Rant about people with "self-diagnosed" AS

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It can be very difficult to design such a test. What you're talking about here is Face Validity. Face validity means an instrument is measuring what it seems to be measuring; a certain amount of face validity is desirable. However, too much and the problem is that the testee can also tell what the tool is meant to be measuring and can more easily fool the test and get the score they want.

The MMPI-2 is a good example of a test which has appropriate face validity yet also has built in traps essentially to make sure a person is answering as honestly as possible.

But you're right, using a quiz or even a few (since most of the quizzes out there have excellent face validity) doesn't diagnostically suffice for exactly the reason you brought up.

Other ways to counter that while not completely redesigning the test itself would be to have another person, like a parent, who knows you well to fill it out and compare answers. Now, as far as some issues, like maybe sensory issues and sexual issues, they won't know as much, but for other things, like your history, it'd be easier to match their answers to yours to make sure you're not exaggerating or making too light of things.

In a diagnostic assessment, if such a tool is used, hopefully the interview portion of the assessment will always bring some balance, as well as an interview with your parents or other family. It's for that reason in diagnostics that the diagnostician never uses just a single tool but usually a collection of things, including interview.

If those built-in traps are so great, why do they detect more "dishonesty" the more educated the people taking it are?

Also, I know one of the validity scales on that thing measures whether you have the same answer when the question is asked in a different manner, which can trip up both people who are extremely literal and do see a difference, and also people whose answer is really "in between yes and no" who answer it differently every time because they're really indifferent to the question? And, in the scale that measures validity by saying things that are supposedly true of everyone, what about people those things might not be true of?

Not only that, but there is so much on that test that gives inaccurate results when taken literally. For instance, "do you ever lie?" could mean if the person had ever deliberately omitted information they didn't want to talk about, or ever told a white lie, they might say yes, whereas someone else who thought "lie" meant major lies would say no. And same with "take things that don't belong to you," which a person could interpret as many things other than theft, or other than serious theft, and which would also depend heavily on the person's notion of property. And so forth.

Edit: Post removed.

Last edited by Zancaur on 08 May 2008, 8:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

I'm afraid I don't know the MMPI-2 well enough to knowingly respond to this. It sounds like you've studied it more than I have.



http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php

I have that much, a verbal diagnosis. I just prefer to keep my problems off of paper. Whether people do or not is purely up to them and their specific situation, in my opinion.

I scored 136 of 200 on the aspie quiz. My neurotypical score was 60 of 200.

And I can understand your concern. It happened with Fibromyalgia. When I was diagnosed with that by a rheumatologist I stormed out of her office because I truly believed the diagnosis was a total B.S. diagnosis. It took me two more years of pain and debilitating fatigue AND a second opinion to finally admit she might be right. I've been suffering with the symptoms since I was about 12.



It's all good.

But you still haven't seemed to absorb all the other reasons people have to not get diagnosed.
Do you need me to summarise them for you?

You make it sound like getting a diagnosis is easy, as it probably was for you because (a) you were a kid, more services for kids, and (b) you were financially dependant.
If you can point me to a place that specialises in Adult Diagnosis that is within 6 hours drive of my geographical location AND doesn't have a two year waiting list, I'd like to hear.

As a consequence, then, you (the diagnosed AS) don't get to claim any accomplishments by any non-diagnosed (or non-verifiable diagnosed) people. That includes anyone who died before AS was added to the DSM.

Hello Zancaur,
thanks for the apology. I understand about not knowing how it is with other people and how we think that our circumstances are universal. I do understand why you would not want to feel 'not normal' and less of a person in other people's eyes. It feels pretty rotten!

I scored 187/200 my first time on the Aspie quiz and 10/200 neurotypical, until some one here on WP suggested I do it with out taking into consideration all the decades I have had to adapt in neurotypical society. Then my score was higher in the former and lower in the latter.

The most eye opening for me was in the face recognition tests, where I scored about 32% recognition. now THAT was amazing to me, as I realized I had not been able to tell people apart in movies, or in real life, either.


If it is any comfort, just remember that out of all the world, Aspies come to WP, so it just SEEMS like there are a lot more of us in the world. In real time/non internet life, we are quite rare, actually.

all the best,
Merle

that is very harsh. You have to keep in mind that Asperger Syndrome is much easier to diagnose as a child, and for those of us who have matured past the optimal age of diagnosis have great difficulties just getting a diagnosis. And that's not to mention all of those who grew up before there were standard diagnosis criteria. It is NEVER and I repeat NEVER!! okay to say that someone is an "eccentric, antisocial nerd with nearly no friends". I think that at the moment, you seem to epitomize antisocial. You can hold whatever opinions you may, but don't hark on other people who are exactly like you, but have been less fortunate as to receiving an official diagnosis.

and before you start, no, I am not "self-diagnosed;" I have been referred to many licensed psychology professionals, none of whom can reach an easy consensus, especially now due to my age.
Even if I did have an "official diagnosis" I would find you to be abrasive, a bigot, and someone obviously suffering from a superiority complex. Good day to you.

NO NEED TO GET HOSTILE?? Are you serious? You must be joking. >.> After going out of your way to target a group of people who have done absolutely nothing wrong to you, you tell someone else that there is no need to get hostile?

Don't make a blanket accusation, and then pull some punches just because your argument is obviously flawed. If that is seriously your opinion, then I suggest the first thing you do is alter/remove this thread.

hmm, technically that would exclude people like me, but I suspect includes the creator of this thread.

Sorry to you all for the late posts, but I've been out the last few days, and missed out on one heck of a counter-rant. :D Anyways, I think I'm done (for now)

congrats to the thread creator for one thing; this is the only thread I've ever felt compelled to read every page of. I'll let you know how mad I still am in six pages :D

am have at least three aspies in family-dad,sister and uncle.
neither dad or sister are bothered about diagnosis because they have been hf enough to cope.
sister is a councilor and dad still works as a fork lift driver in his sixties-both of them own their own houses,why would they need to get diagnosed when they dont have any need for it?

why should people have to prove themselves to others,unless they need some sort of support/help?

most self diagnosed WPers overstate they are self diagnosed, because of this elitism,that is not faking.

a undiagnosed aspie,autie or spectrumer is the same as many diagnosed on the spectrum-they went through the same difficulties,the same challenges and the same differences-the only difference between them being one group has it written down that they have it.


why bother about what others have and dont have,what is the point? what harm are they doing?,use wps ignore settings if self diagnosed users bother that much.