RAADS-R Test: Take the Validated RAADS-14 Autism Screen in Minutes
This RAADS-R test page offers an adapted RAADS-14 Screen for autistic traits in adults. It provides an instant score and trait breakdown for self-reflection; the full RAADS-R is a separate assessment.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
RAADS-R Test: The RAADS-14 Screen is a free, confidential 14-question self-assessment, based on the validated RAADS-14 Screen. It takes about 10 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 3 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
The RAADS-14, read through an affirming lens
The RAADS-14 Screen distills the longer RAADS-R into fourteen statements that load onto three subscales where autistic adults often differ from non-autistic adults. It measures traits, not worth. Being autistic is a difference in how a mind works, not something broken that needs fixing.
Mentalizing differences
The largest grouping in this page's adaptation. Six statements about reading faces and feelings, knowing what others expect, taking turns in conversation, focusing on detail, and taking things literally. A higher result reflects more reported difficulty in these situations; it does not measure kindness, intelligence, or how much you care about others.
Social anxiety
Four statements about how demanding groups and social situations feel, whether making friends comes naturally, and how much effort ordinary socializing takes. One item is worded toward ease and scored in reverse, exactly as the instrument specifies. This label organizes experiences on the questionnaire and does not establish a separate social anxiety diagnosis.
Sensory reactivity
Four statements: textures that feel offensive on the skin, needing to withdraw when senses are overwhelmed, covering your ears against painful noise, and getting very upset when a familiar routine is suddenly changed. Sensory experience and a need for predictability are a core part of many autistic people's day. This page groups routine-related experiences with sensory concerns for its descriptive breakdown; do not treat that grouping as a separately validated clinical measure.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Validated RAADS-14 items, faithful wording | Rarely | Yes, all 14 statements |
| The scale's own four-point response format | Often simplified | Yes, kept intact |
| Correct reverse-scoring of the normative item | Frequently wrong | Yes, handled internally |
| Three subscale scores, not just one number | Rarely shown | Yes, scored separately |
| Published cutoff (14) explained in context | Rarely | Yes, with the higher 23 cutoff too |
| Affirming, non-pathologizing language | No | Throughout |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact scores |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–42 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–13 | Below the screening threshold | Your RAADS-14 score is below 14, the cutoff the screen uses to flag when a fuller autism assessment is worth considering. On this measure, your answers overlap less with the autistic-trait profile it is built to catch. |
| 14–22 | At or above the screening threshold | Your score is 14 or higher, the RAADS-14 screening cutoff at which the authors suggest a fuller autism assessment may be worth considering. This is a signal worth exploring, not a verdict. |
| 23–42 | Well above the screening threshold | Your score is 23 or higher, the more specific cutoff the RAADS-14 authors describe above the standard threshold of 14. Your answers describe a strong autistic-trait profile on this screen, though a screen is still not a diagnosis. |
Who this test is for
This RAADS-R test page offers an adapted RAADS-14 for adults curious about autistic traits. The original screen was validated specifically in adult psychiatric samples, so it is best treated as a starting point for self-reflection rather than a stand-alone verdict. If you specifically want a read on how much effort you put into masking traits day to day, the Autism Masking Test (CAT-Q) looks directly at that effort, and it pairs naturally with this screen.
Because autistic presentation can look different across genders, some readers get more out of also trying the Autism Test for Women, which asks about traits that standard instruments were historically less likely to catch. Comparing screens may raise useful questions about your experiences, although agreement does not establish a diagnosis or make the results independent clinical evidence.
What to do after your results
If your results have you wanting to talk with someone, the Psychology.com therapist directory lets you search for clinicians experienced with adult autism and neurodivergence, filtered by specialty and location, at no cost.
Many adults also find it useful to look at the AuDHD Test (Autism + ADHD) if attention, focus, or executive function questions come up alongside autistic traits, since the two commonly overlap and can be easier to understand together than apart.
