Evaluation Rant

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Hi everybody, have been a long time lurker of the site and I don't really have anywhere else to get some of these negative feelings resulting from the session off my chest, so I figured I'd do it here. I'm a drop out and I dropped out during early junior year because I couldn't cope with school and hadn't been struggling immensely with it from 6th grade onward. I'm 17 now and I'm planning on just starting out a CC next year. Anyways, I was diagnosed (I believe incorrectly) with ADHD as a small child and I've had life long struggles with social situations, executive functioning, and sensory most of all.

My mother and myself sought out a neuropsychologist and I had a consultation with her about a month ago when she recommended that I get a full evaluation. Anyways, today was the first session for the evaluation and now I'm just frustrated. Nothing to do with her, but I just left feeling stupid and inadequate . I think I'll just go into lengthy detail in case anybody is curious about how these evaluations work:

- She handed me a couple sheets of math problems and told me to get as far as I could- I had about 14 left that I was just completely unable to do. This mainly stemmed from being foggy on algebra rules or simply never having learned it
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- Next, she gave me a picture with a scenario going on, gave me 5 minutes to draw up ideas, and then gave me 15 minutes to write a story relating to it. I didn't fully finish in the first 15 and was subsequently given 7.5 more minutes to finish. I didn't feel confident about how I went about it and I feel like I produced something a sixth grader would have.

- I was given blocks and then a pattern to match it to. She sat there with me to mess the blocks back up, flip the picture, and record my speeds. Originally, there were only 4 blocks and then there were 9. I started really struggling a couple patterns in after being given the 9 blocks. I mean, I guess I am not sure what's considered average, but I feel like I did rather poorly just based on the fact that I became so flustered and a bit confused. I took at least three minutes to figure out one pattern and I'm positive that that was well above the expected time.

-We went through number sequences where she'd say it and I'd repeat it back to her under whatever condition.
*We started with just repeating it in the order given. The amount of numbers in the sequence got larger as time went on yadayadayada
*Then I had to repeat the sequences given in the opposite order given.
*Then I had to list the numbers in the sequence from lowest to highest after being given a sequence.

- She then brought out a list and she'd give me two words and I'd have to tell her in what way there were similar or the same. I will list out the few that I remember and, of course, these are the ones that I struggled with the most.
*7 and 2: I wasn't able to come up with the answer and she had to tell me that it was numbers. I was thinking about the shape of the numbers and trying to figure out what they had in common in that regard and I got stuck on that.
*Gasoline and food: I said cooking, but that wasn't what she was looking for because she said "can you think of anything else?" I said no and we moved on.
*Tides and music: I was stuck originally and then said waves. She asked me to elaborate and I said sound waves and ocean waves. I am not sure what was the sought after answer.
*Acceptance and denial: I quickly said "They're opposites?", but she prompted for an answer and I shrugged because I do not see what antonyms could have in common. We stopped here.

- She paused from the testing and said that it was apparent that I was becoming quite agitated and that I needed to trust in the process so that we would be able to effectively lay out a plan for my future with school and issues in general. She told me to take a deep breath, and then we continued again.

-She brought out a book of patterns where you'd have to select the image that best fit with the others given. I did absolutely terribly on these. I stared and stared at most of them but was absolutely clueless as to what the answer was. I wasn't even able to come up with an answer for at least 25% of the ones I had done.

-We went through some vocabulary. I have a relatively extensive vocabulary, but I must have come off as an idiot. I could properly use every single word given to me in a sentence and understand the meaning, but I have no idea how to go about explaining what the words mean. I just *know*. I gave synonyms for most of the words. There were a few that I just blanked on how to go about explaining them, though. I couldn't even give the definition to the word diverse. She stopped there saying that we only had a few minutes left, so we'd pick back up next session instead of moving on. When I got out to my car, though, I noted that there were 15 minutes left of booked appointment time, so I believe she ended it early due to test fatigue or some other reason.

I left feeling completely stupid. Did I try hard enough? Did I pay enough attention? Did I unintentionally skew the pending results? I just feel like I messed up somehow some way. I have my next session on Wednesday. I really can't wait until these are all just done with and I can get my results. Anyways, thanks to anyone who listened to my little frustrated post haha.

Last edited by AlexandriaTheGreat on 29 Sep 2014, 3:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Wow, I was fatigued just reading about what you had to do! These tests are designed to identify the areas you struggle with, so it's natural to feel like you came off under par.
I know I would struggle with most of the things you mentioned - especially explaining the meaning of words. I'm frequently asked to do this at work and I can only explain by giving an example or finding a synonym.
Then there is the stress factor, where you're in a new environment with a virtual stranger.
I think you did well to manage what you did.
Thanks for sharing your evaluation. It's always interesting to read about different methods.
Good luck with future sessions.

This seems like an IQ test.
Don't worry about it.

I appreciate your thorough description.

One thing that really leapt out for me was the way you were asked open questions. In a setting like this, people on the spectrum, under stress, tend to have considerable difficulty with these, eg how are you today? (Not 100% of us though it is fairly common). A question like that can cause intense panic and anxiety. (This can also hamper many of us at job interviews). So if you were being assessed for possible ASD status, this would be inappropriate.

Closed or "specified" questions are much more appropriate for ASD assessment and information gathering in the scenario you describe. eg has your day been good or bad so far?

It disturbs me that assessors such as the one you describe by and large seem still subject to widespread ignorance of ASD and good interviewing techniques, of which they appear to be unaware. On the contrary, many seem to regard themselves as having an expertise far beyond their actual competence, from what I have read on WP over time.

(PS: It also sounds more like an IQ test to me too)

Btbnnyr is correct, it's the standard WAIS-IV IQ test given to adults 17 years and older. It sounds like you struggle with nonverbal spatial relations tasks (the block design and pattern tests). This is not uncommon in an individual with high functioning autism (though interestingly is generally considered a strength in those "lower" on the spectrum). You may find you have difficulty with such things as determining the speed and distance of objects while driving for example, or fitting small details into a larger pattern.

Regarding your vocabulary subtest (paired words and, of course, vocabulary) it sounds like you have a relatively decent grasp on language, but that you may struggle in areas of expressive language (which is why you were unable to provide definitions for words you knew; you didn't have the words to describe your knowledge). Language tends to be more of a strength in individuals with AS (and a weakness in lower functioning autistics, generally speaking), the tricky part is that we sometimes have a hard time using abstract terms or verbally explaining nontangible ideas (such as describing the similarities between two seemingly random words; I'm actually quite good at this). It stems from the same literal mindedness that makes humour and sarcasm hard to understand.

If you're concerned about the results, you can discuss that with your doctor and see what she has to say. I wouldn't be too worried though; I thought I messed my test up horrendously, and I came out doing okay.