Autism Test

What is autism?

Autism, or to give it its full name, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental condition (affecting the development of the nervous system) that may cause you to think, learn, communicate and behave differently. It is not an illness or disease, but it means your brain works differently from other people's.

Autism exists on a spectrum and people with autism spectrum disorder may have severe, moderate or mild symptoms. Autism is normally diagnosed in childhood, but some adults with mild symptoms of autism may not have been formally diagnosed with the condition and may be unaware that they have it.

What is the difference between Asperger's syndrome and autism?

Asperger's syndrome, also known as high-functioning autism (HFA) is a term that has been used in the past to describe a milder form of autism with less severe symptoms and good language and cognitive skills. Nowadays, Asperger's syndrome is not a separate diagnosis, and all forms of autism are known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

What causes autism?

It isn't fully understood what causes ASD, though it is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors that appear to affect early brain development.

Genetic factors

ASD has a strong genetic link and research shows that 60-90% of your risk of developing autism comes from your genome. If you have one child with autism spectrum disorder, you and your close family members are more likely to have another child with ASD.

ASD has also been linked to other genetic conditions such as Rett syndrome or Fragile X syndrome (FXS).

Environmental factors

Some environmental factors that may increase the risk of autism include:

• Your mother was over 35 years of age when you were born
• Being exposed to air pollution or certain pesticides before birth
• Your mother was very overweight (obese), had diabetes or an immune system disorder while pregnant with you
• Being born very early (premature) or having a very low birth weight
• Being deprived of oxygen at birth

Do vaccines cause autism?

There is no scientific evidence that vaccines cause autism.

What are the symptoms of autism?

Autism symptoms vary significantly from person to person and range from severe and greatly impacting your ability to live independently, to mild and barely noticeable.

People with autism spectrum disorder may:

• find it difficult to communicate and interact with other people
• feel anxious or upset when faced with unfamiliar situations and social events
• have difficulty understanding how other people think or feel
• repeat the same activities or think the same things over and over
• find external stimuli such as bright lights or loud noises stressful and overwhelming
• take longer to understand or process information

Autism symptoms in adults

Autism symptoms in adults may include:

• difficulty understanding what others are thinking or feeling
• difficulty making friends or preferring to be on your own
• coming across as blunt, rude or disinterested without meaning to
• difficulty expressing your feelings or emotions
• feeling anxious in social situations
• following the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes
• taking things such as jokes, sarcasm or certain sayings or phrases literally

Women with autism may learn to mask their symptoms by copying the behaviour of others in an attempt to 'fit in'. They may also appear quieter and show less repetitive behaviours than men with ASD. This can make it more difficult to diagnose autism spectrum disorder in women.

Autism symptoms in children

Autism symptoms in children may include:

• not responding to their name
• not making eye contact
• getting upset if they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound
• making repetitive movements like hand-flapping, or rocking
• not smiling back when you smile at them
• not talking as much as other children
• not engaging in pretend or imaginary play
• repeating the same words or phrases

ASD may be harder to diagnose in girls, as they often mask their symptoms by copying how other children play and behave. Girls with autism may become withdrawn or appear to cope better in social situations than boys with ASD. They may also show fewer repetitive behaviours.

How is autism diagnosed?

There is no laboratory test or scan that can definitively diagnose autism and getting a diagnosis can be difficult.

Diagnosing autism involves looking at a combination of your or your child's medical history, developmental history, behaviour and the way they interact socially.

Autism is diagnosed by a specialist autism assessment team, a multi-disciplinary team made up of different health professionals with special training in autism.

To diagnose autism in children, your autism assessment team may:

• read any reports sent by your child's GP, nursery or school
• ask you about your child's medical history and perform a physical examination
• ask you some questions about your child's development, such as when they started talking
• observe how you and your child interact, and how your child plays
• visit your child's school to observe them in class and during break time

To diagnose autism in adults, your autism assessment team may:

• read any reports from your GP about your medical history or any other health problems you may have
• ask you to complete questionnaires known as the autistic-spectrum quotient (AQ) and/or the empathy quotient (EQ)

What is the autism test?

The autism test or autism-spectrum quotient (AQ) is a self-assessment tool that is used to assess the presence of autistic traits in adults. It consists of 50 statements for which the participant must choose one of four responses; definitely agree, slightly agree, slightly disagree or definitely disagree.

The autism test was first published in 2001 following a study by Simon Baron-Cohen and his colleagues at the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, UK and has since been widely regarded as a reliable tool for identifying autistic traits in adults with high-functioning autism (HFA).

In 2004, Simon Baron-Cohen and Sally Wheelwright developed a new assessment tool to measure empathy levels in adults called the empathy quotient (EQ) test. The study was published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and consists of two versions of a questionnaire, one containing 60 items and a shorter form with 40 items. The EQ test aims to measure a person's ability to empathise which involves recognising and responding appropriately to the emotions of others.

The EQ test is primarily used by mental health professionals. It is used to evaluate the social and communication difficulties that occur with conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The AQ and EQ tests do not provide a definitive diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, but the results can indicate whether you may have autistic traits which can allow you to seek further professional evaluation and a formal diagnosis.

What are the benefits of having an autism test?

Identifying autistic traits can allow you to become more self-aware and enable you to get the help and support you may need. It may also encourage you to seek a professional evaluation and diagnosis. Many autistic adults feel a diagnosis of autism helps them understand and validate their life experiences and gain support, and a sense of identity and belonging from others in the autistic community.

Some benefits of getting an autism diagnosis as an adult include:

• it may make it easier for you and the people around you to understand why certain things may be harder for you and give you tools to make them easier
• it may help to correct any previous misdiagnoses such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), social anxiety disorder or bipolar disorder
• you may be able to access certain services, benefits, specialist therapies or support groups
• you are entitled to reasonable adjustments to be made by your employer, college or university

Summary

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition that causes differences in the way you think, communicate and interact with others. The condition may be missed in childhood, particularly if symptoms are mild as with high-functioning autism. Adults with high-functioning autism may face unique challenges in many areas of life including relationships, social situations and in the workplace.

Tests for autism such as the autism-spectrum quotient (AQ) and empathy quotient (EQ) are self-assessment tools that can help identify autistic traits and allow you to seek further evaluation, better understand your condition and enable you to access the support you need to live a full and rewarding life.