Asperger syndrome diagnostic scale

Well yea. They can't be all the same, then they would have the same name... Eh...

Hi i'm new in this part of the forum. I have 2 children diagnosed with Aspergers and I have also wondered about myself b/c of a lot of the same symptoms I have. I'm also diagnosed with bipolar and bpd. I just took 3 tests. All of them show likelihood of me being AS too. I scored 35 on the AQ and then "very likely" on this one I posted here.

I'm thinking about getting officially tested next week, is that a good idea based on the results above?

Thanks

Hi s4ndm4n2006,

(I hope this post does not cause anyone distress.)

I am so glad you mentioned BPD and bipolar. Perhaps you do not have these illnesses. It is common for women who have an ASD to get diagnosed with these disorders. Getting tested is worth it.

Like you, I was also diagnosed with BPD and bipolar II in the mid 1990s, when I was a teenager. I always had an issue with the BPD Dx because the suicidal and SI associated with it began shortly after I started taking Zoloft at the age of 16. This behavior disappeared with I stopped the medication. Other traits unique to BPD did not fit, whatsoever, such as the fear of being alone and abandoned, and the chronic feelings of emptiness. This label also failed to describe the kind of relationships I had with people (lack of). Even the impulsive behaviors listed in the DSM like gambling etc.... were not a problem. Moodiness, anger, SI and suicidal ideation (SSRI induced) were the only things I could agree with.

I read all I could about BPD. The more I discovered, I knew I was misdiagnosed. This Dx could not describe my life long social troubles and lack of friends. Other issues, such as: my very acute senses, stimming, apparent deafness, boundary issues, lack of eye contact, tantrums, speech impediment, aggressiveness, obsessions, anxiety, bullying, concrete and literal thinking etc.... could not be accounted for with BPD.

The psychiatrists failed to look into my childhood. Many suspected I had an ASD but never bothered to look into it. It was all there. All they had to do was ask but they were blinded by the BPD Dx, that was in vogue in the 1990s. If you had autistic 'symptoms' as a child share that with the assessor. Tell them everything. Mention the online testing and your children.

Getting the proper diagnosis was liberating and relieving. It explained everything, especially my sensory issues that resembled depersonalization. The psychiatrists told me I was abused and so forth. I was never ever abused. They confused and traumatized me. Now, I see why treatment did not work. AS has allowed me to heal, forgive myself and discuss my real problems that I feared talking about with the psychiatrists. Finally, I am getting proper assistance.

Getting tested is worth it especially if you had autistic behaviors as a young child and are a grown woman.

I did the RDOS test too. Aspie: 150/200 and NT (non-autistic): 70/200

I also was diagnosed BPD at first, then more and more they realized it didn't fit, so they changed it to just personality disorder. When I was diagnosed Asperger's, they took away that other diagnosis. That was really nice, because doctors started to treat me a lot better. Sometimes I wonder if they confuse PD with "troublemaker that should be punished".

Yes, they confuse PD with "trouble maker that should be punished!" It is soooooooo much easier for psychiatry to put people in that category rather than admit they have no clue what the problem is. It is too bad they think this way because people with personality issues have real problems that need to be addressed.

My AS diagnosis cleared me!

My parents and I are considering having me tested because apparently I need concrete " proof" before I'll begin to believe what my therapist is telling me... And I'm simply curious. My question is, do they even do testing on people my age (17)? She told me that, unfortunately, most of the diagnostic testing is centered around young children, particularly boys.

i think you have to pay onve your over 18 right? i mean in childhood you kinda get it free through special edu or pediatrician/someone noticing it early? but...it would cost thousands now that im 21. for PROFESSIONAL. i dont think i care anymore by now. i have schizoaffective...i am female. idk..i prob have schizoaffective anyway. who am i kidding.

ugh..typing on an iPad is like learning how to type for the first time in the 90s...so new, scary, amd makes me very very very angry....

Yes, adults and teens can get tested. There is testing available for these age groups. Since, females present different from males, try to find an assessor who is familiar with female AS.

Some adults have gotten diagnosed based on a few meetings with a psychiatrist who specializes in AS, while others have gone the neuropsychology route.

Look up Dr. Tony Attwood on the internet. His site explains female Asperger's syndrome. There are also many books available. If there is an autism group in your city, you should seek their advice.

I'm not sure I've been misdiagnosed yet as I do have a lot of the bpd traits listed in the dsm (fear of abandonment is the biggest one actually) but I hear that because of AS people could develop bpd over the years... so apparently it could co-exist. By the way I'm a guy.

