Toronto, ON

Screening Tool: Autism spectrum disorder

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The Childhood Autism Spectrum Test or CAST (formerly the “Childhood Asperger’s Syndrome Test”) is a parent questionnaire that assesses for symptoms of autism and social communication problems. The CAST was developed by the ARC (the Autism Research Centre) at the University of Cambridge, for assessing the severity of autism spectrum symptoms in children. It has proved to be a good test for screening autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and social communication problems. A positive test does not mean that the child has autism, however it does mean that it would be helpful to see a professional for further evaluation.

Does s/he join in playing games with other children easily?

	Yes
	No

Does s/he come up to you spontaneously for a chat?

	Yes
	No

Was s/he speaking by 2 years old?

	Yes
	No

Does s/he enjoy sports?

	Yes
	No

Is it important to him/her to fit in with the peer group?

	Yes
	No

Does s/he appear to notice unusual details that others miss?

	Yes
	No

Does s/he tend to take things literally?

	Yes
	No

When s/he was 3 years old, did s/he spend a lot of time pretending (e.g., play-acting being a superhero, or holding teddy’s tea parties)?

	Yes
	No

Does s/he like to do things over and over again, in the same way all the time?

	Yes
	No

10.

Does s/he find it easy to interact with other children?

	Yes
	No

11.

Can s/he keep a two-way conversation going?

	Yes
	No

12.

Can s/he read appropriately for his/her age?

	Yes
	No

13.

Does s/he mostly have the same interests as his/her peers?

	Yes
	No

14.

Does s/he have an interest which takes up so much time that s/he does little else?

	Yes
	No

15.

Does s/he have friends, rather than just acquiantances?

	Yes
	No

16.

Does s/he often bring you things s/he is interested in to show you?

	Yes
	No

17.

Does s/he enjoy joking around?

	Yes
	No

18.

Does s/he have difficulty understanding the rules for polite behaviour?

	Yes
	No

19.

Does s/he appear to have an unusual memory for details?

	Yes
	No

20.

Is his/her voice unusual (e.g., overly adult, flat, or very monotonous)?

	Yes
	No

21.

Are people important to him/her?

	Yes
	No

22.

Can s/he dress him/herself?

	Yes
	No

23.

Is s/he good at turn-taking in conversation?

	Yes
	No

24.

Does s/he play imaginatively with other children, and engage in role-play?

	Yes
	No

25.

Does s/he often do or say things that are tactless or socially inappropriate?

	Yes
	No

26.

Can s/he count to 50 without leaving out any numbers?

	Yes
	No

27.

Does s/he make normal eye-contact?

	Yes
	No

28.

Does s/he have any unusual and repetitive movements?

	Yes
	No

29.

Is his/her social behaviour very one-sided and always on his/her own terms?

	Yes
	No

30.

Does s/he sometimes say “you” or “s/he” when s/he means “I”?

	Yes
	No

31.

Does s/he prefer imaginative activities such as play-acting or story-telling, rather than numbers or lists of facts?

	Yes
	No

32.

Does s/he sometimes lose the listener because of not explaining what s/he is talking about?

	Yes
	No

33.

Can s/he ride a bicycle (even if with stabilisers or training wheels)?

	Yes
	No

34.

Can s/he ride a bicycle (even if with stabilisers or training wheels)?

	Yes
	No

35.

Does s/he try to impose routines on him/herself, or on others, in such a way that it causes problems?

	Yes
	None

36.

Does s/he care how s/he is perceived by the rest of the group?

	Yes
	No

37.

Does s/he often turn conversations to his/her favourite subject rather than following what the other person wants to talk about?

	Yes
	No

38.

Does s/he have odd or unusual phrases?

	Yes
	No