Prepare examples from childhood and adulthood: how conversations feel, what happens when routines change, and which environments are difficult. School reports or someone who knew you early in life may help if available. NICE recommends considering developmental history, current functioning, sensory sensitivities, and other possible explanations during a comprehensive assessment.
While considering assessment, you can write down changes that make daily life more manageable, such as clearer instructions or a quieter setting. The Self-Care Plan tool can organize those preferences and the support you want to request. The Psychology.com tests hub lists related self-assessments if you have a specific question to explore.
When contacting a service, ask whether the appointment is for a comprehensive adult autism assessment, what information they want beforehand, and how they will explain the findings. Describe communication preferences, sensory needs, and any difficulty with open-ended questions. A screening score does not summarize the support you need at home, work, or school, so include examples of what helps as well as what is difficult.
How accurate is the RAADS-14 autism screen?
In the original study by Eriksson and colleagues, the screening cutoff of 14 had sensitivity of 97 percent, while specificity ranged from 46 to 64 percent in the psychiatric comparison groups. Sensitivity describes how often a screen identifies people already known to be autistic. Specificity describes how often it screens negative among people without autism in the comparison group.
These figures do not mean that someone with a positive result has a 97 percent chance of being autistic. Many non-autistic psychiatric participants also screened positive. The result needs context, including other conditions, developmental history, and daily functioning. Accuracy in a research sample does not automatically transfer to an adapted questionnaire taken independently online.
Keep the questionnaire name attached to the score: a result from this RAADS-14 adaptation cannot be converted into a full RAADS-R result. The instruments differ in length and content. If a clinician has requested the full RAADS-R, ask which version and completion instructions they want you to use. Research cutoffs for the source screen are context for discussion, rather than proof that this online adaptation has the same accuracy.
What If I Cannot Remember My Childhood Clearly?
Tell the assessing clinician which memories feel clear and which are uncertain. You do not need to invent childhood examples or make your history fit a screening result. NICE recommends using developmental history and, where possible, school records or information from someone who knew you early in life. Let the service know if records or an informant are unavailable so they can explain how they will approach the assessment.
For your own notes, separate what you remember from what others have told you. You might describe how friendships, classroom noise, unexpected changes, or communication felt, alongside the support that made those situations easier. Current needs still matter even when childhood details are incomplete. Ask how uncertainty will be documented and how you can discuss the findings after the assessment.
Methodology & sources
This screening is adapted from the RAADS-14 Screen (Eriksson, Andersen & Bejerot, 2013), the validated fourteen-item short form abridged from the eighty-item Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R; Ritvo et al., 2011). Each statement is answered on the scale's own four-point response set, which captures when a trait has been true: three points for true now and when you were young, two for true only now, one for true only when you were younger than sixteen, and zero for never true. Thirteen items are scored in that direction. The small-talk item, worded toward social ease rather than difficulty, is a normative item and is reverse-scored, exactly as the published instrument specifies, and we handle that direction internally. The total runs from 0 to 42. Statements have been lightly reworded for readability while preserving the meaning of the validated instrument.
This page organizes its adapted statements into descriptive groups informed by the original study's domains: mentalizing differences (items about reading people, conversation, detail focus, and taking things literally), social anxiety (items about groups and socializing), and sensory reactivity (items about texture, overwhelm, noise, and needing routines to stay the same). In the original validation, a cutoff of 14 or above reached a sensitivity of 97 percent, with the median score around 32 for autistic adults, 15 for adults with ADHD, and 3 for non-psychiatric controls; the authors also describe a higher, more specific cutoff of 23. This is an educational screening for self-reflection, not a diagnostic tool, and no score can tell you whether you are autistic. For the complete fifty-question Autism-Spectrum Quotient with five domain scores, see our main autism test at /tests/autism. A formal autism assessment is carried out by a qualified clinician through a developmental history and direct observation. We present results in affirming, strengths-aware language, because autism is a difference in neurology, not a deficit.
