officially the “AQ test” or “Autism Spectrum Quotient” was published by Simon Baron-Cohen and his colleagues at the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, UK in 2001.[1] The test takes into account all of the factors listed above and aims “to investigate whether adults of average intelligence have symptoms of autism or one of the other autism spectrum conditions.”[2] Although not intended to be a diagnostic test[3], it has become very popular as a tool for preliminary self-diagnosis of Asperger’s[4], and further papers have indicated that it could be used clinically to screen test for the condition (suggesting that a diagnosis of Asperger’s can be ruled out for those scoring less than 26).[5]
The test itself consists of questions in a “forced choice” format, meaning that the answer is ultimately an “agree” or “disagree” with a given statement. It covers the five main areas associated with the autism spectrum: social skills; communication skills; imagination; attention to detail; and attention switching/tolerance of change[6]. Possibly due to the popularity of the test for preliminary self-diagnosis, versions of the AQ for children[7] and adolescents[8] have also been published.
[1]Woodbury-Smith MR, Robinson J, Wheelwright S, Baron-Cohen S (2005). “Screening adults for Asperger Syndrome using the AQ: a preliminary study of its diagnostic validity in clinical practice” (PDF). J Autism Dev Disord 35 (3): 331–5. doi:10.1007/s10803-005-3300-7. PMID 16119474. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
[2]Woodbury-Smith MR, Robinson J, Wheelwright S, Baron-Cohen S (2005). “Screening adults for Asperger Syndrome using the AQ: a preliminary study of its diagnostic validity in clinical practice” (PDF). J Autism Dev Disord 35 (3): 331–5. doi:10.1007/s10803-005-3300-7. PMID 16119474. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
[3]Take the AQ Test, Embarrassing Bodies website, Channel 4, 2011. Accessed 2011-10-21.
[4]Autism Spectrum Quotient at Answers About Autism website (part of Better Your Health), 2006
[5]Woodbury-Smith MR, Robinson J, Wheelwright S, Baron-Cohen S (2005). “Screening adults for Asperger Syndrome using the AQ: a preliminary study of its diagnostic validity in clinical practice” (PDF). J Autism Dev Disord 35 (3): 331–5. doi:10.1007/s10803-005-3300-7. PMID 16119474. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
[6]Hoekstra RA, Bartels M, Cath DC, Boomsma DI (2008). “Factor structure, reliability and criterion validity of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ): a study in Dutch population and patient groups”. J Autism Dev Disord 38 (8): 1555–66. doi:10.1007/s10803-008-0538-x. PMC 2516538. PMID 18302013.
[7]Auyeung B, Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Allison C (2008). “The Autism Spectrum Quotient: Children’s Version (AQ-Child)” (PDF). J Autism Dev Disord 38 (7): 1230–40. doi:10.1007/s10803-007-0504-z. PMID 18064550. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
[8]Baron-Cohen S, Hoekstra RA, Knickmeyer R, Wheelwright S (2006). “The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ)—adolescent version” (PDF). J Autism Dev Disord 36 (3): 343–50. doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0073-6.
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