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outlier
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31 Jul 2009, 6:02 pm

I suspect the Rey is a more complex test than the 2 you took listed under executive functions. Going by the information in the book you found, your scores on the Rey are much more consistent with the problems you mentioned having in daily life, which is why I suspect the other exec. func. tests were not as complex or broad as the Rey in assessing executive functioning. Organizational abilities come under executive function.



Dragonfly_Dreams
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31 Jul 2009, 6:14 pm

So according to the report, do I have a problem with my executive functioning?

I guess I'm confused because they use the word organizational abilities as a weakness, but then go on to say my executive functioning was tested and fits under the still ok category.

:?:

Test results are so confusing to me. LOL Thanks for helping me sort through them.



SteveeVader
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31 Jul 2009, 7:00 pm

hey dragonfly you thought about looking at a dyslexia test rather than aspergers your resultsseem very consistent with dyslexia my dyslexia exam well procedure is written almost the same the reason why I say this is because executive memory disfunction is a very common example in dyslexia and with aspergers in fact aspergers and dyslexia are typically the same just aspergers has the socialanxiety chucked in in the higher cases the hyper sensitivity but then again a lot of dyslexics I to have odd little sensitivity issues e.g. noise and touch but not as high as the aspie

gratz on your test it sounds to me like you are quite mild ro like me hehe have you got ay others after like eeg, btw u in the US cus of course a health system with money is something of an annoyance, do you have to pay or have you paid a lot to get where you are



Dragonfly_Dreams
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31 Jul 2009, 7:18 pm

I don't leave my house often because I cannot deal with social situations. So I'd say that my social issues are paramount. The anxiety disorder lumped on top of the AS diagnosis is because I also have panic attacks as well. I haven't looked at dyslexia too much because I've always been a very avid reader and was at an early age. I don't have many reading issues or spelling issues at all. The only one I can think of at all is losing where I am on the page. I'm not great at math, and certainly didn't succeed in any higher math classes. I'm not overly artistic in any area, I have strong rote memorization, and as long as I'm with people I know well, like family.. I don't mind reading out loud. From what I can see, people with dyslexia usually have very strong right brain abilities.

However it depends on where you read about dyslexia from. There are some places that give quite a bit of examples of things I do have trouble with, like counting change, relying on my fingers to do math. Incidentally I've found many things that seem to go against each other. One page says dyslexics can't do math well, another page says they usually excell at higher math. :roll:

I'm quite confident in my AS diagnosis as the Axis I. I know at least two other family members that are undiagnosed not counting my daughter.

I haven't had any EEG's done, or any other testing however. When I bring my current report to my primary care doctor I might see what he thinks about ordering one. I am in the US. I don't have to pay much out of pocket as long as its something they can deem necessary, since I'm on Medicare. (I receive Social Security Disability)



SteveeVader
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31 Jul 2009, 7:34 pm

you could possably have dyslexia as well as it is common to be in with aspergers cases I am no good at math either hehe but to be honest I am in the art business so maths matters not hehe but here's a fact about dyslexia that on the criteria now anyway I don't know what its like in the past social anxiety is there as well ehehe this is why I am kinda cynical towards a be all and end all mentaity of som people on the forum I am open to aspergers but if there is a different possability I will say to the user that hey it could be this and plus dyslexia is now officially in the autistic spectrum. I to am an avid reader and when at uni I was asked that if it was possable to have a dyslexia test I was like but I read tons and I am quite good at english but I was not shocked just thought oh there are different types like dyslexia in numbers and sequential problems are very dominant

I hope you do well in either case it guess guess you are going t have your daughter dagnosed if she seems quite dominant in autsitic traits ahhh I did not know there is social disabilty I guess it goes in different levels for example in america I would be medium/ high level in th uk I am on medium wheelchair users an severly autistics are on high and aspergics with bone conditions as well are on low

I am actually intrigud on how high low the level of autistic yo are as you sound very similar to me ad my asie friend but I think if its been bugging you for a while an answer is neccessary as I presume after you would like to have counselling or precures to help with inergration etc?



EvoVari
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31 Jul 2009, 7:52 pm

Approximately 2 weeks ago I attended a hospital for neuropsychological testing for cognitive ability. My psychiatrist will review the findings in 10 days with me and discuss treatment options.

