Scored a 35 on AQ?

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Hi,

I just scored this apparently high score (35) on an AQ test after seeing it on Facebook. I'm a bit confused by this score as I'm not really familiar with what Autism is, and find it strange I would only realize now at age 27. The strange thing is I just told my gf and she said she wasn't surprised and that even one of our friend's mentioned to her that I seemed autistic a few weeks ago. I asked her to sit the test and she scored a 10.

Can anybody help me understand this? I suppose I could tell you a bit about myself. I'm quite bookish and studious and currently work as a postdoc research scientist. I can be socially awkward with people I don't know very well, and I've been told I can drift off very easily in conversations. I can sometimes come up with one liners that make people laugh but conversing is usually difficult unless it's a technical subject. When in a social group setting I tend to lose track/interest of what people are talking about and usually prefer to open my Ipad and read or surf the web, though if people start playing games (e.g. cards) I like to join in and enjoy it.

I also see connections a lot between things that don't seem related to others, and when I try to explain their relatedness I'm never able to persuade anybody (usually my gf). For example seeing the Sun as a symbol for God, the moon as a symbol for a Prophet, and stars as symbols for clergy. Or for example feeling that mould on out-of-date bread is a symbol for how we need to work hard so opportunities (nutrition) are not lost (mould). This approach to thinking is ongoing and I apply it to everything constantly. I don't see it as a burden however and derive enjoyment from searching for common themes in unrelated things.

I do enjoy some types of sport (e.g. soccer) and play them reasonably well. I don't have any locomotive problems. I also like to write extensive notes in the margins of books and I read almost exclusively non-fiction. I could go on but I hope that gives you some idea of me and how it ties in with this high score. Is this really a 'disorder'? I don't feel there is anything wrong with me at least, although my girlfriend told me tonight it is a disorder when I withdraw myself socially and others feel I'm ignoring them.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Your score isn't that high, IMO. You may well be an Aspie, who knows, but clearly it's not to a degree which is interfering with your life. I just realized recently also but my score was rather higher and my life is quite radically affected. Everyone's different.

I don't think it's a "disorder", personally. I think it's a difference. Society is used to referring to present deviations from it's human norms as "disorders" and treating them as such. But, looking back, we often call it "evolution" LOL.

You just have a few traits. If you think you're fine and have no real problems in life then no you don't have autism. Maybe extremely mild Asperger's.

This was an AQ test on Facebook. Don't take it seriously. Yes, it was created by an autism expert but still it's not a very accurate diagnosis tool.

Still worried? Take this extremely long and detailed Aspie quiz:
http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php

Btw my first score on the test was 60. Not the Aspie quiz, it was 180 or something. I forget.

I thought the maximum score for the AQ test was 50.

I thought I had the bad memory and sometimes remember the number incorrectly?

Oh wait, I do.

So maybe that was the score you got?

I scored a 37 when I took the test last year at age 30. Believe me, it makes perfect sense that you didn't find out before--when we were grade-school age, "autism" = classical autism. Asperger's as a diagnosis didn't exist until the mid- to late-1990's.

My graduate advisor told me that he guessed I had AS from the day he met me. This was 2 years before I considered the possibility myself and took the AQ test.



Nothing too blatant, but it does sound somewhat familiar. I have "tuned out" stuff I didn't *want* to hear from a very early age--now I'm wondering if this was partially a subconscious thing that just happened.



So if the Sun is a symbol for God, the moon is a symbol for a Prophet because it reflects the light of the Sun as a Prophet "reflects" the light of God for the people. Stars as clergy--little "Suns" who are supposed to stand in for God? Interesting.

I like the mould metaphor too. Once bread spoils, it's too late to make use of it.



Whether or not it's a "disorder" is largely a matter of opinion/point of view. This is only a "disorder" if it causes you problems/impairment in daily functioning. Just because she sees it that way doesn't mean it's true.

It doesn't sound like it's causing you any problems. However, I suggest you read up on AS and show your gf what you find. Some people without AS (called "NT's" for "neurotypicals" on this forum) find it hard to maintain relationships with people with AS because the brains are literally wired differently, creating different views on the world in a lot of areas.

And yes, like pensieve said, the score does not ABSOLUTELY equal a diagnosis. I stopped with that and the rdos.net one because I don't feel like I need an "official" diagnosis. I've known my entire life that something was "different" about me, and AS explains what that is.

Anyway, welcome to WP. Please feel free to browse through the forums and ask any questions you may have.

Take care.

