Armstrong Neurodiversity Strengths Checklist

The Neurodiversity Strengths Checklist is an informal 165-item inventory of things a child or teen might be good at. Rather than screening for problems, it asks an adult — or the young person themselves — to mark every item that fits. Author Thomas Armstrong built it after repeatedly asking parents and teachers to name a child's strengths and being told the child had none.

Items are grouped into categories including personal, communication, emotional, social, cognitive, cultural, literacy, logical, visual-spatial, physical, dexterity, nature, musical, high tech, creative, and spiritual strengths, with space to write in others. There is no score. The point is to surface strengths that can anchor a conversation, an IEP, or a teaching approach that works through what a child already does well.

The full inventory is posted free on the author's site at institute4learning.com and in a downloadable PDF.