Autism Spectrum Quotient Adolescent Version (AQ-Adolescent)

The Autism Spectrum Quotient Adolescent Version (AQ-Adolescent) is a 50 item parent-report measure that assesses autistic traits in adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 years (Baron-Cohen et al., 2006). The AQ-Adolescent has five subscales, each representing a specific trait relevant for the identification of Autistic adolescents:

• Social Skill, which reflects confidence and ease in social situations, including preferences for social activities and comfort with social interaction.
• Attention Switching, which reflects the ability to switch focus between tasks or activities, and adaptability to changes in routine or unexpected events.
• Attention to Detail, which relates to a heightened focus on details and patterns in the environment, often to the exclusion of the bigger picture.
• Communication, which reflects the ability to engage in reciprocal communication, understand conversational cues, and interpret social language nuances.
• Imagination, which focuses on imaginative thinking, such as the capacity for pretend play, hypothetical thinking, and enjoyment of fiction or creative scenarios.

Example AQ-Adolescent Items

The AQ-Adolescent is a widely used parent-report measure of autistic traits. Research indicates that it effectively captures autistic-like trait levels and can help differentiate between Autistic and Non-Autistic adolescents.

While the AQ-Adolescent provides valuable insights into autistic traits and can be used by qualified professionals, such as psychologists, as one part of a comprehensive assessment process for Autism, scores may also reflect phenomena other than, or co-occurring with, Autism. It is important to interpret the results within the context of the adolescent’s developmental history and other personal characteristics.

Autism Spectrum Quotient Adolescent Version (AQ-Adolescent) scores are presented as a total scale score as well as scores on five subscales. Higher total scale scores are indicative of higher overall levels of autistic traits. A higher subscale score is indicative of a higher level of the specific trait that is associated with Autism.

• Social Skill (Items 1, 11, 13, 15, 22, 36, 44, 45, 47, 48) assesses difficulties and discomfort with social situations, including difficulties with social interactions and avoidance of some social situations.
• Attention Switching (Items 2, 4, 10, 16, 25, 32, 34, 37, 43, 46) describes difficulties in shifting focus between tasks or activities and adapting to changes in routine or unexpected events.
• Attention to Detail (Items 5, 6, 9, 12, 19, 23, 28, 29, 30, 49) relates to a heightened focus on specific details and patterns in the environment, which can sometimes lead to challenges in seeing and understanding the broader context.
• Communication (Items 7, 17, 18, 26, 27, 31, 33, 35, 38, 39) describes difficulties in engaging in reciprocal communication and interpreting indirect communication and social cues.
• Imagination (Items 3, 8, 14, 20, 21, 24, 40, 41, 42, 50) focuses on challenges related to imaginative thinking, including difficulties with hypothetical scenarios (e.g., pretend play).

The adolescent’s total and subscale scores are expressed as (gender-specific) percentiles based on normative data for adolescents in the general population (Baron-Cohen et al., 2006). The percentiles contextualise the adolescent’s scores relative to the typical scores of adolescents in the general population. For example, the 50th percentile represents the typical levels of autistic traits among adolescents in the general population, while scores on the 90th percentile fall within the top 10% when compared to adolescents in the general population. Scores in this higher range are more consistent with those of Autistic adolescents than adolescents in the general population. For the total AQ-Adolescent score, 3% of males and 4% of females score in the range that aligns with the typical scores of Autistic males and females, respectively.

A score is classified as “Consistent with Autism” if it more closely resembles the scores of Autistic adolescents than those of adolescents in the general population. To this end, the “Consistent with Autism” thresholds are calculated as the weighted midpoint between the distribution of scores among the Autistic and Community samples (Jacobson & Truax, 1991).

A score is considered “Pronounced” if it is in the upper half of the Autistic distribution, reflecting higher levels of autistic traits. As such, the “Pronounced” thresholds represent scores on or above the 50th percentile when compared to Autistic adolescents.

For the Attention to Detail subscale, a higher “Pronounced” threshold reflecting scores on or above the 90th percentile within the Autistic sample was chosen due to significant overlap between the score distributions of the Autistic and Community samples.

Scores classified as either “Consistent with Autism” or “Pronounced” suggest that the adolescent exhibits autistic traits at a level consistent with Autistic adolescents. Gender-specific distributions of scores, and their classifications, among Autistic adolescents and adolescents in the general population are presented in NovoPsych’s review of the AQ-Adolescent (Baker et al., 2025).

The thresholds for the total AQ-Adolescent score are as follows.

• Males: 29 and above is “Consistent with Autism”; 39 and above is “Pronounced”
• Females: 25 and above is “Consistent with Autism”; 36 and above is “Pronounced”
• Combined (Males and Females): 28 and above is “Consistent with Autism”; 39 and above is “Pronounced”

Graphs comparing the total and subscale scores to the normative distribution of scores among Autistic adolescents and adolescents in the general population are presented, with shaded areas corresponding to scores between the 25th and 75th percentile. These graphs contextualise the adolescent’s scores relative to typical levels of autistic traits among Autistic adolescents and adolescents in the general population.

The Autism Spectrum Quotient Adolescent Version (AQ-Adolescent) comprises 50 items, with 10 items for each of five theoretically derived subscales representing specific trait dimensions associated with Autism (Baron-Cohen et al., 2006). The AQ-Adolescent was adapted from the adult version of the AQ (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001). Specifically, the items were rewritten to identify autistic traits through parent-report (as opposed to self-report) and to be relevant for adolescents.

The AQ-Adolescent was validated in Autistic adolescents and adolescents drawn from the general population (Baron-Cohen et al., 2006). This study found that the AQ-Adolescent’s five subscale scores have acceptable internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values between 0.66 and 0.88, and that the total score has high test-retest reliability (r = 0.92).

Baron-Cohen and colleagues (2006) suggested that a total scale cut-off score of 30 and above could be used to distinguish between Autistic and Non-Autistic adolescents, regardless of gender. However, in the general population, males typically score higher than females. NovoPsych has therefore established gender-specific norms and thresholds, based on data obtained from the study by Baron-Cohen and colleagues (2006), to enhance the interpretability and classification accuracy of AQ-Adolescent scores, as described in NovoPsych’s review of the AQ-Adolescent (Baker et al., 2025).

The adolescent’s scores are converted to gender-specific percentiles, providing useful information about the degree to which they exhibit autistic traits relative to typical levels among Autistic adolescents and adolescents in the general population of the same gender.

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