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Tufted Titmouse
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22 Apr 2009, 10:09 am

Hi, I found out about Asperger's a couple of years ago and the more I discovered the more sense aspects of my childhood and current life made. I've done the Wired online test (or at least the one that Wired were/are hosting) but wondered if there were any others that people here would recommend? Indeed, are they really any good beyond an indication that an individual 'may' have Asperger's and how is it possible to differentiate from those who are simply socially clumsy/awkward loners. I'm thinking about going for a professional diagnosis but am still considering my options. Many thanks.



zeichner
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22 Apr 2009, 11:00 am

This - http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php - is the only one that I've seen that appears to have some validity.


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kc8ufv
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22 Apr 2009, 11:54 am

Well, I've found the Aspie quiz is more thurough, but still will give may/may not. You can't really be fully diagnosed just by taking a test online, because there are too many other things to look at. These tests look at a portion of the problem. I have recently been diagnosed (within the last couple months) and I gave a copy of the PDF that the aspie quiz creates, and she wondered where I got that. She loved how detailed it was. I didn't do this until after she brought up PDD/Autism/Asperger's.

Even if you choose not to get a professional diagnosis, you are welcome here.



cyberscan
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22 Apr 2009, 12:40 pm

I believe that the test, if anything, under diagnoses aspergers. With my daignosis, I should be scoring off the charts. Yet, I have never yet maxed out the score.


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22 Apr 2009, 12:58 pm

Thanks all, I took the test that zeichner suggested in his post and scored 124 out of 200 for my Aspie score and 83 out of 200 for my neurotypical score; result 'You are very likely an Aspie'.

Hmmm.



zeichner
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22 Apr 2009, 1:01 pm

I wouldn't want to suggest that any test you take online is going to be totally accurate. (Some are going to be better than others.) It's too easy to "learn the test" & either subconsciously or consciously answer the questions in such a way as to skew the results.

Nevertheless, for me, I think the Aspie Quiz was a pretty good indicator of where I am on the spectrum. I also did a lot of research & read several books on AS before it made sense to me to pursue a professional diagnosis.

Think of it as one tool in your self-diagnostic toolbox.


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22 Apr 2009, 2:25 pm

You can go to Simon Baron Cohen's web site and down load tests from there for research purposes. While checking youtself might not be academic research, you could always ask SBC at the autism research centre nicely.

I would suggest that you consider the AQ, EQ and SQ tests.


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Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.


cl7
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24 Apr 2009, 12:48 pm

which professional figure is in the best position to make a diagnosis?

A psychologist, psychiatrist, psychoterapist, (insert your favorite specialist here)...?

I would like to find out if I have AS or if I have different psychological issues (or both).
I took the test, but I am unsure about the affidability of its outcome.

I got this result:
Your Aspie score: 140 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 48 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie

Image



zeichner
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24 Apr 2009, 1:33 pm

cl7 wrote:
which professional figure is in the best position to make a diagnosis?

A psychologist, psychiatrist, psychoterapist, (insert your favorite specialist here)...?

...

When I asked my doctor, she initially thought "psychiatrist" - then did a little research & came back with "definitely psychologist."

To my way of thinking, psychiatrists mainly deal with mental illness & AS is most definitely NOT a mental illness.

The psychologist I now go to specializes in adults & older adolescents with AS. So, from only my personal experience, I would say that a psychologist who specializes in adult AS is in the best position to make a diagnosis.


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starygrrl
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24 Apr 2009, 1:48 pm

zeichner wrote:
cl7 wrote:
which professional figure is in the best position to make a diagnosis?

A psychologist, psychiatrist, psychoterapist, (insert your favorite specialist here)...?

...

When I asked my doctor, she initially thought "psychiatrist" - then did a little research & came back with "definitely psychologist."

To my way of thinking, psychiatrists mainly deal with mental illness & AS is most definitely NOT a mental illness.

The psychologist I now go to specializes in adults & older adolescents with AS. So, from only my personal experience, I would say that a psychologist who specializes in adult AS is in the best position to make a diagnosis.


I would pick a neurologist, but that is just me though I think a psychologist or clinical social worker can be good in terms of helping with life management skills, something psychiatrists don't do well with. You can't throw pills at neurological development issues.



cl7
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25 Apr 2009, 8:17 am

zeichner wrote:
When I asked my doctor, she initially thought "psychiatrist" - then did a little research & came back with "definitely psychologist."

To my way of thinking, psychiatrists mainly deal with mental illness & AS is most definitely NOT a mental illness.

The psychologist I now go to specializes in adults & older adolescents with AS. So, from only my personal experience, I would say that a psychologist who specializes in adult AS is in the best position to make a diagnosis.


It makes sense and I am going to schedule an appointment on Monday with one of the contacts I could find on the web. I found some psychologists in my area which list "adult AS" among their professional interests, so I'll choose one of them.

