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EstherJ
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Verdandi
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01 Feb 2013, 7:12 am
Just a suggestion; it might be helpful to edit the first post to include links to a scoring version of the AQ test and a chart that explains the scoring for the GAF scale as linked below to gain more participation for individuals that have not heard of either of the measures, scored themselves, or have been scored by others before, and may not want to ask publicly about it in the thread, before answering the poll.
It is hard to imagine anyone scored by a clinician on the GAF Scale above 70 with the last published revision of DSM5 criteria for ASD with a mandatory required criterion of limits and impairments of everyday life functioning.
It is also hard to imagine with the DSMIV criteria with an actual autism spectrum diagnosis, other than PDDNOS, as the other diagnoses require significant impairments of an important area of life functioning as a mandatory criterion for a diagnosis.
That is another issue with PDDNOS for those that have been diagnosed that may score above 70 on the GAF scale as part of the reason they are diagnosed with PDDNOS, not meeting this mandatory requirement of significant impairment in life functioning for the other diagnoses. That potential PDDNOS exclusion is no longer technically possible with DSM5 criteria.
Link to scoring version of AQ test:
http://aq.server8.org/
Link to and quote of description for scoring the GAF scale:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Ass ... unctioning
Quote:
The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) is a numeric scale (0 through 100) used by mental health clinicians and physicians to rate subjectively the social, occupational, and psychological functioning of adults, e.g., how well or adaptively one is meeting various problems-in-living. The scale is presented and described in the DSM-IV-TR on page 34. The score is often given as a range, as outlined below:
91 - 100 No symptoms. Superior functioning in a wide range of activities, life's problems never seem to get out of hand, is sought out by others because of his or her many positive qualities.
81 - 90 Absent or minimal symptoms (e.g., mild anxiety before an exam), good functioning in all areas, interested and involved in a wide range of activities, socially effective, generally satisfied with life, no more than everyday problems or concerns (e.g., an occasional argument with family members).
71 - 80 If symptoms are present, they are transient and expectable reactions to psychosocial stressors (e.g., difficulty concentrating after family argument); no more than slight impairment in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., temporarily falling behind in schoolwork).
61 - 70 Some mild symptoms (e.g., depressed mood and mild insomnia) OR some difficulty in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., occasional truancy, or theft within the household), but generally functioning pretty well, has some meaningful interpersonal relationships.
51 - 60 Moderate symptoms (e.g., flat affect and circumstantial speech, occasional panic attacks) OR moderate difficulty in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., few friends, conflicts with peers or co-workers).
41 - 50 Serious symptoms (e.g., suicidal ideation, severe obsessional rituals, frequent shoplifting) OR any serious impairment in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., no friends, unable to keep a job).
31 - 40 Some impairment in reality testing or communication (e.g., speech is at times illogical, obscure, or irrelevant) OR major impairment in several areas, such as work or school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood (e.g., depressed adult avoids friends, neglects family, and is unable to work; child frequently beats up younger children, is defiant at home, and is failing at school).
21 - 30 Behavior is considerably influenced by delusions or hallucinations OR serious impairment, in communication or judgment (e.g., sometimes incoherent, acts grossly inappropriately, suicidal preoccupation) OR inability to function in almost all areas (e.g., stays in bed all day, no job, home, or friends)
11 - 20 Some danger of hurting self or others (e.g., suicide attempts without clear expectation of death; frequently violent; manic excitement) OR occasionally fails to maintain minimal personal hygiene (e.g., smears feces) OR gross impairment in communication (e.g., largely incoherent or mute).
1 - 10 Persistent danger of severely hurting self or others (e.g., recurrent violence) OR persistent inability to maintain minimal personal hygiene OR serious suicidal act with clear expectation of death.
0 Inadequate information
91 - 100 No symptoms. Superior functioning in a wide range of activities, life's problems never seem to get out of hand, is sought out by others because of his or her many positive qualities.
81 - 90 Absent or minimal symptoms (e.g., mild anxiety before an exam), good functioning in all areas, interested and involved in a wide range of activities, socially effective, generally satisfied with life, no more than everyday problems or concerns (e.g., an occasional argument with family members).
71 - 80 If symptoms are present, they are transient and expectable reactions to psychosocial stressors (e.g., difficulty concentrating after family argument); no more than slight impairment in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., temporarily falling behind in schoolwork).
61 - 70 Some mild symptoms (e.g., depressed mood and mild insomnia) OR some difficulty in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., occasional truancy, or theft within the household), but generally functioning pretty well, has some meaningful interpersonal relationships.
51 - 60 Moderate symptoms (e.g., flat affect and circumstantial speech, occasional panic attacks) OR moderate difficulty in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., few friends, conflicts with peers or co-workers).
41 - 50 Serious symptoms (e.g., suicidal ideation, severe obsessional rituals, frequent shoplifting) OR any serious impairment in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., no friends, unable to keep a job).
31 - 40 Some impairment in reality testing or communication (e.g., speech is at times illogical, obscure, or irrelevant) OR major impairment in several areas, such as work or school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood (e.g., depressed adult avoids friends, neglects family, and is unable to work; child frequently beats up younger children, is defiant at home, and is failing at school).
21 - 30 Behavior is considerably influenced by delusions or hallucinations OR serious impairment, in communication or judgment (e.g., sometimes incoherent, acts grossly inappropriately, suicidal preoccupation) OR inability to function in almost all areas (e.g., stays in bed all day, no job, home, or friends)
11 - 20 Some danger of hurting self or others (e.g., suicide attempts without clear expectation of death; frequently violent; manic excitement) OR occasionally fails to maintain minimal personal hygiene (e.g., smears feces) OR gross impairment in communication (e.g., largely incoherent or mute).