The tests went for about 4 hours and I admit getting angry a few times from processing delays. The arranging of shapes according to a picture troubled me at first, but once I reduced my stress levels it was fine.

I had to watch a video of actors and indicate what emotion they were expressing, 'angry, anxious, neutral, sad, happy, repulsed and surprised', to my knowledge. The person administering the test told me to stop over annalysing their expressions. It was hard some over acted to an extreme and it was hard to interpret their true emotion.

Did the test that shows you people's faces, you have to recall them out of a larger selection faces which ones you were shown. Towards then end I could not recall many unless they had distinguishing physical characteristics, such as bulging eyes, huge nose etc.

My general knowledge was tested verbally with questions.

Certainly had a long afternoon nap that day and could not get motivated to do anything for about 2 days, not even internet poker which I'm obsessed with at the moment. My family noticed I was rather irritable during the 2 days. Had enough with testing my psychology and cognitive abilities, will refuse from now on if asked by the Drs.

What benefit in relation to treatment options or future employment did the test results have for you?



Dragonfly_Dreams
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31 Jul 2009, 7:58 pm

Is Dyslexia officially a part of the Autism Spectrum? If so, I wasn't aware of that.

I've been in therapy for years, my therapist was the one that recommended I be evaluated for Asperger's. I was misdiagnosed as Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder for close to 10 years. In my area there just aren't many people that are knowledgeable about adult autism, and 10 years ago they were not even thinking about it in adults. Some core features can look similar, and without the knowledge that Asperger's exists.. I ended up with a diagnosis that didn't fit. Eventually when medication proved to be of little help, they started to believe that I might have been misdiagnosed. (except the benzodiazepines. Those are helpful for my anxiety) So really it was clarification for me.

I've been in quite a few different types of therapy, including 2 full years of DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) which did help me to learn different ways to stim that were less noticeable. (I was a headbanger, and did also engage in cutting for a while because there was something soothing about the repetition.) Of course at the time they believed I was engaging in para-suicidal behaviors and self harming for the sake of self harming. Inner demons and all that. In reality it had nothing to do with that. It was no different than the rocking I'm doing now, or the finger wiggling I do when I leave the house and have to be around other people. (my family calls it the helicopter. LOL)

Right now my daughter has an IEP in school and gets help under a speech and language disability. She has a very hard time with Pragmatics, and social situations. She's doing wonderfully in school academic wise, but it hasn't been easy dealing with her attempts at being social and failing. I'd like to get her into a social skills class to help her, but I need a diagnosis first. I'm not in too much of a hurry though. I do find it funny that she was the one I sought help for first, and I'm the one that ended up with a diagnosis first. LOL



SteveeVader
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31 Jul 2009, 9:25 pm

Yep it is the medical journals etc have changed it or are changing it as being in the Autism umbrella because o conditions like PDD and severe autism

wow thats a long time especiall to be under such a negative stigma of bipolar in the uk bipolar is very negatively viewed especially by employers so that must be annoying

at EvoVari
my thoughts exactly and my reason for not bothering for further diagnosis, as mewtwwo said in pokemon the first movie Some things are better left forgotten LOL omfg sad reference but true somewhat

Your cynasism kinda matches mine on the situation I acknowledge others but personally I can't see the benefit especially in young kids as I have seen yung ones diagnosed and they are just mollycoddled time bombs



Dragonfly_Dreams
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31 Jul 2009, 11:59 pm

EvoVari wrote:
Approximately 2 weeks ago I attended a hospital for neuropsychological testing for cognitive ability. My psychiatrist will review the findings in 10 days with me and discuss treatment options.

The tests went for about 4 hours and I admit getting angry a few times from processing delays. The arranging of shapes according to a picture troubled me at first, but once I reduced my stress levels it was fine.

I had to watch a video of actors and indicate what emotion they were expressing, 'angry, anxious, neutral, sad, happy, repulsed and surprised', to my knowledge. The person administering the test told me to stop over annalysing their expressions. It was hard some over acted to an extreme and it was hard to interpret their true emotion.

