Autism Spectrum Quotient - 50 item
AQ-50 is the 50-item adult Autism Spectrum Quotient. This page is for clinics comparing the full questionnaire with shorter screens. It is not a diagnostic test.
Overview
What is the AQ-50?
The 50-item AQ is the original adult self-report length. It covers more statements than AQ-10. It remains a questionnaire, not an observational diagnosis.
Development and clinical use
The original AQ publication used 50 items. Later brief screens were extracted for referral settings. Clinics should not treat AQ-10 totals and AQ-50 totals as the same metric.
- Source instrument
- 50-item AQ, ages 16+
- Shorter relative
- AQ-10
- Respondent
- Adult self-report
- Total range
- 0 to 50, bands at 26 and 32
- Subscales
- Five sums, no published cutoff
- Diagnosis
- Not established by score
Administration
A focused client experience
Adults complete fifty statements, usually on paper or in an authorised digital form. Results inform clinician review alongside developmental history and, where used, specialist observation.
- One question at a time with visible progress
- Large keyboard-operable response choices
- Previous, next, and answer-review steps
- Clear confirmation that results go to the clinic
The illustration does not reproduce AQ-50 statements.
Report showcase
Designed to make evidence easy to review
The downloadable synthetic example illustrates report layout using invented response patterns, without patient data or instrument questions.
- Named instrument, version, and provenance
- Item-level response pattern without source wording
- Methodology, references, and clinical boundary
- Responsible clinician review rather than automated conclusions
Clinician review required
Methodology
Understand the measure and its scoring conventions
Each item is Definitely agree, Slightly agree, Slightly disagree or Definitely disagree. The two responses on the published side of the key score 1 and the other two score 0, with item 1 scored on disagreement as in the 2001 erratum. Five subscales each run from 0 to 10 with no published cutoff. The total runs from 0 to 50. Bands are Below 26, 26 to 31, and 32 or above.
References
- Original 50-item AQBaron-Cohen S et al. The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). J Autism Dev Disord. 2001;31(1):5-17.
Questions
What clinics ask before they evaluate the AQ-50
These answers stay inside educational catalogue scope. They do not replace official manuals or clinician judgement.
Should we use AQ-50 or AQ-10?
They serve different operational jobs. The clinician and pathway protocol choose the form; this page does not recommend a battery.
Does AQ-50 replace ADOS-2?
No. One is a questionnaire, the other is a trained observational assessment.
Can I complete AQ-50 here?
No. This is an educational landing.
Can totals be compared across AQ versions?
Not as if they were the same test. Keep version identity with any stored result.