Asperger syndrome diagnostic scale

Hi there,
My therapist is quite certain that I have strong traits associated with Aspergers, so she gave me and my parents this diagnostic scale to fill out. Out of 50, I scored a 22. What does this mean? I read that most "neurotypical" people would score around a 2 or 3.

Thanks...sorry if this is the wrong forum

hi Indie's OK
you might be better posting this in the autism & aspergers forum

The Autism Quotient
http://aq.server8.org/
My score was 42

I have Asperger's and I test very low on those things. I had a complete testing, including WAIS, a long interview with me, and an interview with a person close to me.

So I'm quite sure a self test or similar can give both false negatives and false positives, so some more investigating is always wanted, unless you're a very clear cut case.

I took the AQ-test once more, and I really tried to exaggerate my answers, still I only get 28. That is rather low for having ASD. But some of the questions really trip me up, because I like reading, I write fiction, I can predict people's behavior in a novel (which is the actual question), but please ask me if I can in real life? Because I can't. But novels have structure. And pattern seeking is definitely ASD. I hate math, I don't like dates, and I have a terrible sense of time, time is a total blur to me so sure, knowing dates would be welcome, but like many people with ASD I'm NOT fascinated by dates and I cannot calculate which weekday you were born or other pop culture savant skills.

Funny you mention dates. I hate math - I too am a writer. But I have this thing about dates and years. Many times when I hear the year a person was born my mind immediately tries to figure out how old they are now. It works in reverse too. If I hear how old they are, I try to figure out what year they were born.

My therapist has this feeling because of a few factors. Even though I do have friends and people I talk to, I have a hard time actually forming the relationships. All my friendships were initiated by the other person, not by me. I really have little interest in pursuing friendships if the other person is willing do it for me. Talking about typical teenage things like dating, "who's going out with who", etc. bores me to tears. But whenever I try to talk about my interests (writing, psychology, I'm actually learning Italian) my friends could care less and it seems like they aren't even listening.

Doubting my therapist's suspicions, I told her that I do feel I have an understanding of social situations and can interact with people normally if I am comfortable with them. I have social anxiety disorder - it's not that I don't understand people so much that I fear them and and overwhelmed by all the sensory stimulation going on around me in large groups and in classrooms and hallways at school.

Thanks for your help everyone

Thanks for this - my score was 32. It says that most women score a 15, and that an average score for people with Aspergers is around 35.

My score was 37 on that.

Interesting. Many people I used to work with or go to church with (before I moved) used to ask me if I had Asperger's as they thought I acted like others who they knew who were diagnosed with it. I went to my old pdoc to inquire about it and he ruled it out and diagnosed me with "psychotic disorder NOS". New pdoc didn't like that dx and is trying to pinpoint something else, still on the psychotic disorders spectrum.

Do some of the social awkwardness symptoms of Asperger's also show up in psychotic disorders? I'm curious now, so I took the quiz someone posted and scored a 36.

I'm really interested now.

Psychotic disorders like ASD's have in common, the work on low latent inhibition. That means, their brains are particularly bad at screening out "unnecessary" things. Sometimes not having the same filters as others can prove interesting and productive though.

So yea, there is a similarity. Also, no one is a textbook example. No one fits into a diagnosis to 100 %, so it is quite possible both having traits from psychosis and Asperger's.

A diagnosis like schizotypal is an example where they have tried to merge mild psychotic symptoms with a autism like base.

There are many different Asperger tests available online from the AQ to the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, that many people have used to diagnose themselves. This is disturbing for a few reasons. Most of these online questionnaires are gender biased and are rife with autism stereotypes. For example two questions in Cohen’s Systemizing Quotient ask: When an election is being held, I am not interested in the results for each constituency and In maths, I am intrigued by the rules and patterns governing numbers. Any autistic who is not interested in politics and/or math would answer Definitely Disagree.

Not every person on the spectrum conforms to these stereotypes.

What if your interests or fixations don’t fall under the stereotypical autistic male? The ‘symptoms’ of girls and women are generally more subtle. Genetics, gender and society are believed to be the reasons for this difference. A little girl’s interests and fixations are often very different. She maybe intrigued by princesses, animals and so forth. None of these tests reflect this difference at all. Or what is you are a male who does not fit the autistic standard? What then? Axis II disorders?

Comorbid conditions such as OCD can also explain some of these stereotypical behaviours. Some other psychiatric conditions like social anxiety disorder can also mimic Asperger’s, even certain learning disabilities. These online tests don’t account for this whatsoever. Nor do they acknowledge that Asperger’s is evident in young childhood. People don’t suddenly develop this.

The aforementioned reasons make it very clear why an assessment with a clinician who specializes in ASDs is important. They can test for other Asperger traits that those online tests overlook such as communication difficulties, repetitive self stimulating behaviours (stimming) etc.... Also an evaluation should include an interview with family, especially for adults.

Note: 80% of people with an ASD score above 32 on the AQ. The other 20% do not.

My point is everyone manifests Asperger’s differently. There really is no generic form of Asperger’s although there are common traits in both men and women.

Jimrat you are very, very right!

I just did the test twice and scored 38 and 38. Yes, I have Asperger's.

Thank you for the information Didgee. Funny you mention social anxiety disorder, because that is my primary dx...not that "labels" are important, but I've learned that I prefer to have some sort of name to give to what I'm dealing with - it helps me in a way.

I guess one question I have is about the AQ...what does a 32 signify? That I'm on the borderline?

I guess I've always wondered about myself in many ways most "normal" people wouldn't. Like why I feel so incredibly socially awkward in front of even my closest friends...or why I only have one or two close friends to begin with. Or why it seems like everyone else would rather talk about things like dating or sports when I want to discuss religion or politics or psychology.

