Brief Description
The Ritvo Autism & Asperger Diagnostic Scale (RAADS-14) questionnaire is a brief screening tool to assess for autism and related disorders in adults (note, Asperger’s disorder is now classified as Autism Spectrum Disorder in the DSM-5). The RAADS-14 is an abridged version of the 80-item Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R). The RAADS-14 was designed to score three subscales that measure known problems in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): mentalization difficulties, social anxiety, and sensory reactivity. Respondents rate whether they experience the ASD symptoms listed currently or from when they were younger (e.g., “It is difficult for me to understand how other people are feeling when we are talking”) on a scale from “Never true” to “True now and when I was young.”
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
14
Age Range for Administration
18+
Recommended Frequency of Administration
Once
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The RAADS-14 contains 14 questions scored on a 4-point Likert scale with values from 0 (“Never”) to 3 (“True now and when I was young”). Item 6 is reverse scored. A total score is calculated by summing the item responses and ranges from 0 to 42; higher scores are associated with more symptoms indicative of ASD. A score of 14 or above is clinically significant and indicates a positive screen. See the table below for the 3 subscales and their associated item numbers. Subscale scores are calculated by summing the corresponding item responses.
Subscale | Items |
Mentalizing deficits | 1, 4, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 |
Social anxiety | 3, 5, 6, 8 |
Sensory reactivity | 2, 7, 10 |
Blueprint Adjustments
N/A
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 3-5 minutes
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be difficult to distinguish from other psychiatric disorders, and thus, a comprehensive evaluation by a trained professional is recommended. The RAADS-14 can be a helpful tool to screen for ASD, guide discussions with healthcare professionals and aid in the diagnostic process. However, it should not be used as a standalone diagnostic tool, and its results should be interpreted in the context of a comprehensive assessment
Citation
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