Important Disclaimer
This screening tool is for educational and self-awareness purposes only. It is not designed to provide a diagnosis. A comprehensive evaluation by a qualified professional is required for an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.
What This Assessment Measures
- Social relatedness
- Language
- Sensory-motor sensitivity
- Circumscribed interests
14
Questions
3
Minutes
100%
Confidential
The 14 Questions
- It is difficult for me to understand how other people are feeling when we are talking.
- Some ordinary textures that do not bother others feel very offensive when they touch my skin.
- It is very difficult for me to work and function in groups.
- It is difficult to figure out what other people expect of me.
- I often don't know how to act in social situations.
- I can chat and make small talk with people.
- When I feel overwhelmed by my senses, I have to isolate myself to shut them down.
- How to make friends and socialize is a mystery to me.
- When talking to someone, I have a hard time telling when it is my turn to talk or to listen.
- Sometimes I have to cover my ears to block out painful noises (like vacuum cleaners or people talking too much or too loudly).
- It can be very hard to read someone's face, hand, and body movements when we are talking.
- I focus on details rather than the overall idea.
- I take things too literally, so I often miss what people are trying to say.
- I get extremely upset when the way I like to do things is suddenly changed.
About the RAADS-14
The RAADS-14 Screen is a shortened version of the 80-item Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale–Revised (RAADS-R). It was developed by Eriksson, Andersen, and Bejerot (2013) as a screening tool to aid in the identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adult psychiatric populations.
The RAADS-14 evaluates symptoms across four domains: social relatedness, language, sensory-motor, and circumscribed interests. Each item asks respondents to indicate whether a statement was true for them now and when they were young, only now, only when young, or never true. This developmental perspective helps distinguish lifelong autistic traits from acquired behaviors.
A total score of 14 or above indicates a positive screen for ASD. In the validation study, the RAADS-14 showed 97% sensitivity and 46% specificity in an adult psychiatric population, making it a strong screening tool for identifying potential ASD that warrants comprehensive evaluation.
Note: Item 6 ('I can chat and make small talk with people') is reverse-scored — endorsing this item as never true receives the highest score.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the RAADS-14?+
The RAADS-14 is a 14-item screening tool derived from the 80-item RAADS-R, designed to identify autism spectrum disorder traits in adults. It assesses social relatedness, language, sensory-motor sensitivity, and circumscribed interests.
What score indicates possible autism?+
A total score of 14 or above is considered a positive screen for autism spectrum disorder. However, this is a screening tool — a comprehensive evaluation by a specialist is needed for diagnosis.
How is this different from the AQ-10?+
The RAADS-14 focuses on lifelong developmental patterns (asking about both current and childhood experiences), while the AQ-10 assesses current traits only. Both are screening tools, but they approach autism identification from different angles.
Are my responses stored?+
No. All responses remain completely private and local to your browser. No data is collected, stored, or transmitted to any server.
References
- Eriksson JM, Andersen LMJ, Bejerot S. RAADS-14 Screen: validity of a screening tool for autism spectrum disorder in an adult psychiatric population. Mol Autism. 2013;4(1):49.
- Ritvo RA, Ritvo ER, Guthrie D, et al. The Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R): a scale to assist the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in adults. J Autism Dev Disord. 2011;41(8):1076-1089.
- Andersen LMJ, Näswall K, Manouilenko I, et al. The Swedish version of the Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale: Revised (RAADS-R). A validation study of a rating scale for adults. J Autism Dev Disord. 2011;41(12):1635-1645.