The Autism Spectrum Quotient: Children's Version
The Autism Spectrum Quotient: Children's Version (AQ-Child) is a validated 50-item parent-report questionnaire developed by the Autism Research Centre at…
- Questions
- 50
- Duration
- 10 min
- Original title
- The Autism Spectrum Quotient: Children's Version
- Adaptation
- The Autism Spectrum Quotient: Children's Version
- Authors
- Auyeung, B., Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., & Allison, C.
- Created
- 2008
The Autism Spectrum Quotient: Children's Version (AQ-Child) is a validated 50-item parent-report questionnaire developed by the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge. It is designed to measure the presence and intensity of autistic traits in children aged 4 to 11. Unlike categorical diagnostic tools, the AQ-Child embraces a dimensional approach, mapping the child's presentation across cognitive and behavioral domains commonly associated with the autism spectrum. Because social difficulties often trigger significant distress, the instrument can help separate core communication challenges from secondary generalized anxiety disorder.
In clinical practice, the AQ-Child is an invaluable screening and formulation tool. It allows clinicians to capture detailed parental observations across five key areas of functioning. By providing a reliable, standardized metric, it helps orient further diagnostic investigations and allows the clinician to integrate neurodivergent traits into the child's broader life story. It serves as a strong baseline to monitor developmental changes or the impact of tailored systemic interventions over time.
Example result
Fictitious result, computed from a sample set of answers.
Overall score
73/ 150
The AQ-Child is a screening questionnaire completed by a parent or caregiver, designed to quantify autistic traits in children aged 4 to 11 years. It comprises 50 items divided into five subscales: social skills, attention switching, attention to detail, communication, and imagination. It is used as a clinical screening tool and for referral to specialized diagnostic assessment, as well as in research. It does not replace a comprehensive clinical diagnosis.
0–75
Below the decision threshold
73
76–150
Cut-off for Autism Spectrum Conditions
The parent-reported score falls below the decision threshold of 76 used by the source to prompt further autism spectrum assessment. The source does not characterize this range of the scale.
généralemixed · general population · 6–13 years · Hong Kong SAR · n = 226 · 2009 · Wong et al. (2009)
0150
73
M = 62.4 ± 9.5
généralemales · general population · 6–13 years · Hong Kong SAR · n = 79 · 2009 · Wong et al. (2009)
0150
73
M = 64 ± 9.3
généralefemales · general population · 6–13 years · Hong Kong SAR · n = 103 · 2009 · Wong et al. (2009)
0150
73
M = 61.2 ± 9.8
cliniquemixed · pathology: ASD · 5–11 years · Hong Kong SAR · n = 48 · 2009 · Wong et al. (2009)
0150
73
M = 85.7 ± 16.6
Scoring
Sum of items (0–3) with reversal for reverse-scored items; total score and subscale scores, total score ranging from 0 to 150, each item is scored on a 4-point scale (from 0 to 3).
Social skills
16/ 30
Assesses difficulties and discomfort with social situations, including difficulties with social interactions and avoidance of some social situations.
items 1, 11, 13, 15, 22, 36, 44, 45, 47, 48
16
030
Imagination
17/ 30
Focuses on challenges related to imaginative thinking, including difficulties with hypothetical scenarios (e.g., pretend play).
items 3, 8, 14, 20, 21, 24, 40, 41, 42, 50
17
030
Communication
13/ 30
Describes difficulties in engaging in reciprocal communication and interpreting indirect communication and social cues.
items 7, 17, 18, 26, 27, 31, 33, 35, 38, 39
13
030
Attention switching
15/ 30
Describes difficulties in shifting focus between tasks or activities and adapting to changes in routine or unexpected events.
items 2, 4, 10, 16, 25, 32, 34, 37, 43, 46
15
030
Attention to detail
12/ 30
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.
items 5, 6, 9, 12, 19, 23, 28, 29, 30, 49
12
030
Have your patient take this test
Assign it in one click: your patient answers on their phone, you receive the score and its interpretation.
What the test measures
The AQ-Child measures the concentration of autistic traits across five distinct cognitive and behavioral domains.
- Social Skills: Evaluates the child's comfort in social situations, their preference for solitary versus group activities, and their ability to navigate peer interactions.
- Attention Switching: Assesses cognitive flexibility, tracking the child's reaction to disruptions in routine and their capacity to transition between tasks.
- Attention to Detail: Captures the tendency to focus intently on specific patterns, which can sometimes overlap with perfectionism, numbers, or environmental minutiae at the expense of the larger context.
