[Greenleaves]

I scored a 33 on this test
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aqtest.html

I asked my pdoc if I have Aspergers and she says I have many traits but I don't have it. Could she be wrong?

[Lycanth]

She could be wrong. But I guess it doesn't really matter, It's not like you can do anything about it if you do have Aspergers.
Maybe you should get a second opinion if it matters that much to you?

[Hookedoncoffee]

Hiya Green,

My daughter (now a teenager) was diagnosed with Aspergers 3 years ago and it was after many years of going through the the usual alphabet soup: ADHD, ADD, ODD... It seems to be much more difficult to diagnose girls with ASD than boys because boys tend to be more obvious with their symptoms, and personally as a mom I think we impose different expectations on our daughters.

I'm a bit confused, you have symptoms but not Aspergers? I thought it was a spectrum? Is there a group near you that may have support to explore you possibly having more tests? We found a Aspy teen group in our town and its been quite a relief for my girl. Some of the kids in the group have no formal diagnosis but still come and hang out, read from the extensive library and just enjoy not being judged for their little quirks. Good luck in your search, big hugs.

Tina

[ariesmars]

I got a 43, but i know that i have AS. T told me and I read about it and agree. It explained alot about me and gave me relief.

There are lots of factors that affect how a person would answer each question on the test...that's why ASDs are typically diagnosed prior to age 3. i scored a 30 and do not have an ASD but my daughter has autism. i've wondered at times if maybe i have autism characteristics but i also was severely abused as a child and so i think a lot of my responses could be affected by that. It's an interesting test.

i agree, if it bothers you, check it out further. i'm a little skeptical of later life diagnoses though i do know how easily Asperger's and "higher functioning" autism can be missed.

Best wishes as you seek self-information.

[modelcarguy]

I scored a 42 on that, I have never been diagnosed with AS but my son has.

[Kmarie76]

Originally Posted by Greenleaves

I scored a 33 on this test

I asked my pdoc if I have Aspergers and she says I have many traits but I don't have it. Could she be wrong?

I am new here this is my first post actually. I saw it and just figured I would take the test. I scored a 22. I didn't really think I had Aspergers, but lately not knowing all of whats wrong with me and a state of constant confusion I figured I would try the test.

[robin620]

When I took the test, I got a 32, which didn't surprise me. I've given tests like that as a special education teacher. If you look at some of the questions, you can pick out patterns. A person with social anxiety will score high also because many of the questions have to do with social interractions - that's me. Probably the reason I didn't score higher is that I'm a fairly creative person. Military type people who follow strict rules and routines would probably also score higher than average becuase of that rigidness. Kids who have spent all their lives in front of a TV or video game system might have a higher score because they haven't developed their imaginations. Things like that.
Tests like that are indications which, taken with other factors, help in diagnosis.

[Pup]

I scored 37, just because you have traits doesn't mean you have the actual disorder.

[Greenleaves]

That makes a lot of sense, the social anxiety thing. I have social anxiety. I think I will trust that I don't have Aspergers.

[ariesmars]

maybe this can help some understand AS and what the test and actual syndrome differences are.

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome

[Callista]

The AQ test is useful, but you have to remember it's not diagnostic; just a device you can use to see if you're looking in the right direction. The thing about autism is that a lot of its traits occur in the non-autistic; only in autistic people, they're very strong and prominent. The distinction between "weird by typical" and "autistic" can get awfully small. You could actually get a low score on the AQ test and still be autistic, if you had a small number of very strong traits; or else get a high score and not be autistic because you have a large number of very weak traits. (For the record, the test picked me out fine; I scored 38.) A neuropsychologist specializing in adult autism is the best person to go to for a diagnosis; many child psychologists are used to its expression in children and many adult psychologists aren't familiar with "childhood disorders" at all.

As far as anybody can tell, the autism spectrum actually isn't a discrete category at all; you just draw the line between typical and some-kind-of-autistic at the point where it starts to cause some kind of impairment. But on the other side of that line are people who are very close to autistic; who have a lot of autistic traits, but who don't have "significant impairment". I think there are a lot more people with "autistic traits" than with any kind of autism; actually, I'm pretty sure that's where the socially-clumsy nerd stereotype came from. Autism, like many neurological diagnoses, is an extreme expression of traits you find in typical people too. I wouldn't be surprised if maybe one-in-twenty people or even more have identifiable autistic traits that aren't diagnosable as anything but personality quirks.

This makes those of us on the autism spectrum feel a little more connected to rest of the world!