Thank you :!:



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25 Apr 2009, 8:54 pm

Your Aspie score: 160 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 37 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie

Image

Doing this quiz it seems unlikely that anyone could actually score NT, except perhaps an extrovert, but this could just be my AS speaking ;). Has anyone had an NT take the test and pass NT or know of someone who has scored as neurotypical?



JonnyTHM
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26 Apr 2009, 8:24 pm

I'm an introverted NT, and I did score as NT on the test. It does seem to reflect things pretty well (my physical amounts were lower in some regards reflecting my introverted nature, though the hunting aspect was high).



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26 Apr 2009, 9:24 pm

JonnyTHM wrote:
I'm an introverted NT, and I did score as NT on the test. It does seem to reflect things pretty well (my physical amounts were lower in some regards reflecting my introverted nature, though the hunting aspect was high).


Hmm, guess it was just my AS speaking ;)

What exactly is the "Hunting" aspect? I scored very low on it and don't really understand why it's called "hunting". Is there a link on the website somewheres explaining the definition (at least loosely) of the terms?



luchog
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27 Apr 2009, 8:29 pm

AS score - 170 out of 200
NT score - 24 out of 200.

Nothing unexpected there.



rdos
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06 May 2009, 11:34 am

I will set up the group description soon, especially since I've decided to remove it from the paper.

Here is the description:

Aspie talent

This group contains intellectually related Aspie traits. Typical traits are related to interests (e.g.
having strong interests; hyper focusing; doing one thing at a time; having periods of contemplation;
collecting information; questioning authority; good long term memory related to interests; figuring
out how things work; making connections between things; strong-willed; stubborn). Other traits are
related to information processing (e.g. noticing details; finding patterns; unusual imagination; solving
problems in unusual ways; unique ideas). Some people have special talents (e.g. numbers; language;
computers; music). Related to these traits are also unusual humour, being eccentric, strong sense of
ethics, and having old-fashioned values and views.

Aspie compulsion

This group contains obsessive and compulsive Aspie traits. The group is related to Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Typical of this group is a preference for sameness (e.g. routines; lists;
schedules; sitting on the same seat; going to the same shop; wearing the same clothes; eating the
same food; always doing things in the same way). Related traits include getting frustrated when
interrupted and a need to prepare oneself before doing new things. Some people have strong
attachments to objects and like to collect and organize things and may need precision or symmetry.

Aspie activity

This group contains activity pattern preferences. The group is tightly coupled to ADHD and Bipolar.
Typical of this group is a highly variable activity level (e.g. hyperactive; hypoactive; restless;
impatient; impulsive; easily bored; easily distracted; short attention span; unusual eating patterns;
unusual sleeping patterns; needing to sleep during winter-time). Related traits are being a
daydreamer, tendency to procrastinate and having problems starting and finishing projects unless
highly motivated and interested.

Aspie communication

This group contains communication related Aspie traits. Key traits in this group are related to atypical
nonverbal communication (e.g. odd facial expressions; odd posture; odd prosody; smiling at the
wrong occasion; being accused of staring; using unusual sounds in conversations; blinking or rolling
eyes; clenching fists; grinding teeth; thrusting tongue; blushing). Related traits are stims (e.g.
wringing hands; rubbing hands; twirling fingers; rocking; tapping eyes; pressing eyes; fiddling with
things; pacing; flapping hands; biting self or others; chewing on things; picking scabs; peeling skin
flakes; examining hair of others; singing). Tics are also here and are often confused with stims (e.g.
stuttering; sniffing; snorting; coughing; echolalia; echopraxia; traits in Tourette DCI). Other traits
include general communication differences (e.g. not verbalizing thoughts; talking softly or loudly;
turning words around; talking to oneself; odd pronunciation; not separating ‘I’, ‘we’ and ‘you’). Some
people also prefer to look a lot at people they like and not at all at people they dislike.

Aspie hunting

This group contains passive hunting traits. One part of the traits is related to preferred habitats (e.g.
slowly flowing water; caves; woods; liking mist or fog; preferring temperate landscapes over
tropical). Another part seems to be close-contact hunting traits (e.g. jumping over things; climbing;
chasing animals; biting; enjoying spinning in circles; strong grip; strong hands; physical endurance;
enjoying rodeo riders). Some other traits are related to sneaking (e.g. sneaking through the woods;
sneaking up on animals; walking on toes) and general hunting tactics (e.g. mimicking animal sounds;
digging; throwing small things; building traps; fascination for fire; sniffing)

Aspie perception

This group contains perception-related Aspie traits. These traits commonly become disabilities, but
their core seems to be more sensitive senses (e.g. touch; sound; tactile; smell; taste; light and glare;
humidity; changes in air pressure; wind; heat; electromagnetic fields) or less sensitive senses (e.g.
pain). Related to this are instinctual reactions to sensory information (e.g. being distracted by
sounds; being afraid of motor-bikes; being afraid of floods or fast running streams; disliking
stomping). Other traits are difficulty filtering out speech from background noise and using peripheral
vision.

