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ilandrazdcp
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11 May 2011, 10:00 pm

Hi everyone! I am a newbie and this is my first posting. My son is 7 and is being tested for AS. I am a Sp Ed teacher and very involved with the whole process especially since he goes to a private school.
I do have a question about a specific test that I am not familiar with scoring...the Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale. I did his raw score, but can't figure out the Standard Score. I will share his scores if anyone can help me decipher them. Thank you!! !



Indy
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12 May 2011, 6:05 am

First of all, welcome to Wrong Planet! :)

I don't know much about the Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale, but I'll share what I do know.

Usually, this test is scored and interpreted by a trained examiner, rather than by the rater (you). It has 5 sub-scales covering:
Language - Receptive & Expressive (9 questions);
Social - reciprocity, eye contact, gestures, perspective (13 questions);
Maladaptive - Obsessions, rituals, routine change, behavioral control, anxiety (11 questions);
Cognitive - rote & visual memory, intelligence, related cognitive issues (10 questions);
Sensorimotor - auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory sensitivities; fine & gross motor (7 questions).

You calculate the 5 standard scores by:
1. Totalling the raw scores for each of the 5 sub-scales;
2. Subtracting the mean score for children with ASD on that sub-scale (10);
3. Dividing the answer by the standard deviation for children with ASD on that sub-scale (3).

So, if X = your child's score on a particular sub-scale, then the standard score (Z) for that sub-scale is calculated as:
Z = (X - 10)/3

E.g. If your child scored 6 on language, then the standard score for language will be:
Z = (6 - 10)/3
Z = -4/3
Z = -1.3

If your child scores below the mean (10), then the standard score will be negative. If they score above the mean, then the standard score will be positive.

The ASQ is calculated by adding up all the raw scores for the 5 sub-scales. Children in the USA with AS have an ASQ mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. The higher your child scores, the greater the probability they have AS. However, the scale is poor at differentiating between children with Asperger's and children with other forms of Autism, so it can't be used to rule out an alternative ASD.

This scale is only a screening test, so you won't be able to use it to diagnose your child. It should give some idea of how your child compares to other children though.



ilandrazdcp
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12 May 2011, 8:36 pm

Thank you very much for the information! It was a great help.

I was able to speak with the cooperative district school psychologist today and she said she would expidite the results before the end of the year. My biggest concern was completing the evaluation and not receiving the results until next school year due to the 50 day time frame. I know we can't do anything about it educationally, but if evaluations are leaning toward AS we can get him in over the summer when my husband and I are not working and continue working with him (which we would anyway). Plus I don't think I could have waited the ENTIRE summer for the results...YIKES!! ! We are ok with whatever the results are and actually are praying they point towards AS...at least we will FINALLY have a path to walk on. We are SO blessed that our son has an AWESOME team of teachers who are giving accommodations without an official IEP because it is what is best for HIM!