Autistic Disorder Test

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational purposes only. Consult a qualified medical professional for advice and clarification.

People with Autistic Disorder (a.k.a. Classical Autism) tend to suffer from autism more severely, compared to those with Asperger's Syndrome.

The table below provides a simplified version of the DSM-IV definition, used by professionals to diagnose disorders.

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To make a rough assessment of whether a person has Autistic Disorder or not, tick the box under "ANS" if your client matches the description.

Note: If you are diagnosing an adult client, it is best to use his behavior as a young child for this test. He may learnt to cope through experience and may not fulfill the diagnostic criteria any more.

Criteria

ANS

IA. The client has obvious and consistent problems with social interactions, as described by at least 2 of the following:

A	Does not use body language when interacting (e.g. no eye contact, no change of facial expression, maintains a rigid body posture)
B	Does not interact with people of the same age or group (e.g. a student makes friends with his teachers but not his classmates)
C	Lack of spontaneous emotional expression and sharing with others (e.g. does not point at objects; does not play with, touch, and chit-chat with others by his own initiative)
D	Lack of social or emotional playing (e.g. preferring to be alone, not participating in social games, or reluctantly involving others only as tools or "mechanical" aids)

IB. The client has obvious and consistent problems with communications, as described by at least 1 of the following:

A	He develops speaking very slowly compared to his peers or has no speech at all (i.e. Does not even communicate with gestures)
B	Even if he can speak, he still cannot have meaningful or useful conversations with others
C	He keeps on using peculiar terms or speaking in an very odd way (e.g. using self-invented words, consistently making the same grammar mistakes, speaking in a peculiar accent)
D	He does not play "make-believe" games or copy other children who are playing

IC. The client keeps repeating certain limited activities or pursuing certain specialized interests, described by at least 2 of the following:

A	Constant and persistent behavior that cannot be explained (e.g. keeps counting coins, watching bottle cap move, or watching the same video clip again and again)
B	Insistence on following specific, useless routines and rituals (e.g. must eat the same food prepared the same way in the same way; must always go to school on the same time along the same route doing the same things)
C	Keeps making the same useless movement without reason (e.g. hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
D	Obsession with certain parts of objects (e.g. keeps playing with wheels of a toy truck or a toy plane's propeller rather than the entire toy)

II. The client has already exhibited the above syndromes before age 3

III. The client does not have Rett's Disorder or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

probably NOT autistic

DSM-IV definition on Autistic Disorder (299.00)

(I) A total of six (or more) items from (A), (B), & (C), with at least two from (A), & one each from (B) & (C)

(A) qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:

Marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, & gestures to regulate social interaction
Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
A lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people, (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
Lack of social or emotional reciprocity (note: in the description, it gives the following as example: not actively participating in simple social play or games, preferring solitary activities, or involving others in activities only as tools or "mechanical" aids)

(B) qualitative impairments in communication as manifested by at least one of the following:

Delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of communication such as gesture or mime)
In individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
Stereotyped & repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language
Lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play appropriate to developmental level

(C) restricted repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests & activities, as manifested by at least two of the following:

Encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped & restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
Apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
Stereotyped & repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g. hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
Persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

(II) Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years:

(A) social interaction
(B) language as used in social communication
(C) symbolic or imaginative play

(III) The disturbance is not better accounted for by Rett's Disorder or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

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Last modified: Thu, 04 February 2010
Note: This may be only a minor modification (e.g. changing a spelling mistake)

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