Free tools for autistic and questioning adults

These tools are for adults who want to understand their own patterns better, prepare for an appointment, or ask for changes at work or college. Each one turns a question you may already be asking into something concrete: a summary, a plan, a letter or a set of scores you can keep.

They are practical companions to the free SpectrumFox assessment, not replacements for it, and not replacements for a professional. Use whichever fits what you need today.

What each tool is for

• Sensory profile check: rate how often you notice sound, light, touch, smell and taste, movement and body signals, then see the two senses you marked most and adjustments to try.
• Masking check: a short reflection on the effort of fitting in and what it costs you afterward, with ideas for unmasking safely.
• Burnout warning signs checklist: tick early signs in five areas and get a recovery planning starter, plus clear guidance on when to talk to a professional.
• Autism, ADHD or both: tick familiar experiences and read how each is often described in autism, in ADHD, and when both are present.
• Accommodation request builder: answer a few questions and get an editable letter for your employer or college, with or without sharing a diagnosis.
• Appointment preparation checklist: gather reasons, examples from now and childhood, questions and practical needs into a one-page summary.
• CAT-Q: the published Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire, presented exactly as its authors wrote it, with the official scoring.

What these tools are not

None of these tools is a test of autism, and none of them gives a diagnosis, a probability or a label. The reflections were written by SpectrumFox for self-understanding and have not been validated. The CAT-Q is a research questionnaire about camouflaging, and its authors are clear that it does not identify autism.

Only a qualified professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist who works with adults, can assess autism. If something here raises a question you want answered, the appointment planner is a good place to start organizing it.

How your answers are handled

Every tool runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are not sent to SpectrumFox, not stored on a server and not attached to analytics. Your answers are never put in a link. If you want to come back later, you can choose to save your answers on this device and clear them with one button, or print or download your summary as a text file.

Where the official CAT-Q fits

Our own masking check is a gentler, shorter reflection. If you want the research questionnaire itself, use the CAT-Q page, which shows the official instructions, items and response options unchanged.

Printable versions

Some people think better on paper. The worksheets below are free PDFs you can print and fill in by hand: an appointment preparation worksheet, a seven day sensory diary, a weekly energy and recovery tracker, an accommodation request letter template and the burnout early signs checklist. They contain no personal information and do not need an account.