- Communication: Probes the child's grasp of verbal and non-verbal conversational nuances, including turn-taking and recognizing others' intentions.
- Imagination: Measures engagement in pretend play, narrative generation, and the flexibility of creative thought.
This measure is specifically targeted at children aged 4 to 11, relying on the caregiver's daily observations to build a comprehensive developmental profile.
When and why to use it
Clinicians typically deploy the AQ-Child when there is a clinical suspicion of autism spectrum conditions, or as part of a broader neurodevelopmental assessment battery.
- Intake screening: Identifying whether a child's behavioral profile warrants a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary autism diagnostic evaluation.
- Clinical formulation: Mapping specific strengths and challenges across domains to tailor psychoeducation for parents, educators, and the child as they build strong mental health foundations.
- Differential support: Distinguishing autistic traits from overlapping presentations, such as traits seen in children's ADHD or the rigid routines associated with OCD.
- Ongoing monitoring: Providing a stable metric to review the child's trajectory, the impact of environmental accommodations, and the need to evaluate coping strategies over time.
A validated score provides a standardized, objective anchor that complements the clinician's qualitative interview, helping to quantify parental concerns against established normative and clinical thresholds.
Clinical library
750+ clinical tools
A library built with and for clinicians, ready to use in session and extend between appointments.
Access all the toolsSeveral resource types
Psychoeducation handouts
Understand at a glance
Interactive exercises
To do and fill in
Interactive programs
A structured path
Audios
Meditation and relaxation
Psychometric tests
Automatic scoring
The questions
- Please answer each of the following questions about your child (or the child under your care) by checking the box that best reflects your answer. Please answer all questions.1. He/she prefers to do things with others rather than alone.Explores the child's preference for shared versus solitary activities.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 2. He/she prefers to always do things the same way.Probes the child's need for routine and repetition.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 3. If he/she tries to imagine something, he/she can very easily get a mental picture of it.Assesses the child's capacity for mental imagery.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 4. He/she is frequently so absorbed in one thing that he/she loses sight of everything else.Evaluates the tendency for hyper-focus and intense absorption in tasks.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 5. He/she often notices small sounds that others do not.Checks for heightened auditory sensitivity to subtle environmental noises.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 6. He/she usually notices house numbers or other similar strings of information.Highlights attention to specific alphanumeric patterns or sequences.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 7. He/she is often told that what he/she has said is rude, even when he/she thinks it is polite.Evaluates the child's intuitive grasp of social etiquette and politeness.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 8. When a story is read to him/her, he/she easily imagines what the characters might look like.Probes the ability to visually imagine fictional characters.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 9. He/she is fascinated by dates.Assesses intense, specialized interest in temporal data like dates.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 10. In a social group, he/she can easily keep track of several different people's conversations.Measures the ability to track multiple social interactions simultaneously.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 11. He/she finds social situations easy.Gauges the child's general comfort level in social environments.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 12. He/she tends to notice details that others do not.Captures the tendency to notice minor details easily overlooked by others.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 13. He/she would rather go to the library than to a party.Explores preferences for quiet, solitary environments over lively social gatherings.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 14. He/she finds it easy to make up stories.Assesses the ease with which the child generates fictional narratives.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 15. He/she is more drawn to people than to things.Evaluates whether the child is naturally drawn to people or inanimate objects.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 16. He/she tends to have very strong interests and gets upset if he/she can't pursue them.Probes the intensity of specific interests and distress when interrupted.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 17. He/she enjoys small talk.Assesses the child's enjoyment of casual social conversations.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 18. When he/she is talking, it is not always easy for others to get a word in.Measures conversational reciprocity and the ability to let others speak.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 19. He/she is fascinated by numbers.Highlights an intense fascination with numbers and numerical systems.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 20. When a story is read to him/her, he/she has trouble understanding the characters' intentions.Evaluates the ability to infer character intentions in fictional contexts.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 21. He/she doesn't particularly enjoy fictional stories.Checks for a lack of interest in reading or listening to fiction.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 22. He/she finds it hard to make new friends.Probes the ease or difficulty of forming new peer relationships.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 23. He/she is always noticing patterns in things.Captures a continuous focus on systemic patterns and regularities.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 24. He/she would rather go to the theater than to a museum.Evaluates a preference for structured exhibitions over narrative performances.