RAADS-R Test for Adults: Autism Screening with Validated Scoring

Welcome to our Adult RAADS-R (Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised) Test page. This test is designed for adults who want to learn more about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It helps you understand traits and behaviors related to autism that may show up in adulthood. Once you complete the test, you can download a PDF of your results. This way, you can share them or think about them later.

What is the Meaning of RAADS-R Test Score and its Interpretation?

Score	Meaning
25	Your social interactions and behaviors appear typical. You likely don’t experience significant challenges in communication or adapting to change that are common in autism.
50	You may notice some differences in how you interact or process information, but these traits aren’t strong enough to suggest autism. You might just have a unique personality or way of thinking.
65	This score suggests you might have some autistic traits. You may experience some challenges in social situations or have strong interests, but they may not significantly impact your daily life. It’s worth discussing these experiences with a professional.
90	You show several traits associated with autism. You might find social interactions challenging, have strong preferences for routines, or intense interests in specific topics. These traits are noticeable but may not always cause major difficulties.
130	This score is typical for many autistic individuals. You likely experience clear differences in social communication, may have strong needs for routines, and might have intense, focused interests. These traits probably impact your daily life in noticeable ways.
160	Your responses indicate significant autistic traits. You may face considerable challenges in social situations, have a strong need for sameness, and experience sensory sensitivities. Your way of thinking and experiencing the world likely differs noticeably from neurotypical individuals.
227	This very high score suggests you experience autistic traits very intensely. You may face major challenges in social communication, have a very strong need for routines, and experience the world in a unique way. Your autistic traits are likely a central part of your daily experience and identity.

What is the RAADS-R Test and How Can It Help Identify Autism Spectrum Disorder?

The RAADS-R, or Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised, is a self-report tool to help identify Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) traits in adults. Dr. Riva Ariella Ritvo from the Yale Child Study Center developed this screening test.

The RAADS-R has 80 questions about behaviors linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). 64 ask about actual autism traits. The other 16 ask about non-autistic behaviors.

In the RAADS-R test, you are presented with several questions that help assess the presence of autistic traits over your lifetime. For each question, you choose from one of four response options, each assigned a specific score to quantify the frequency and timing of certain behaviors:

• “True now and when young” scores 3 points, indicating consistent traits from childhood to the present.
• “True now only” scores 2 points, suggesting traits that have emerged only in adulthood.
• “True only as a child under 16” scores 1 point, reflecting traits that were present only during childhood.
• “Never true” scores 0 points, indicating the absence of the trait at any point in life.

Your total score is then calculated based on these values, ranging from 0 to 240, with higher scores indicating a higher likelihood of being on the autism spectrum.

The RAADS-R test is designed to help identify if someone shows signs of being non-neurotypical, meaning their brain functions in a way that is different from most people.

Sensitivity of the Raads-r test test is 97%. This means that if 100 people who are not neurotypical take the test, it will correctly identify 97 of them as not being neurotypical. You can think of it like a game where the test has to find hidden treasures, and it successfully finds 97 out of 100.

Specificity of the Raads-r test is 100%. This indicates that if 100 neurotypical people take the test, it will correctly identify all 100 of them as neurotypical. The test is perfect in making sure that it does not mistakenly label neurotypical individuals as non-neurotypical.

In simple terms, if someone scores above 65 on this test, it suggests they might not be neurotypical. If someone scores very high, like 215, it strongly indicates that they might be autistic. However, if the score is below 65, the test confirms with certainty that the person is neurotypical.

Questions in the raads-r test cover social skills, sensory sensitivities, repetitive behaviors and more. On the website raads-rtest.com, you have the opportunity to take the RAADS-R test to screen for potential ASD traits.

To demonstrate what RAADS-R Test results look like, I completed the quiz using random selections to provide an example. Below, I have attached a picture to show how it appears:

The RAADS-R itself can’t diagnose autism. But it’s a useful first check to see if an full autism evaluation is a good next step. Here are some key benefits:

• Cost-Effective Pre-Screening: Only those with higher autism chances need the full, in-person evaluations. This saves time and money.
• Accurate Results: In Dr. Ritvo’s studies, no typical adults scored over 64, showing it can tell autism and non-autism apart precisely.
• Covers Development: Scoring counts if traits were just in childhood versus staying into adulthood too.
• Works Across Cultures: Translations like Swedish allow the RAADS-R to screen diverse groups effectively.

The RAADS-R acts as an accessible first check, identifying adults who may then need evaluations by autism specialists. Its closeness to official diagnostic criteria boosts accuracy. Still, it absolutely cannot diagnose autism alone. Formal diagnosis involves experts looking at developmental history, direct observations, and ruling out other conditions through in-depth evaluations.

The RAADS-R simply streamlines that comprehensive process in a cost-effective way first. When scores show higher autism likelihood, getting evaluated by a specialist is recommended next. In research by Dr. Ritvo, the RAADS-R showed impressive consistency across adults of different ages, genders, diagnosis status, and autism identity. Certain questions on social struggles and sensory sensitivities were especially telling for autism versus non-autism. So while not a diagnosis itself, elevated RAADS-R scores – especially on those key items – can reliably signal need for a full expert evaluation.

How Accurate are Normal Scores On the RAADS-R Test?

The RAADS-R test has high sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity means how well the test finds people who have ASD. Specificity means how well it finds people who do not have ASD. The RAADS-R has a sensitivity of 97%. This means it correctly finds 97 out of 100 people who have ASD. It has a specificity of 100%. This means it correctly finds everyone who does not have ASD. These numbers show that the test is very good in controlled studies.

A score of 65 or higher on the RAADS-R suggests that a person might have ASD. In real life, the RAADS-R test might not be as accurate. In the study of 50 adults, 70% were male, 28% were female, and 2% were transgender. Their average age was 32.8 years. The RAADS-R did not strongly match clinical diagnoses. While 98% of participants scored above 65, only 34% were diagnosed with ASD by doctors. This means the RAADS-R should not be the only tool used to diagnose ASD. Doctors need to use other tests and consider clinical judgment.

RAADS-R Test-retest reliability shows if a test gives the same results over time. The RAADS-R has a test-retest reliability of 0.987. This means that if you take the test again after some time, your score will likely be very similar. This consistency is important for any good test.

The RAADS-R can sometimes give false positives. This means it might say someone has ASD when they do not. This is especially true for people with other mental health conditions like anxiety, depression and other neurodevelopment disorders. These conditions can have symptoms that look like ASD, leading to misleading results.

Reference:

Ritvo, R. A., et al. (2011). “The Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R): A new diagnostic instrument for adults with autism spectrum disorders.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.