Autism & ADHD Screening Tests

AUTSIM-RELATED SCREENERS​

Psychometric Tests for co-occurring conditions or aspects related to autism: 

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Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)

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• The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) is a 20-item, self-administered questionnaire that measures difficulty in identifying and describing emotions, which is a big part of alexithymia.

• The TAS focuses on three factors:

  • Difficulty identifying subjective emotional feelings

  • Distinguishing feelings and bodily sensations from emotional arousal, and

  • Difficulty describing feeling

• Duration:5–7 minutes

• Adults (age 16+) of average or higher intelligence.

• Score Interpretation:

  • 20–51 No alexithymia

  • 52–60 Possible alexithymia

  • 61–100 Alexithymia present

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Online Alexithymia Questionnaire (OAQ-G2)

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• Self-administered questionnaire to measure difficulty in identifying and describing emotions and feelings, and distinguishing between the accompanying bodily sensations.

• Measures 7 factors: 

  • difficulty identifying emotions

  • difficulty describing feelings

  • vicarious interpretation of feelings

  • externally-oriented thinking

  • restricted imaginative processes

  • problematic interpersonal relationships

  • sexual difficulties and disinterest. 

• The test is particularly suited for: 

  • Adults with ASD level 1 (previously Asperger syndrome).

  • Adults with normal to high IQ (IQ >=80).

• Research indicates that 40–65% of autistic people have alexithymia—or even as high as 70%.

• 37 Questions and 10-12 minutes

• Score Interpretation:

  • 37–94 No alexithymia

  • 95–112 Possible alexithymia

  • 113–185 Alexithymia present

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Adult Repetitive Behaviours Questionnaire-2 (RBQ-2A)

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• Statements: 20

• Duration:7-10 minutes

• Measures two factors of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) associated with autism. These factors include: Repetitive motor behaviors and insistence on sameness

• Also assesses other RRBs, such as: routines and rituals, sensory interests, and repetitive actions with objects

• Adults (age 18+) of average or higher intelligence

• The RBQ-2A gives 3 or 4 choices for each question:

  • Never or rarely (1point)

  • One or more times daily (mild or occasional) (2 points)

  • 15 or more times daily (marked or notable) (3 points)

  • 30 or more times daily (serious or severe) (3 points)

• Questions 6–12 and 20 give 3 possible answers, while the other questions give a fourth option. However, answers #3 and #4 are both scored as 3.

• Scoring range: 20–60

  • Threshold score: 26↑

  • 36 average autistic score

  • 25 non-autistic score

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Extreme Demand Avoidance Questionnaire for Adults (EDA-QA)

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• Self-administered questionnaire that measures traits and behaviors related to Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) 

• PDA is characterized by an individual's extreme avoidance of everyday demands and requests due to an anxiety-driven need for control.

• EDA-QA is for adults 18+ of average or higher intelligence.. This should be distinguished from the EDA-Q for children. 

• PDA is also referred to as Persistent Demand for Autonomy, highlighting the constant striving for self-governance and resistance to external pressures.

• Assesses four core areas: 

  • Regulation

  • Flexible thinking

  • Sensory coherence

  • Social perspective-taking. 

• Statements: 26

• Duration:10–12 minutes

• Scoring range: 0–78 Threshold score: n/a

  • Although a threshold has not been established, scores greater than 45 indicate a high risk of showing features of PDA

  • Lower scores mean likely do not

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The Monotropism Questionnaire

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• A self-report tool designed to assess for features indicating a monotropic cognitive style. A monotropic style of cognition has been correlated with Autism.

• Monotropism is a term used within the autistic community to describe a common attentional characteristic: the tendency to focus deeply on a limited number of interests at one time. It is considered to result in both strengths and weaknesses.

• Monotropism is the opposite of multitasking, which is the ability to switch between multiple tasks or topics quickly. While multitasking is often seen as a desirable skill, monotropism has traditionally been viewed as a limitation or deficit. Fortunately, this view has been rapidly changing.

• The questionnaire consists of questions that gauge the extent to which a person exhibits monotropic tendencies. Interpreting the results involves analyzing their responses to figure out the degree of cognitive focus or specialization.

• Statements: 47

• Duration:15–17 minutes

• Scoring:

  • Higher scores may suggest a stronger inclination towards monotropism, indicating a more intense and singular focus on specific subjects. On the other hand, lower scores might suggest a more distributed and flexible attention span.

  • Scoring range: 0–5 Threshold score: 3.3​

• This questionnaire is published under a Creative Commons license, CC-BY-NC-SA. Garau, V., Woods, R., Chown, N., Hallett, S., Murray, F., Wood, R., Murray, A. & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2023). The Monotropism Questionnaire, Open Science Framework.