Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory
UPDATE December 2024: The CATI is now available on NovoPsych! The Novopsych version of the CATI, and this website, use the updated phrasing and scoring guidelines described in our preprint linked below. Gender-specific scoring will be added soon.
UPDATE June 2024: A new preprint is available outlining further evaluation of the CATI in 1000+ sample of autistic adults, with additional analyses examining differences between diagnosed and self-identifying autistic adults, between genders (including those identifying as gender diverse), and between different age groups.
This paper also outlines several small changes to item and subscale wording to improve interpretation and reduce negative phrasing following consultation with an autistic focus group.
The Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory, or CATI, is a self-report questionnaire that provides a valid measure of autistic traits in adults in the general population.
It contains 42 statements that span six different areas, or 'dimensions', associated with autism. When it is completed, the total-scale score provides an overall measure of autistic traits, and six subscale scores each provide a measure of autistic traits in a specific area or dimension. The six subscales include:
- Social Interactions
- Communication
- Social Camouflage
- Self-Regulatory Behaviours
- Cognitive (In)Flexibility)
- Sensory Sensitivity
The CATI was primarily developed for use by researchers interested in quantifying autistic traits within members of the general population. While it has been examined in large numbers of non-autistic and autistic people, it has not yet been fully clinically-evaluated. While the CATI may be useful in a screening process, it should not be used as the sole assessment tool for diagnosing autism.
The questionnaire was initially designed and psychometrically evaluated by reseachers at the University of Western Australia (UWA), with input from collaborators at Telethon Kids Institute and the University of British Columbia. The items and factors were developed and refined in collaboration and consultation with other autism researchers and clinicians, and autistic individuals at the University of Western Australia, and Macquarie University.
The Open Access manuscript outlining the development and validation of the CATI in detail can be accessed at Molecular Autism.
Take the questionnaire
Download questionnaire materials
This project was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Project government grant (DP190103286) and the University of Western Australia.