Did the test that shows you people's faces, you have to recall them out of a larger selection faces which ones you were shown. Towards then end I could not recall many unless they had distinguishing physical characteristics, such as bulging eyes, huge nose etc.

My general knowledge was tested verbally with questions.

Certainly had a long afternoon nap that day and could not get motivated to do anything for about 2 days, not even internet poker which I'm obsessed with at the moment. My family noticed I was rather irritable during the 2 days. Had enough with testing my psychology and cognitive abilities, will refuse from now on if asked by the Drs.

What benefit in relation to treatment options or future employment did the test results have for you?


Yes the faces test did ask me to also distinguish the faces I saw amid the sea of faces I didn't see. I know this is a weak spot for me, since I have a difficult time remembering what people look like. My testing wasn't done with video though. Just traditional testing.

I have no idea what potential treatment options open up for me honestly. Except that now the Bipolar dx has been replaced with the Asperger dx, they'll stop pushing mood stabilizers on me. Which was truly annoying! LOL And the neuropsych recommends an anti anxiety because of the extreme anxiety I experience. So having that on paper is helpful as well.

Basically I think they'll stop treating me as if they can fix the problems I have, and more or less try to work WITH my issues. If that makes sense.

I'm not employed and don't expect to be, so I can't tell you about potential employment. I just really needed the dx for myself. As much as I believe self diagnosis can be helpful and I don't discount anyone just because they don't have a piece of paper from a doctor.. personally I required that outside validation.

@SteveeVader Insurance won't pay for certain things when it comes to kids without a diagnosis. My daughter needs Occupational Therapy and social skills classes. I can't pay for those things out of pocket. Thats why I'm seeking a diagnosis for her. Schools have a way of making kids with bad behavior or odd behavior.. into behavior problem kids. I DON'T want that for her. She has a reason for her crying and her anxiety. She has a reason why she doesn't make friends easily or seem to enjoy recess. I want them to start treating my daughter like a person and not some sort of freak. The autism label no longer automatically carries the stigma that it did years ago. Her life won't be over with a dx, and she won't stop caring because she gets a dx. Really, in this case.. I'm trying to help make her life better, not worse. I see an exact replica of myself in her. Her issues were my issues as a child. And like I said before, I really wish I had known..



outlier
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01 Aug 2009, 6:31 am

Dragonfly_Dreams wrote:
So according to the report, do I have a problem with my executive functioning?

I guess I'm confused because they use the word organizational abilities as a weakness, but then go on to say my executive functioning was tested and fits under the still ok category.

:?:

Test results are so confusing to me. LOL Thanks for helping me sort through them.


Yes, the results are confusing. Aspects of your executive functioning (mental flexibility and deductive reasoning) appear intact judging by the 2 tests under the relevant section. However, the Rey indicates that there are some problems in the domain of executive functioning. The Rey is used to measure many things, including executive functions, but in one book I read (A Compendium of Neuropsychological Tests by Strauss), it's mentioned that there isn't much evidence about the specific executive functions affecting performance in this test. This to me suggests that it would be difficult to predict how the executive function deficits that are tapped in this test translate into real-life deficits in this domain. However, weaknesses in the vis-spatial organization domain are consistent with you having difficulties judging distance, for example.

What is interesting is your equal VIQ and PIQ scores. If possible, try to get them to explain this result within the context of your visual-spatial difficulties and the Rey.



ChangelingGirl
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01 Aug 2009, 7:01 am

I haven't read the whole thread so maybe someone else said this already, but neuropsychologists are supposed to be careful with hyptheses about localization of brain dysfunction/damage, ie. the "right cortical hemisphere" stuff. Since you (presumably) didn't have an MRI, one cannot be sure whether you actually have damage in the right cortical hemisphere (and even if you had an MRI, a neurologist would have to interpret that, not a neuropsych). However, it is possible that this neuropsych was trained several decades ago, when neuroimaging wasn't as good as it is now, so that neuropsych evals were still used to hypothetically localize brain damage. If I were you, I'd just ignore any language that speculates about specific brain damage. Neuropsychology can only assess cognitive skills, and the brain is way too complex for there to be a test for specific localized brain damage. Nowadays that is the field of neuroimaging, not neuropsychology.