Neurotypical talent

This group contains neurotypical intellectual talents. Often these are defined in terms of Aspie
disabilities. Typical traits seem to be adaptations to cooperative living (e.g. giving and remembering
verbal instructions; learning from others; describing events; summarizing events; taking notes;
keeping track of several conversations; learning things on demand; learning by imitation). Other
traits include multitasking and attention (e.g. doing several things at the same time; rapidly shifting
focus; getting back to things quickly), getting a quick picture of one’s environment (e.g. generalizing;
getting the overall picture), remembering where things are, grasping abstract concepts and
organizing daily life.

Neurotypical compulsion

This group contains socially related compulsive traits. Key traits are to enjoy social interaction (e.g.
meeting people; involving others; games; crowds; large social networks; hosting events; being a
leader; gossip; cheering). Other traits are related to social conformity (e.g. having views typical of
peer group; preferring to socialize with others of the same age; interest for fashions; wearing
jewellery; wearing makeup; taking pride in ones appearance, style, image and identity; status
seeking; climbing hierarchies).

Neurotypical social

This group contains social traits. The absence of these traits is often viewed as a dysfunction and is
related to Social Phobia. Key traits are adaptations for living in changing social groups (e.g. smalltalk;
social chitchat; shaking hands; saying ‘hi’, ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’). Related traits are adaptations
for socializing with strangers (e.g. being comfortable with strangers; enjoying talking face-to-face
with strangers; maintaining large social networks; easy to get to know; talking in public; enjoying
uninvited guests). Other traits are related to friendships and relationships and expressing feelings in
typical ways (e.g. making and maintaining friendships and relationships; looking at people you talk to;
enjoying hugs and touch; being emotionally close to others; describing and talking about feelings)
and cooperative activities (e.g. team-sports; group endeavours; teamwork; using others expertise;
working while being observed).

Neurotypical communication

This group contains typical nonverbal communication traits. The absence of these seems to be at the
core of the autism spectrum. A key trait is the ability to interpret and show typical nonverbal
communication (e.g. facial expressions; body language; courtship; timing; reciprocity; turn-taking;
prosody). The absence of these abilities lead to secondary problems (e.g. unaware of how to behave;
unaware of boundaries; being misunderstood; missing hidden agendas; being unaware of others
intentions; misinterpreting figures of speech, idioms and allegories; literal interpretation; unable to
return social gestures and courtesies: not knowing when to apologize; saying inappropriate things;
seemingly poor empathy). Other traits are speaking in a lively manner, remembering faces and
names and faking facial expressions.

Neurotypical hunting

The traits in this group are related to cooperative hunting. These traits are often identified as
dysfunctions that are closely related to Dyslexia and Dyscalculia. Typical traits are recollections of
environmental information (e.g. positions of things; scores in games; order of words, letters and
digits; map reading) and passing on information to others (e.g. passing on messages; knowing left
from right; dates and times of events; remembering appointments and events; reading clocks and
calendars; carrying over information between contexts). Other traits are related to trading and
exchange with others (e.g. calculating change from a purchase; knowing what to bring to
appointments; remembering sequences of past events; remembering formulas; filling out forms;
spelling).

Neurotypical perception

This group contains neurotypical motor abilities and perception traits. The absence of these traits is
often referred to as clumsiness and is closely related to Dyspraxia. A key trait is the ability to
interpret spatial information (e.g. judging distance, speed and acceleration; keeping track of
positions of objects; predicting motion; concept of time; optimal pressure to apply). The absence of
these skills leads to secondary problems (e.g. poor fine and gross motor skills; poor body awareness;
poor body control; problems with ball sports; poor hand-eye coordination; poor balance; poor handwriting;
dropping things).

Paranoia

The group is related to Schizotypal and Schizophrenia. Traits are related to paranoia (e.g. a feeling of
being observed or followed; mistaking noises for voices; mistaking objects or shadows for people;
wondering if people talk about you behind your back).
Deviant courtship and sexuality
This group contains traits related to deviant sexuality (e.g. unusual sexual preferences; being homoor
bisexual; being interested in or practising BD/SM; compulsive sexual behaviour) and differences in
mate preferences (e.g. having an alternative view of what is attractive; not fitting into gender
stereotypes; unconventional humour; females starting relationships).

Physical

This group contains physical traits that have been linked to Aspie score (e.g. difficulty swallowing;
diarrhea; looking younger than biological age; crooked teeth; under bite; small mouth; large head or
hat size; loose joints).

Environmental

This group contains traits that seem to be of environmental origin. The traits often have high Aspie
score correlation because of primary traits causing trouble. Typical traits are related to stress and
overload (e.g. shutting down; having a meltdown) and consequences of not fitting in (e.g. depression;
being bullied; being taken advantage of; low self-esteem; suicidal thoughts; harming oneself; mood
swings).