Published accuracy estimates describe the original RAADS-14 study, not a separate validation of this online adaptation. Reworded statements and the presentation used here mean those estimates should not be read as measured performance for this page. Subscale labels describe clusters of reported experiences and cannot independently diagnose social anxiety or establish a person's support needs.
The item grouping on this page is also part of the adaptation. In particular, the routine-change statement appears in the sensory grouping here. The displayed breakdown should be understood as a way to organize your responses, rather than as a reproduction of the original study's factor structure. Share the name of this adapted version if you bring its results to an appointment.
References
- Eriksson JM, Andersen LM, Bejerot S. RAADS-14 Screen: validity of a screening tool for autism spectrum disorder in an adult psychiatric population. Mol Autism. 2013;4(1):49.
- Ritvo RA, Ritvo ER, Guthrie D, et al. The Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R): a scale to assist the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in adults. J Autism Dev Disord. 2011;41(8):1076-1089.
- Eriksson JM, Andersen LM, Bejerot S. RAADS-14 Screen: original study, full text and accuracy estimates. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3907126/
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Autism spectrum disorder in adults: diagnosis and management. Recommendations. nice.org.uk/guidance/cg142/chapter/recommendations
- Eriksson JM, Andersen LM, Bejerot S. RAADS-14 Screen: publisher full text, methods and domain structure. link.springer.com/article/10.1186/2040-2392-4-49
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Autism in adults: full guideline, comprehensive assessment recommendations. nice.org.uk/guidance/cg142/resources/full-guideline-pdf-186587677
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 16). RAADS-R Test: The RAADS-14 Screen. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/raads-r
RAADS-R Test: The RAADS-14 Screen FAQ
What is the RAADS-R, and what is the RAADS-14?
The RAADS-R is the Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised, an eighty-item scale developed to assist adult autism assessment. The RAADS-14 Screen is its validated fourteen-item short form, originally studied in adult psychiatric patients. This page offers an adapted RAADS-14 with a total and trait breakdown. It cannot substitute for the full RAADS-R if a clinician requested that instrument. Keep the instrument name with your result so the clinician knows which questionnaire you completed.
What is a high RAADS-14 score?
The total runs from 0 to 42. In the original validation, a score of 14 or above is the screening cutoff at which a fuller conversation about assessment is worth considering; it reached a sensitivity of 97 percent. The median was around 32 for autistic adults and 3 for non-psychiatric controls, and the authors describe a higher, more specific cutoff of 23. A number is a prompt to reflect, never a diagnosis.
How is this different from your main autism test?
Our main autism test at /tests/autism uses the full fifty-question Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and reports five trait domains. This page uses the RAADS-14, a different and shorter validated instrument from the RAADS-R family, scored across its own three subscales. Comparing answers may help you describe experiences, but agreement between screens does not confirm autism. Overlapping questions and other conditions can influence both results, so assessment still requires your developmental history and current needs.
Why is one question scored in reverse?
The small-talk item, about chatting and making small talk with ease, is worded toward social comfort rather than difficulty. The RAADS-14 includes it as a normative item and reverses its scoring so that reporting ease lowers the autism-associated total. We apply that reversal internally, so you simply answer honestly and the scoring is handled correctly.
Is this test a diagnosis?
No. It is for education and self-reflection only. An autism diagnosis is made by a qualified clinician through a developmental history and direct observation. If your result resonates, a screening score can be a useful thing to bring to that conversation, whatever the outcome turns out to be. Bring examples of current support needs and tell the clinician if childhood memories or records are limited. The total alone cannot settle those questions.
Is being autistic a disorder?
Autism is a neurotype, a different way of thinking, sensing, and relating, with real strengths alongside genuine challenges. Many autistic adults find that understanding themselves through this lens is clarifying and affirming rather than something to be fixed. Clinically, autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental condition and can involve disability and substantial support needs. Affirming someone's identity includes taking those needs seriously and respecting the language they prefer.
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