Child autism spectrum quotient (AQ-50) questionnaire

They prefer to do things with others rather than on their own. *

They prefer to do things the same way over and over again. *

If they try to imagine something, they find it very easy to create a picture in their mind. *

They frequently get so strongly absorbed in one thing that they lose sight of other things. *

They often notice small sounds when others do not. *

They usually notice house numbers or similar strings of information. *

They have difficulty understanding rules for polite behaviour. *

When they read a story, they can easily imagine what the characters might look like. *

They are fascinated by dates. *

In a social group, they can easily keep track of several different people’s conversations. *

They find social situations easy. *

They tend to notice details that others do not. *

They would rather go to a library than a birthday party. *

They find making up stories easy. *

They find themselves drawn more strongly to people than to things. *

They tend to have very strong interests which they get upset about if they can’t pursue. *

They enjoy social chit-chat. *

When they talk, it isn’t always easy for others to get a word in edge ways. *

They are fascinated by numbers. *

When they read a story, they find it difficult to work out the characters’ intentions or feelings. *

They don’t particularly enjoy fictional stories. *

They find it hard to make new friends. *

They notice patterns in things all the time. *

They would rather go to the cinema than a museum. *

It does not upset them if their daily routine is disturbed. *

They don’t know how to keep a conversation going with their peers. *

They find it easy to ‘read between the lines’ when someone is talking to them. *

They usually concentrate more on the whole picture, rather than the small details. *

They are not very good at remembering phone numbers. *

They don’t usually notice small changes in a situation, or a person’s appearance. *

They know how to tell if someone listening to them is getting bored. *

They find it easy to go back and forth between different activities. *

When they talk on the phone, they’re not sure when it’s their turn to speak. *

They enjoy doing things spontaneously. *

They are often the last to understand the point of a joke. *

They find it easy to work out what someone is thinking or feeling just by looking at their face. *

If there is an interruption, they can switch back to what they were doing very quickly. *

They are good at social chit-chat. *

People often tell them that they keep going on and on about the same thing. *

When they were in preschool, they used to enjoy playing games involving pretending with other children. *

They like to collect information about categories of things (e.g. types of car, types of bird, types of train, types of plant etc). *

They find it difficult to imagine what it would be like to be someone else. *

They like to plan any activities they participate in carefully. *

They enjoy social occasions. *

They find it difficult to work out people’s intentions. *

New situations make them anxious. *

They enjoy meeting new people. *

They are good at taking care not to hurt other people’s feelings. *

They are not very good at remembering people’s date of birth. *

They find it very easy to play games with children that involve pretending. *