Self Screen

Self-screening tests for autism are quick and convenient tools for exploring whether you have traits, or are experiencing symptoms, that autistic people commonly report having. The results from self-screening tests don’t provide enough information for a formal diagnosis of autism, but they can be a great tool for helping you decide if you want to seek a comprehensive evaluation.

Our self-screening tool was designed for adults ages 18 and up. It is composed of two different questionnaires, the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory (CATI) and the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q). The CATI and the CAT-Q are both scientifically developed instruments, each of which was developed by a separate team of researchers. While they’re useful tools for gathering information, they have their limitations.

One major limitation to keep in mind when taking the self-screen is that these measures aren’t 100% accurate, or even close to it. No test for autism is. All psychometric tests have varying rates of false negatives and false positives. This means that having scores that are more similar to autistic adults on one or more measures does not necessarily mean that you are autistic. Similarly, even if all of your scores fall in the neurotypical range, that doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t autistic.

When you’re through with the self-screen, you’ll be given your scores so that you can see how your responses compare to those of neurotypical and autistic adults. The self screen can’t tell you whether you’re autistic or not but it can be helpful tool for self reflection and deciding whether a comprehensive evaluation might be right for you.