The Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT) is a questionnaire which aims to identify toddlers aged 18 to 30 months old who may have autism. The Q-CHAT has 25 questions and takes approximately 5 – 10 minutes for a parent/carer to complete if they have concerns related to their child’s social communication development.
Each question enquires about a specific behaviour, and parents/carers can answer according to the frequency of the behaviour the child displays. The Q-CHAT is not a diagnostic instrument. It is a tool that can be used by clinicians and researchers with parents/carers to help decide whether a child may benefit from being referred for an autism assessment.
If you have concerns about your child that are related to his/her development, please discuss these concerns with your family doctor.
The questionnaire is completely anonymous, and the anonymised test results will made be available only to Professor Simon Baron-Cohen’s team at the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge, for research purposes.