Screening of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Geriatric Psychiatry.

Researchers tested a Dutch checklist called HAP. It asks family or staff about three traits in adults over 60: social avoidance, rigid habits, and unpredictable outbursts.

The team gave the scale to older adults in a geriatric psychiatry clinic. Some had autism. Others had different mental-health diagnoses.

Scores on the HAP cleanly split the two groups. Adults with autism scored high. Adults without autism scored low.

The scale worked like a sieve, catching autism cases that regular screens often miss in seniors.

Uljarević et al. (2018) also found good numbers for the HADS, but they tested anxious and depressed feelings in teenagers and young adults. Together the studies show one size does not fit all ages: HADS for mood in youth, HAP for autism in seniors.

Wakabayashi et al. (2006) and Yu-Lau et al. (2013) proved the Autism-Spectrum Quotient works in mid-life adults across Japan, the UK, and Taiwan. Their work supports self-report. Taylor et al. (2017) extends the idea upward: when patients are old, informants can fill out a short scale instead.

Kuenssberg et al. (2011) ran into trouble with the Adult Asperger Assessment; the math never clicked. The HAP result is happier news — a simple 15-item checklist that does click for the 65-plus crowd.

If you work with older adults who seem odd, withdrawn, or stuck in routines, hand the HAP to a caregiver. A high score is your cue to refer for full autism evaluation. Early ID means you can add visual schedules, clear instructions, and sensory breaks that make hospital or nursing-home care smoother for everyone.