The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ)--adolescent version.

The team gave the 50-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient to three groups of teens.

One group had Asperger’s or high-functioning autism. One group had classic autism. The third group had no diagnosis.

They counted how many teens in each group scored 30 or higher, the usual cut-off for clinical concern.

Nine out of ten autistic teens scored 30 or above. Zero control teens hit that mark.

The test cleanly split the groups, making it a quick red-flag tool for clinicians.

Andrews et al. (2024) later used the same teen AQ on a psych inpatient unit. Over half of those teens also scored high, even without an autism diagnosis. This extends the 2006 work beyond autism clinics to general psychiatry.

Lancioni et al. (2009) gave the adult AQ to college students. Higher scores predicted better block-design scores, a classic autism cognitive pattern. This conceptually repeats the link between AQ scores and autism traits.

Clark et al. (2013) found that adults with higher AQ scores struggled more with flavour identification when drink colour tricked the eyes. Again, the AQ captured sensory differences tied to autism.

Together, these studies show the AQ tracks autism traits across ages and settings, not just for diagnosis but for everyday performance.

You now have a 10-minute paper screener that flags autistic traits in teens. Use it during intake to decide if a full evaluation is worth the wait list. Pair it with brief cognitive or sensory checks to build a richer picture before you write your behaviour plan.