RAADS-14 Autism Screener

A free fourteen-question autism screener for adults, taking about three minutes. It looks at whether your everyday experiences of social interaction, sensory sensitivity and change are consistent with autistic traits. Your answers are private, and your score report is sent to you.

What the RAADS-14 is

The RAADS-14 Screen is a short screening questionnaire for adults aged seventeen and over who may be autistic without knowing it. It was developed by Eriksson, Andersen and Bejerot and published in 2013, drawn from the longer Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale - Revised (RAADS-R) as a brief version that could be used quickly in adult mental health settings.

It was designed to answer one narrow question: among adults who have come to a clinic for some other reason, which ones might warrant an autism assessment. It measures three areas - difficulties with mentalising (reading what other people are thinking and feeling), social anxiety, and sensory reactivity.

Who it is for

Adults, seventeen and older, who suspect they may be autistic and have never been assessed. It is often the first thing people do after a long period of recognising themselves in something they have read, or after a family member is diagnosed and the description sounds familiar.

It is not designed for children, and it is not designed to re-confirm an existing diagnosis.

What it asks about

Fourteen statements, each rated by how true it has been for you - some across your whole life, some only since you were sixteen. They cover:

• Reading other people - working out what someone means when they have not said it directly, or what they are feeling from their face and tone
• Social situations - how easy or difficult it is to join in, keep a conversation going, or know what is expected of you
• Sensory experience - how strongly you react to sound, light, texture and touch
• Change and routine - how it feels when things shift unexpectedly

How it is scored

Each of the fourteen items scores from 0 to 3, so the total runs from 0 to 42. There is a single cut-off at 14.

Low likelihood - 0 to 13

Your answers showed few of the traits this screener looks for. On this screener alone, autism appears less likely.

High likelihood - 14 to 42

Your answers showed enough of these traits that autism may be a significant part of your experience, and a full assessment is worth considering.

What a low score does not mean

This matters enough to say plainly. A score under 14 does not rule autism out.

The RAADS-14 was validated in psychiatric outpatient clinics, largely with adults who had already come forward for help. It performs less reliably for people who have spent years masking - consciously or automatically learning to imitate non-autistic social behaviour - because masking is precisely the skill that makes these fourteen questions easier to answer in the direction that scores low.

That pattern is more common among autistic women and among people diagnosed late in life. If you scored below the cut-off but still recognise yourself strongly in autistic experience, the honest reading is that this particular screener did not catch it - not that you have your answer.

What this screener is not

This assessment is for information and self-reflection only. It is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a professional evaluation. No fourteen-question questionnaire can diagnose autism, in either direction. A high score is a reason to look further, not a diagnosis, and a low score is not a discharge.

A full autism assessment looks at developmental history, current functioning, context, and the alternative explanations a screener cannot weigh.

What happens after you finish

You receive your score and a report by email. Nothing is shared with anyone else unless you ask us to send it somewhere. If you would like to talk the result through, or you want to know what a formal assessment would involve, you can tell us at the end and we will follow up.

If you want a formal assessment

We provide adult diagnostic assessment. You can read about the autism assessment, the ADHD assessment, or the dual assessment for both. There are also add-on evaluations for alexithymia and pathological demand avoidance.

If what you need is documentation rather than a diagnosis, our page on neuroaffirming accommodations explains that process. You can also meet the clinicians or read our frequently asked questions.

Our self-discovery page collects the rest of our free screeners if you would like to keep exploring before deciding anything.

About Adult Autism Assessment

We assess and support neurodivergent adults - people seeking a first diagnosis in adulthood, people who have known for years and want documentation, and people who are still working out what fits. Our approach is neurodiversity-affirming: an assessment here is about accurate self-understanding and practical accommodation, not about finding out what is wrong with you.

Adult Autism Assessment is part of New Path Family of Therapy Centers, Inc.