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Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) Questionnaire

Assess patients with autistic traits alongside cognitive tasks in Creyos Health to compare cognitive functioning to age-matched peers

 

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Benefits for Healthcare Providers

Get a complete picture of patients who exhibit traits associated with autism spectrum, including Asperger syndrome, using this self-report scale for people ages 16+.


One Platform

Centralized Platform

Administer the AQ questionnaire alongside cognitive tasks and get real-time results—all from the same platform.

Access to Care

Improved Access to Care

Offer the Autism Spectrum Quotient in person or at home, improving access to assessment and treatment.

Comprehensive View

Holistic Patient Support

Measure cognitive performance to help identify appropriate tools, resources, and systems to support patients with autism.

Up to 80% of Individuals with Autism Also Experience Anxiety Disorders

Offer the AQ in conjunction with additional behavioral health assessments and cognitive function tasks in Creyos Health to help guide patient care plans. Take a look at the complete selection of questionnaires available in Creyos.

Review our guide below for a complete list of standardized questionnaires available in Creyos.

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AQ Stats

Preview the Creyos AQ Sample Report

The Autism Spectrum Quotient questionnaire offered through Creyos is designed primarily for adults with autistic traits who are not severely intellectually impaired.

When administered alongside measures of cognitive performance, it allows clinicians to:

  • Efficiently measure and track autistic traits and comorbidities in one seamless assessment
  • Support holistic patient wellbeing by assessing other behavioral conditions and cognition
  • Reduce administrative burden with automated scoring and results

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AQ Report

How to Use the AQ Questionnaire

Step 1: Explain the Questionnaire

Patients can complete the AQ questionnaire in person through the Creyos Health platform on an in-clinic device or at home through a provided link.

Step 2: Administer Questionnaire

The AQ scale is self-administered and contains 50 questions across five domains: social skill, attention switching, attention to detail, communication, and imagination.

Step 3: Review Results

Creyos Health automatically scores AQ results and provides reports. Higher scores indicate a greater incidence of autistic traits.

Step 4: Compare With Cognitive Results

Healthcare providers can discuss results with patients and support holistic wellbeing by offering testing, management, and resources for comorbid conditions, such as ADHD, anxiety, and depression.

How to use AQ

Understanding Individual Differences with Autism

With increased awareness of autism, healthcare providers are seeing more patients with the condition. However, while individual characteristics strongly affect patient outcomes, they are rarely measured, which makes it difficult to meet a patient’s specific needs.

The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) fills this data gap with a quick measure of traits associated with autism. Learn more about offering the AQ alongside cognitive function tasks with Creyos Health.

Source: Russel et al., 2021

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Simplify Patient Autism Assessments with Creyos

Administer the AQ, digitized behavioral health questionnaires, and online cognitive tasks—all in one place.

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Frequently asked questions

What is autism?

Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by challenges in social interaction and communication, as well as inflexible and repetitive behavioral patterns.

 

Where did the AQ scale come from?

The Autism Spectrum Quotient questionnaire was created by Simon Baron-Cohen and colleagues in 2001 to address shortcomings in existing instruments for quantifying autistic traits.

Who uses the Autism Spectrum Quotient?

The AQ scale is commonly used by primary care providers, mental health professionals, neurologists, occupational therapists, and other healthcare professionals, researchers, and individuals to measure autistic traits in adults

How is the AQ scale scored?

This self-report questionnaire contains 50 questions, with ten questions across each of five domains: social skill, attention switching, attention to detail, communication, and imagination. Patients indicate their agreement with each item on a 4-point scale from “definitely disagree” to “definitely agree.” 

The Creyos Health version of the AQ automatically tallies the results and provides guidance on cutoff scores that maximize distinction between individuals diagnosed with high-functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome and individuals from the general population. Higher scores indicate a greater presence of autistic traits. The AQ can be paired with additional questionnaires and cognitive tasks to get a more holistic and objective picture of brain health.


How does administration and scoring of the AQ scale work in Creyos?

Administration is flexible and efficient; questionnaires can be administered by a mental health provider or technician, either in-clinic or emailed to the patient to be completed remotely. This flexibility allows providers to maximize their appointment time with patients, and reduce time spent on scoring or recording session notes.

When a patient completes the AQ questionnaire, providers get immediate insights through easy-to-read reports that combine questionnaire data with cognitive test results for a full picture of patient brain health. Creyos can also use APIs to integrate with a variety of electronic health systems (EHR) and has a built-in integration with athenahealth. Our platform automatically collects, scores, and organizes results from each questionnaire and adds them to the patient’s EHR.

What behaviors does the Autism Spectrum Quotient evaluate?

The AQ scale evaluates traits associated with autism across five domains: social skill, attention switching, attention to detail, communication, and imagination.

How can the Autism Spectrum Quotient support patients?

The AQ scale should be used as a screening tool to assist primary care providers or health professionals in understanding patients’ autistic traits and comorbidities. Any conclusions drawn from the AQ should be paired with further assessment, such as clinical interviews and observations, additional mental health examinations or assessments, and evaluations of the patient’s level of distress, functional impairment, and/or family history.

What can the Autism Spectrum Quotient not do?

The AQ questionnaire can serve as a starting point for conversations between patients and healthcare providers about autistic traits, but it does not suggest a particular diagnosis or course of treatment on its own. AQ scores are meant as an aid to quantify and measure the presence and severity of traits over time.

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