| Problem with Traditional Questions | Why It Makes No Sense | Better Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Vague Language “Do you find social situations difficult?” | Doesn’t specify what “difficult” means or which situations | “Do social interactions drain your energy, even when enjoyable?” |
| Time Ambiguity “Were you like this as a child?” | Too broad; childhood spans many developmental stages | “Describe how you interacted with peers at ages 5-7 and 12-14” |
| Subjective Comparison “Do you have unusual interests?” | Requires knowing what’s “normal”; autistic people may lack this reference | “Do you pursue interests more intensely than friends seem to?” |
| Behavior-Only Focus “Do you make eye contact?” | Ignores masking; doesn’t ask about the internal experience | “Does making eye contact require conscious effort or feel uncomfortable?” |
| Double-Barreled “Can you make and keep friends?” | Two different skills combined; impossible to answer if one is true | Separate questions for making friends vs. maintaining friendships |
| Cultural Bias “Do you prefer to play alone?” | Assumes Western individualistic norms; doesn’t account for cultural differences | “When do you feel most comfortable: alone, with close family, or in groups?” |
You may have taken an autism assessment or helped someone through the process. In either case, you’ve likely encountered questions that seem confusing. Some of these questions are outdated or completely disconnected from real autistic experiences. You are not alone in this frustration. There are legitimate reasons why autism assessment questions make no sense to so many people.
Autism assessment tools were largely developed decades ago by non-autistic researchers studying primarily white, male children. This historical foundation has created several critical issues that persist in modern assessments:
Neurotypical Design Bias: Most autism assessments were designed by neurotypical clinicians who observed autistic behaviors from the outside. They did not understand the internal autistic experience. This creates a fundamental disconnect between what the questions ask and what they’re actually trying to measure.
Cultural and Gender Bias: Traditional assessments often fail to account for how autism presents differently across cultures, genders, and ages. Women, people of color, and adults often report that assessment questions fail to capture their lived experiences.
Literal Language Issues: Many assessment questions use figurative language, unclear phrasing, or vague terminology. Ironically, these aspects make them difficult for autistic individuals (who often think literally) to answer accurately.
Questions like “Do you find social situations difficult?” are problematic because they lack specificity. Difficult in what way? Emotionally draining? Confusing? Sensory-overwhelming? The same question means different things to different people.
Assessment questions often ask about behaviors “as a child” or “typically.” Autistic individuals may struggle with these broad time frames. Someone might think, “At age 7 I did this, but at age 9 I didn’t. So what do I answer?”
Questions that include words like “unusual,” “excessive,” or “abnormal” require the person to compare themselves to an undefined “normal” baseline. Autistic individuals may not have an accurate frame of reference for what’s typical.
Many questions focus on observable behaviors rather than internal experiences. Autistic people who have learned to mask (hide their autistic traits) may answer based on their public behavior. They may not reveal how they actually feel. It requires significant effort.
Some assessment items combine multiple concepts into a single question, making them impossible to answer accurately. For example: “Do you find it easy to make friends and maintain friendships?” What if making friends is easy but maintaining them is difficult?
The confusion created by poorly worded assessment questions has real consequences:
Modern researchers and autistic advocates are working to improve assessment tools. Better questions have these characteristics:
Concrete and Specific: Instead of “Do you struggle with eye contact?” a better question is “When talking with someone, where do you naturally look? Does it require conscious effort to look at their face?”
Experience-Focused: Questions should ask about internal experiences, not just observable behaviors. For example: “Do social interactions leave you feeling drained, even when they go well?”
Context-Aware: Good questions acknowledge that autistic traits may appear differently in different situations. They might ask, “Do you behave differently at work than you do at home?”
Examples Provided: Offering concrete examples helps clarify vague concepts and reduces misinterpretation.
Forward-thinking clinicians are moving beyond traditional questionnaires by:
If you’re going through an autism assessment and the questions confuse you:
The autism community is advocating for better assessment tools that:
Research institutions and advocacy organizations are actively working on these improvements, though change is gradual.
Autism assessment questions often make no sense because they were designed by neurotypical researchers who observed autistic behavior from the outside rather than understanding internal autistic experiences. These questions frequently use vague language, don’t account for masking behaviors, contain cultural biases, and fail to recognize how autism presents differently across genders and age groups. The literal thinking common in autistic individuals can also make figurative or ambiguous questions particularly confusing.
The most common problems include: (1) vague questions without specific contexts, (2) subjective terms like “unusual” or “excessive” without clear definitions, (3) double-barreled questions that ask about multiple things at once, (4) time-reference ambiguity asking about broad periods like “childhood,” (5) failure to account for masking and compensatory behaviors, and (6) cultural and gender biases that make questions irrelevant to certain populations.
Yes, confusing or poorly worded assessment questions can absolutely lead to missed diagnoses. When autistic individuals can’t interpret questions correctly or when questions don’t capture their lived experiences (particularly for women, adults, and people of color), they may not score high enough for diagnosis. This is one reason why autism is frequently underdiagnosed in populations that don’t fit the “typical” profile used to create these assessments.
If assessment questions confuse you, ask your assessor for clarification and examples. Provide context when answering rather than simple yes/no responses. Use any available space for additional comments to explain your experiences. Consider bringing supporting evidence like personal journals or observations from family members. Most importantly, seek assessors who specialize in autism and understand the limitations of traditional assessment tools.
Yes, researchers and autistic advocates are developing improved assessment tools that include autistic perspectives in their design, use clearer and more specific language, account for masking behaviors, recognize cultural and gender differences, and focus on internal experiences rather than just observable behaviors. Tools like the RAADS-R and newer versions of the AQ have incorporated some of these improvements, though assessment reform is an ongoing process.
Autism assessments ask about childhood because diagnostic criteria require that traits were present during early development (even if not recognized at the time). However, this creates problems when questions are too vague about what “childhood” means, don’t account for developmental changes, or when adults have difficulty remembering specific childhood behaviors. Better assessments ask about specific age ranges and acknowledge that autistic traits may have been masked or misunderstood during childhood.
Traditional autism assessment questions often fail women and girls because they were based primarily on studies of autistic boys. Females are more likely to mask autistic traits, have different social presentations, and display interests that aren’t recognized as “restricted” by assessors. Questions about social difficulties may not capture the experience of autistic females who have learned to mimic social behaviors or who have intense friendships with one or two people rather than larger groups.
Masking (or camouflaging) is when autistic individuals consciously or unconsciously hide their autistic traits to fit in socially. Traditional assessment questions focus on observable behaviors rather than internal experiences or the effort required to perform those behaviors. Someone who has learned to make eye contact through conscious effort might answer “yes” to “Do you make eye contact?” even though the experience is completely different from natural eye contact. Better assessments ask specifically about the effort and energy required for social behaviors.
Autism assessment questions make no sense to many people. They were designed with a limited understanding of autism. This was based on a narrow sample of autistic individuals. The vague language and cultural bias in these tools create genuine barriers. They also fail to account for masking and rely on neurotypical assumptions. This hinders accurate assessment.
Understanding why these questions are problematic is the first step toward advocating for better assessment processes. Whether you’re seeking a diagnosis yourself or supporting someone else, remember this: Confusing assessment questions don’t invalidate autistic experiences. They simply reflect the limitations of outdated tools.
As awareness grows, autistic voices gain prominence in research. We can hope for assessment tools that truly capture the diverse experiences of autistic individuals. These tools should be applicable across all ages, genders, and cultures.
If you found this article helpful, you might want to consult with an autism specialist. An understanding of these assessment limitations is crucial. The specialist can provide a comprehensive, individualized evaluation.
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