The autism spectrum test consists of 50 items. You must indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with the statements for each item.
Explanation of Facets:
Social Difficulties: People with autism spectrum disorder face difficulties in social communication, social interaction, understanding and predicting the behaviors of others, and understanding abstract concepts, which can impact their ability to form and maintain relationships and understand social cues.
Communication Challenges: The hallmark feature of autism is communication challenges, so people with autism have delayed language development and difficulties with social communication, such as using and understanding nonverbal cues like facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language.
Repetitive Behaviors: People with autism exhibit repetitive behaviors such as repeating movements, following specific routines, and repeatedly saying words or phrases. These behaviors provide a sense of calmness and stability but may also affect an individual’s day-to-day activities and social interactions.
Sensory Sensitivity: If you have a high score in this domain, then it simply means you have hypersensitivity to sound, touch, and visual stimuli. Individuals with autism show signs of sensory sensitivity, which can cause them to avoid situations that are noisy and uncomfortable. A high score in this trait does not necessarily mean you have autism.
Routine-bound: Some individuals with autism may be highly attached to their established routines and face emotional distress when these daily routines are disrupted. They also become anxious, aggressive, and upset when their daily routines are disturbed.
Intense Interests: Everyone shows interest in particular topics and activities, but people with autism may have a strong and persistent fascination with any topic or hobby. Autistic people enjoy and find comfort in any particular hobby and may use this as a way to cope with stress and anxiety. While intense interests can be good as they may lead to expertise in a particular area, they can also be the source of difficulties because they may struggle to shift attention from one topic to another.
Literal Thinking: Sometimes it’s hard for us to understand subtle hints or jokes that have multiple meanings. However, people with autism may have more difficulty understanding these things because they tend to take things very literally and don’t always understand when someone is trying to imply something. This means they may miss out on the intended meaning behind things like sarcasm or metaphorical language.
Emotional Regulations: People with autism face difficulty to control and managing emotions such as identifying the triggers that may be causing the intensity of emotional outbursts. They also tend to respond to situations in an inappropriate and healthy way. This difficulty in emotional regulation may cause difficulties in personal well-being as well as managing relationships.
Difficulty With Change: People with autism find it hard to cope with changes in routine, environment, and schedule. People who get a high level in this facet do not mean that they have autism but this is a common trait associated with autism spectrum.
Motor Difficulties: If you have a high score in this common trait of autism, you may have difficulties with coordination and balance. Every individual with autism does not necessarily have motor difficulties, but experts believe that autistic people tend to have difficulties performing tasks that require coordination and balance.