My therapist mentioned something about my having a sensory processing disorder, which she said is often similar in appearance to Aspergers. I very easily become overwhelmed by loud noises or lots of talking going on around me. I don't know if this matters, but I thought I'd better mention it.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

The AQ is a screening questionnaire. Nothing more. Its an average. I did it again but in a different format and scored 42, twice. The questions were laid out differently. I am not sure why. Anyone?

‘Normal’ people have autistic traits as well. There is no such thing as a definite boundary when it comes to defining people and their personality traits. We are all very different.

Having a label that ‘fits’ helps tremendously. It can explain just about everything and direct treatment/therapy. When I got diagnosed my life and struggles suddenly had an explanation. It really helped me discover who I am and why I interact with the world and others the way I do.

Friendships have been extremely difficult for me. I have always been an outsider even as a child. The majority of people I meet have no interest in befriending me. They see me as odd and shy. One recently described me as intimidating. Possessing non-mainstream interests has also hindered my ability to converse with others. Another issue is my difficulty in interpreting subtle social cues through body language. I need people to be direct with me. Very few are willing to.

Problems with sensory processing is very common. My sense of smell is very acute. I can easily identify different smells in the air. Nausea is a chronic problem. This makes my life challenging, especially out in public. Touch and hearing are other issues. Sometimes the overwhelming sensations can cause anxiety and panic.

Hopefully that explains the Asperger experience at bit better. Your therapist seems very caring and genuinely interested in helping you out.

I think pointing out the gender bias is very good. Girls not only have other types of interests and social expectations, but also they seem to have more comorbid things. I'm not totally sure, but to me it seems like more girls with AS have depression and anxiety, and they come into treatment for that, and maybe then it takes years for them to find out that AS was in it too.

I know girl AS that like math and have narrow interests, but I know more that have a wider range of interests, and animals seems VERY common to have in their lives. Still no questionnaire ever asks about animals. Some with AS can't socialize well with others but can socialize with animals better than normals. Some seem to have a 6th sense with animals.

Thanks for the link, erraticpendulum. I think the same question is asked in different ways to make sure you are "consistent"; I "do" have trouble with X should get an opposite response from I "do not" have trouble with X.

Thanks for the info...I wish I could find a good online questionnaire for sensory processing disorder. I still cannot help but have a little bit of doubt about whether or not this condition fits. There was no question with social anxiety because I had the telltale physical signs. For some reason this is more difficult to understand.

Also, what does it mean to "understand people's intentions"?

If the tests recognized the female manifestations of Asperger’s many more girls and women would be diagnosed rather than misdiagnosed. So many are diagnosed with disorders that don’t come close to explaining what is really going on. A lot of women 18+ get labeled with stigmatizing illnesses, such schizophrenia and borderline personality. Many doctors who are clueless about ASDs often cannot distinguish them from psychiatric conditions. For example, sensory processing issues are often misinterpreted as a psychotic or dissociative disorder.

Bias free testing would help prevent misdiagnosis along with the potential psychological and physical harm it can cause. (I know because I have been there.)

The AQ acknowledges the sexes score differently. Why can’t the test reflect Asperger females and their differences?

i scored a 31. i don't think i have aspergers but my T keeps telling me that she thinks that i am a very high functioning aspergers person

I think, understanding people’s intentions is interpreting what a person wants through verbal and non-verbal communication, along with seeing from their perspective. Anyone?

I scored a 36 on this one myself, the second test that's showed a significant possibility of Asperger's. I definitely want to get an appointment set up now.

Same here.

I wish I could give this test to my 23-year-old son. (I only scored 15.) I've always strongly suspected Asperger's in him even though he was never officially diagnosed; I wonder sometimes if my husband has it too because he is socially awkward, has learning disabilities and is a walking encyclopedia of World War II facts. Unfortunately the boy is now showing signs of having bipolar disorder, which would be a double whammy. BP is hard enough on me, even with above-average social skills; I can't even imagine what it's like for someone who doesn't have that going for him.

Until 1983 autism was considered a subtype form of schizophrenia.
Schizotypal and autism are only similar on appearance and social scale. The mind of a schizotypal is highly imaginative full of fantasy creating worlds full of characters with entire lives in great detail and linked to authors like the bronte sisters and histories screen wrights. Autistic imagination is vastly different with difficulty to see things from others point of view or imagine how things affect others let alone create a wonderland full of indivduals.
Here are two more online tests
Reading mind behind the eyes
http://glennrowe.net/BaronCohen/Faces/EyesTest.aspx
Aspie quiz
http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php

I have both bipolar1 and aspergers.

Thanks for these quizzes. On the second, I scored a 104 for the aspie traits and 97 for neurotypical.

One of the questions on this quiz caught my attention. I have for the longest time struggled with the problem of constantly having a song stuck in my head. And I do mean constantly. As in that sometimes it keeps me from falling asleep at night. Not just songs, but even something somebody has said - just the way their voice sounds tends to stick in my memory. I never would have attributed this to Aspergers/being a "highly sensitive person" but it makes sense now.

I guess one thing that I don't understand is that even though I score in the normal to higher than average end of these tests, I still just feel that something's going on. Like I can't just see the results, say to myself "well, I guess I'm 'normal' - that's that" and move on. I keep pursuing it. I believe my therapist, and yes, she is a very sweet and caring lady. I sometimes feel like the results I get on these questionnaires invalidates my suspicion that something is still out of place.

I think my mom thinks I need something more constructive to occupy my mind.

You are welcome Indie'sOK. And we all need something constructive to occupy our minds.