Statement 1 of 10
“I often notice small sounds when others do not.”
Answering moves you on automatically
What autism is, in short
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference in how people communicate, relate to others and experience the world, often alongside focused interests, a preference for routine and sensory sensitivities. It is described as a spectrum because it shows up very differently from person to person.
By What's Your IQ · Reviewed 4 Oct 2026- Screener
- AQ-10 (Allison, Auyeung & Baron-Cohen, 2012)
- Items
- 10 statements, agree to disagree
- Referral cut-off
- 6 or more (NICE guideline CG142)
- Not related to
- Intelligence: autistic people span the full IQ range
Autism in adults, explained
OFTEN A STRENGTH
OFTEN HARDER
MASKINGWhy many adults are identified lateMany autistic people learn to copy social behaviour, rehearse conversations and hide sensory distress. It works on the surface but is exhausting, and it hides autism from others, especially in women.
THE ADULT ASSESSMENT PATHWAY
1ScreenA short questionnaire like the AQ-10 flags whether assessment is worthwhile.
2GP or doctorDiscuss your result and examples from daily life and childhood.
3ReferralTo a specialist autism assessment service.
4AssessmentInterviews, history and often input from someone who knew you as a child.
HOW WELL THE AQ-10 SORTS · ALLISON ET AL., 2012In a study of about 1,000 autistic adults and 3,000 controls. Real-world accuracy in clinics is usually lower, which is why it's used to decide on referral, not to diagnose.
Autistic adults scoring 6+88%
Non-autistic adults below 691%
~1%of adults are autisticEstimated in England's Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, most of whom had never been diagnosed (Brugha et al., 2011).
- Allison, C., Auyeung, B., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2012). Toward brief "Red Flags" for autism screening. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(2), 202–212.
- Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Skinner, R., Martin, J., & Clubley, E. (2001). The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31(1), 5–17.
- Brugha, T. S., McManus, S., Bankart, J., et al. (2011). Epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders in adults in the community in England. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(5), 459–465.
- NICE. (2012, updated 2021). Autism spectrum disorder in adults: diagnosis and management (CG142).