Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale (ASDS)

Purpose: Identify the likelihood of Asperger Syndrome

Age: 5 -18 years

Time: 10-15 minutes

The Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale (ASDS) is a quick, easy-to-use rating scale that can help you determine whether a child has Asperger Syndrome. Anyone who knows the child or youth well can complete this scale - Parents, teachers, siblings, speech pathologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other professionals can answer the 50 yes/no items in 10 to 15 minutes.

Because the ASDS is based on observations, the test results are valid only when the rater knows the examinee well; that is, the examiner has had regular, sustained contact with the examinee for at least 2 weeks.

The 50 items were drawn from five specific areas of behaviour:

1. Cognitive
2. Maladaptive
3. Language
4. Social
5. Sensorimotor

The ASDS can be used with confidence to identify persons who have Asperger Syndrome, document behavioural progress as a consequence of special intervention programs and target goals for change and intervention on the student's Individualised Education Program (IEP).

All items included in the ASDS represent behaviours that are symptomatic of Asperger Syndrome and all are summed to produce the total score. The total score has strong diagnostic value in identifying individuals with Asperger Syndrome and is the only score to be used when determining the likelihood of Asperger Syndrome.