RAADS-R test explained: what it measures and what the scores mean

The RAADS-R was developed to help clinicians identify autistic adults who might have been missed in childhood, particularly adults without an intellectual disability. The 2011 validation paper describes an international study across several countries, comparing adults with an existing autism diagnosis against adults with other psychiatric conditions and adults without a diagnosis.

The questionnaire asks about experiences now and when you were younger, across four areas: social relatedness, circumscribed interests, language, and sensory and motor experiences. In the validation study it was completed with a clinician present, who could clarify questions.

Each of the 80 statements is answered by choosing whether it is true now and when young, only now, only before age 16, or never. Answers are scored from 0 to 3, with some statements reverse scored, giving a total between 0 and 240 and a subscore for each of the four areas.

In the original study, 65 was the threshold total score, and the authors reported high sensitivity and specificity in their sample. Many websites now attach labels to score ranges, such as particular numbers meaning "strong evidence". Those labels are not from the published validation, and a score above or below any number cannot tell an individual whether they are autistic.

Results in a validation sample do not always hold in other settings. Jones and colleagues studied the RAADS-R in 2021 with adults referred to a specialist adult autism diagnostic service in England. In that group, the RAADS-R scores did not usefully distinguish the people who went on to receive an autism diagnosis from those who did not, and many people who were not diagnosed scored above 65.

This does not make the questionnaire worthless. It does mean that a high score is common among adults who are already wondering about autism, whatever the eventual outcome of their assessment, and that the number on its own says little.

Several websites host the RAADS-R or adapted versions for free. If you take one, check whether it is the full 80-item version or a shortened or reworded one, since changes affect scoring. Look at what it does with your answers, whether it asks for your email, and whether it presents the score as a diagnosis or uses it to sell an assessment.

Treat any result as one input. If it prompts you to seek an assessment, bring the reasons you took it in the first place, which are usually more useful to a clinician than the score.

NeuroType only reproduces published questionnaires when it has documented permission for how they will be used. The RAADS-R is not cleared for NeuroType's commercial use, so its questions do not appear anywhere on the site, and the RAADS-R holding page explains that.

Instead, the autistic traits test is an original NeuroType self check covering social exchange, communication, routine, interests and energy. It is not the RAADS-R, it is not a validated clinical instrument, and it does not give a total score to compare with RAADS-R thresholds. The CAT-Q is a published camouflaging questionnaire used under its CC BY 4.0 licence. To compare free autism tests elsewhere, see free autism tests compared.

NICE guidance in England describes adult autism assessment as a process carried out by a team or professional with the right expertise, using developmental history and a look at other explanations, rather than a single questionnaire. Services elsewhere work in similar ways. The assessment guide by country covers routes, costs and waits in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.

This article is original NeuroType editorial content. It refers to the 2011 RAADS-R validation study by Ritvo and colleagues, the 2021 study by Jones and colleagues, and NICE guideline CG142. No RAADS-R items are reproduced. It is not clinical advice. Corrections can be sent to hello@neurotype.app.