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 25. It doesn't upset him/her if his/her daily routine is disturbed.Measures emotional flexibility when daily routines are unexpectedly altered.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 26. He/she doesn't know how to keep a conversation going with his/her peers.Assesses the child's practical skills in sustaining dialogue with peers.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 27. He/she finds it easy to 'read between the lines' when someone is talking to him/her.Evaluates the ability to infer implicit meaning in verbal communication.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 28. He/she usually focuses more on the whole picture than on the small details.Probes whether the child focuses on global contexts over localized details.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 29. He/she is not very good at remembering phone numbers.Checks the child's incidental memory for conventional numerical data.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 30. He/she doesn't usually notice small changes in a situation or in someone's appearance.Measures awareness of subtle changes in environments or appearances.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 31. He/she knows how to tell when the person listening to him/her is getting bored.Assesses the capacity to read non-verbal cues of disinterest or boredom.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 32. He/she switches from one activity to another easily.Evaluates the child's cognitive flexibility when shifting between tasks.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 33. When he/she is on the phone, he/she doesn't always know when it's his/her turn to speak.Probes the understanding of implicit turn-taking rules during phone calls.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 34. He/she likes to do things spontaneously.Measures the child's comfort with unstructured, spontaneous activities.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 35. He/she is often the last one to understand the point of a joke.Assesses the ability to rapidly process and grasp humorous nuances.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 36. He/she can easily guess what a person is thinking or feeling just by looking at their face.Evaluates the capacity to read emotional states from facial expressions.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 37. If interrupted, he/she can go back to what he/she was doing very quickly.Captures the speed of recovery and refocusing after an interruption.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 38. He/she is good at small talk.Measures the child's perceived competence in informal social dialogue.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 39. He/she is often told that he/she keeps going on and on about the same thing.Probes the tendency toward repetitive or perseverative speech topics.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 40. When he/she was younger, he/she enjoyed playing pretend games with other children.Checks the historical presence of cooperative imaginative play.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 41. He/she likes to collect information about categories of things (e.g., types of cars, birds, trains, plants, etc.).Highlights a strong drive to systematically collect and categorize information.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 42. He/she finds it hard to imagine what it would be like to be someone else.Evaluates the capacity for cognitive empathy and perspective-taking.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 43. He/she likes to carefully plan any activity he/she takes part in.Measures the child's reliance on meticulous planning for activities.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 44. He/she enjoys social occasions.Assesses the child's intrinsic enjoyment of social gatherings.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 45. He/she has difficulty understanding other people's intentions.Probes the ability to decipher the hidden motivations of other people.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 46. New situations make him/her anxious.Measures the degree of anxiety triggered by novel or unfamiliar situations.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 47. He/she enjoys meeting new people.Evaluates the child's openness and comfort when encountering strangers.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 48. He/she is a good diplomat.Assesses the child's tactfulness and interpersonal diplomacy.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 49. He/she is not very good at remembering people's birthdays.Checks for difficulties in retaining socially relevant personal data.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
- 50. He/she finds it very easy to play 'pretend' games with other children.Probes the current ease of engaging in collaborative pretend play.
- Definitely agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Definitely disagree
Patient mobile app
Your session continues in your patients' pocket
Use with a patientYour resources, available everywhere
The handouts, exercises, programs and audios above: you choose which ones to make available to your patients, in the mobile app dedicated to them.
Psychoeducation handoutsInteractive exercisesInteractive programsAudiosPsychometric tests
And far more than a library
The app goes well beyond resources, to support your patients every day:
Standardized tests
Therapy journal
Gamification
Wellbeing challenges
Introspection prompts
Therapist homework
Related categories
Explore other clinical resources by category.
Neurodevelopment
Clinical hub for neurodevelopmental disorders: psychoeducation, worksheets and intervention tools for ADHD, ASD, learning disorders and related conditions.
Anxiety
Clinical hub for anxiety disorders: CBT and ACT worksheets, psychoeducation sheets, and exercises for assessment and treatment across the anxiety spectrum.
Trauma
Clinical hub on trauma and PTSD: assessment, differential diagnosis, treatment phases, and printable resources for practitioners. 155 chars.
Mood
Evidence-based worksheets and clinical tools for mood disorders: CBT, ACT, and positive psychology resources for psychologists and therapists.
Identity
Clinical resources for self-identity work in therapy: CBT, ACT, schema tools for clinicians addressing self-concept, core beliefs, and identity disruption.
Emotions
Clinical resources on emotion regulation: worksheets, coping tools, CBT, REBT, and ACT exercises for therapists working across diagnoses and age groups.