1 - 10 Persistent danger of severely hurting self or others (e.g., recurrent violence) OR persistent inability to maintain minimal personal hygiene OR serious suicidal act with clear expectation of death.
0 Inadequate information
My latest GAF score was 55, but not likely lower than 70 between ages 22 and 45. Under age 22 definitely lower than 70.
My IQ has never been tested, but likely much higher before age 45, and likely much higher than that before age 22.
My current AQ score is 41, but potentially under 32 between ages 22 and 40 and definitely above 32 before age 22.
I would likely have easily been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder with a verbal language delay until 4 as a child and up until age 22 if that diagnosis had been available.
I was easily diagnosed at age 47, but it was impossible for me to be diagnosed between ages 22 and 45, because I never saw any doctor during that period of time for any reason. I was initially diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome with it changed to PDDNOS after the psychiatrist learned that I had a verbal language delay until age 4. It appears to have been the hyperlexia variety.
For most practical intents and purposes I was on the spectrum for 21 years, off it for 23 years, and have been back on it since age 45 finally officially diagnosed at age 47. Mostly as a result of adaptation, loss of adaptation and environmental influence.
It is not likely I could have been diagnosed between ages 22 and 45, with the new DSM5 criteria because of my observed adaptations to life, as an externally and internally perceived, overall, very happy and well adjusted individual regardless if I was using all my cognitive energy to socially adapt to hundreds of people on a daily basis, with any thought of interacting with people other than my spouse after work, lacking.
The key for me was finding a social environment at work I could adapt to and be accepted by others along with finding a spouse that could help me find my way in life in the more practical areas of reality like self care. Without those two real life supports it's highly unlikely the GAF score could have ever been observed as higher than 70 by a qualified clinician.
I think my acquaintances judged me more on my level of happiness and positive outlook on life, than any of the strange things about me. But, that part would not have been possible without family and spouse, along with a lot of good fortune and luck in finding a work environment I could adapt to.
I could have likely been diagnosed with the Gillberg criteria for Asperger's at any time during the course of my life, if it existed and was in use in my area, because of my inherent motor difficulties, continued "one of a kind" strange verbal language impairments", odd posturing and unusual stiff gaze, lack of interest and/or ability in forming real friendships outside of acquaintances at work and my spouse, narrow interests and imposition of that routine on my spouse and others, with the verbal delay and above 70 GAF functioning for a good portion of my life not excluding me from a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. When I read the Gillberg criteria this year, I felt like somebody had been behind me jotting notes down about my lifelong inherent characteristics and overt behavior.
There seems to be a real "Autistic psychopathy" described by Asperger's, later described by Wing and Gillberg as Asperger's syndrome supported by others like Atwood, that the DSMIV, ICD10, and DSM5 never fully captured and has decided not to keep per DSM5 classification.
The line of observed real life disability in functioning can be razor sharp per environmental influence for that described syndrome. The line of diagnosis extremely subjective to this point, except for the Gillberg criteria that is more cut and dry per inherent and overt behavior, as originally described by Hans Asperger.
In my opinion the only real Asperger's syndrome fully described that ever existed and that continues to exist in the Gillberg criteria was the Asperger version of it.
The ICD10 and DSMIV can capture a substantially different condition than what was described by Hans Asperger, but it seems that a lower score on the GAF scale could make the difference in at least some cases through the course of a lifetime.
http://www.bbbautism.com/asp_gillberg.htm
There is no way I could have ever come to that conclusion without actually seeing a full translation of Asperger's paper, or the Gillberg criteria. Not a condition that was ever really effectively recognized as existing in the US, to this point. There is no wonder that many describe Sweden as the best place to live for a person with Asperger's syndrome; the home country of Gillberg and that criteria, and a place where the diagnosis and criteria for Asperger's does not appear to be going anywhere.
A clue can be when someone asks you where you are from, per strange prosody of language, particularly if one is raised in the deep south and the other members of their family sound like they live there. I wonder if that happens in Sweden.
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Sorry, that was more than just a suggestion, but I suspect you might find more of the Gillberg type of Asperger's and perhaps PDDNOS and even some cases of Autistic Disorder that could have otherwise been diagnosed with the Gillberg type of Asperger's here on this website.
Furthermore, that could be part of the reason the demographics of information here ranging from IQ to GAF to AQ don't always match what might be expected in CDC statistics of prevalence. This site has quite a few folks diagnosed in other countries; an issue that can not be overlooked in any internet survey per different diagnostic criteria existing in those countries.
I don't think research often focuses on those global differences of diagnostic criteria for Asperger's syndrome. At least not in the US. Internet surveys may be the only way to accomplish something like that. And, it won't be too long before it is too late to capture that kind of information in the US.
I'm sure many people have been excluded from diagnosis because of it in the US, and many more will be excluded from diagnosis because of it in the future. Particularly adults over the age of 30 that have found more fortunate circumstances in life, and particularly tough when environmental circumstances of fortune change for those individuals. The GAF issue in the future is going to likely be a real problem for some as it can fluctuate greatly over the course of one's life.
01 Feb 2013, 3:04 pm
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02 Feb 2013, 10:48 am
Tyri0n
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02 Feb 2013, 11:48 am