It definitely sounds as if you may have Asperger's Syndrome. A large number of people with Asperger's Syndrome & higher forms of autism don't even know they have it because it doesn't impair their lives in any way. You seem to have inherited all of the good from it & none of the bad. That's definitely a good thing.

DSM:

Please, remember that one score may depend on the way one interpret the questions or one's interests (I am not obsessed with number and dates but with letters and alphabets, silly example).

It means that a score that falls below 40 may indicate Asperger as long as it is higher than 32 usually, though some people here who have had a diagnosis score less than 30 and are still greatly affected by their disorder.

However, it also means that if one is subjective or feel bad, the score may be either higher (i.e : "I feel so autistic therefore I am going to fit every stereotype") or lower (i.e "I can't be autistic, it's not true.") so one should not conclude that one have autism or any other condition because of an online test or two.
They can help, especially the Aspie Quiz which takes into account other disorders and may indicate one in particular if someone has doubts and a clear progfile, however, I believe that it's better to read and analyse the different conditions, to reflect upon your life and past, know whether something had been told in the past about you which may be similar to HFA now, etc.

So, do not jump to conclusions so soon, you are welcomed here if you want to know more about yourself and neurological disorders but do not feel bad because of an online test.

I took the test and scored 38; I came back a long while later and scored 38 again!

My answers were based on the fact that many of the questions were things I could relate to in terms of my life experiences and everyday behaviors. There was no need for me to TRY to fit ANY kind of STEREOTYPE, nor did I get all closed-minded about it. It just kinda' FIT!

That's only a small part of the DSM & a person doesn't have to have every single symptom on the list in order to have Asperger's. I know that because I've read the list myself numerous times. Not everyone is affected in the same way. Haven't you heard of Bill Gates? He doesn't seem to be suffering in any way. Certainly not occupationally & he doesn't seem to suffer socially, either. I also (may) have Asperger's but definitely do have impairments in both those areas, among others. The syndrome affects different people in different ways.

Yes, but some symptoms are required, and this is one.

[however, it is true that the ICD/WHO does not require this symptom



Yes, and...?

I scored 40 on that AQ test. I took it after a therapist suggested to me i was autistic. That was after a friend, months before, suggested it. I got tested and evaluated by a psychologist with a PhD who specializes in autism, and my results would have been within the "autistic" range if not for the fact that i have good verbal ability; ie, i am not the most high functioning and there are periods of decompensation in my life where my autistic traits are much more evident. I also have optic nerve hypoplasia though, even though i am not legally blind, so its possible the two together (autism and ONH) are overwhelming and cause disability for me (I am applying for SSI, vocational rehab, and medicare),

Oh, my developement was good, i talked early but then i had a delay in walking. I did not walk until after age 2. I also had coordination problems. Around age 8 I started having social problems, i was sensitive and had problems understanding social interactions that were increasingly complex. We moved alot and my teenage years i was withdrawn, focused on hobbies alot, like video/computer gaming or science/nature.

So, a score in the 30's may or may not mean much. It is possible to have Asperger's and lead a somewhat normal life, then again you could be like me and find it to be a severe difficulty.

I got a score of 40 and I can relate to the way you think. I also want to read when having conversations with people. I stare at signs and memorise license plates when walking and talking with someone on the street.

Do you have trouble dealing with, or analysing, your own emotions? I find it hard to describe how I feel, though I can describe many things that annoy me or please me. I also seem to be more emotionally 'flat' than other people, unless I'm agitated. I mostly seem slightly sad all the time, which I've noticed in other autistics. I wouldn't normally describe myself as sad, though - because I don't notice how I feel. I've had quite severe depression before, and that was like falling into a deep hole; it was nothing like how I normally feel. Do you seem emotionally flat? Do you have a bit of a flat voice? Do you try to use correct grammar when speaking?

Don't worry if you don't know how you come across, because I have no idea unless people tell me. I've had to ask them why they think I'm unusual, which was a difficult thing for me to do.

Also, do you get excessively annoyed when you're expecting something to happen, and then it doesn't? I mean, most people get annoyed when their train is late, but I nearly cry.

I think we are both high-functioning if we have autism. I hold a decent job down (for now) and I come off as eccentric, but I don't think people look at me and think, 'disabled person'. Maybe I'm deluding myself.

I have dyspraxia and can't do sport apart from swimming or most delicate tasks (like sewing), but that's a different condition to autism, although it's often comorbid. Nearly all dyspraxic people have autistic traits, but not all autistics have dyspraxic ones.

YEAH? Is this common in people with Autism and Aspergers? I have cried a couple times this past month when my mom was 30 min. late to pick me up, and every time she gets angry at me and takes it very personally.