Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a condition characterized by a predominantly closed inner life, isolation from the outside world, poor expression of emotions, and a limited range of interests.
People with this disorder have difficulty establishing and maintaining relationships with other people - they find it difficult to show genuine interest in others, maintain a dialogue, recognize non-verbal signals, and respond adequately to social interaction. In particularly severe cases, the disorder leads to a complete lack of interest in contact with others.
Many people with this disorder are "fixated" on studying one subject, which allows them to achieve high results in this area. For example, according to recent studies, among winners of mathematical olympiads, the tendency to autism spectrum disorder is significantly higher than the statistical average.
Today, in the United States, about 1% of the population is susceptible to this disease to one degree or another.
In 2001, Simon Baron-Cohen and his colleagues from the Cambridge Autism Research Centre developed the Autism-Spectrum Quotient Test (AQ) to measure autism susceptibility. This test assesses how strongly the traits associated with autism spectrum disorder are expressed. Various studies show that the full 50-question questionnaire is more valid and reliable than the short 10-question version, so we offer you an online version of the full AQ-50 questionnaire.
This test is designed for adults (16+) regardless of gender. Remember that this questionnaire is not a diagnostic tool, and a high score does not always indicate the presence of autism spectrum disorder.