Definitely relate to the lack of friends and social problems. in my world, I can interact with people if I have a set way that I'm supposed to behave and an almost "scripted" dialogue to use, such as at work, when I deal with customers (retail). Making conversation, is gruelling for me with anyone that's not very comfortable with me. I clam up and become an extreme introvert, which I was as a child too, very shy.

I did not know deafness had anything to do with AS... but I have had hearing issues since age 9 or 10.. or earlier. many of the others are there too.

In any case I look forward to finding out. Thanks for your insight.

I scored 22 which is on the high side of average, but I would have scored probably below 10 during my childhood. AS is a genetic defect from what I understand, so circumstances of environment should be adjusted for. My sibling labels me as AS, but they probably would have scored over 30 if they had taken this test during their childhood before environmental circumstances changed.

I'm not sure I've been misdiagnosed yet as I do have a lot of the bpd traits listed in the dsm (fear of abandonment is the biggest one actually) but I hear that because of AS people could develop bpd over the years... so apparently it could co-exist. By the way I'm a guy.

-BPD is a listed comorbid of AS along with many other psychiatric illnesses. People can develop BPD, even PTSD, especially if they have been bullied or faced other kinds of mistreatment.

Definitely relate to the lack of friends and social problems. in my world, I can interact with people if I have a set way that I'm supposed tWo behave and an almost "scripted" dialogue to use, such as at work, when I deal with customers (retail). Making conversation, is gruelling for me with anyone that's not very comfortable with me. I clam up and become an extreme introvert, which I was as a child too, very shy.

I did not know deafness had anything to do with AS... but I have had hearing issues since age 9 or 10.. or earlier. many of the others are there too.

-The 'apparent deafness' refers to me not responding to others. As a young child, I used to shut the world out because it overwhelmed me. This is a common sign of AS. I was tested twice for a hearing impairment and passed each time.

In any case I look forward to finding out. Thanks for your insight.

Hmm this is very interesting. I'm dx BPD & schizoid (all diagnostic criteria for BPD, almost all for schizoid) but perhaps this is another piece of my mental puzzle. I never thought I had 'strong' enough traits to fall under an ASD disorder, and always attributed them to either mild OCPD traits or mere perfectionism. Several of the things you all mentioned caught my attention though that I had no idea could be due to AS, such as the hearing issues- people have always said that I need a hearing aid, but I have never shown any loss of hearing on a hearing test.
I took the aspie test that someone posted earlier, the one that gives you two scores. Mine were 131/200 aspie traits and 53/200 neurotypical (non-aspie) traits. I couldn't get the other test to pull up on my phone though

I still have BPD traits, but AS overrides BPD. If AS explains it better than BPD, you don't get the BPD diagnosis. You can have both if your BPD symptoms are very severe and can not purely be explained by AS.

This sounds very familiar. Often people will have to repeat themselves once or twice when speaking to me because I just simply don't understand what they're saying. I can hear them fine - it's just the processing of speech that I have a hard time with sometimes. This isn't to say that it happens every single time someone speaks to me, but often when they approach me or initiate a conversation. It makes sense that I would block out any external noise because it's overwhelming.

Do you think labels are helpful? I scored a 28 on the self quiz. I'm still just me and don't know if labels are helpful or just make a person feel bad.

It helped me. It gave me access to a life skills psychologist whom I can talk to if I mess up my life. Someone who will actually see my efforts, someone who knows what it is like to come from an autistic standpoint. All I got from other therapists are that I'm not trying hard enough and that I'm being abrasive on purpose.

Also I got access to a care worker once a week to help me with the troubles I have in my home. They are there to help you with your problem area. Mine being keeping things tidy and get food in. For some reason I never believe humans actually have to eat....

I suffered from the newly diagnosed syndrome that can happen to anyone diagnosed with anything. You go through your head and with some things you're just happy things fall into place, with other things you wonder if that really is what you're like, and you might even wonder if it makes you less of a person. But after that, you realize you are you and no one can change that.

I don't see a diagnosis as a label so much if it helps the person. I believe it would be a confirmation of feelings I've had for a long time - a sort of justification for my awkwardness and social problems.

Labels can be very helpful but they must be correct. My old psychiatrist did not think I had BPD. She tried to get me to open up but I was reluctant to, since all the other doctors who treated my felt my personality was disordered. The label hurt me and only reinforced life long feelings of ostracism. I am still grieving this experience.

Labels provide direction more than anything. I don't see Asperger Syndrome as a new identity. It has always been a part of me. This Dx has allowed me to get appropriate assistance for my challenges, many of which are mentioned in Jimrat's posts. It is great to know: I am not lazy, manipulative and evil.

I have started to open up and trust psychiatry again.