Can I rule out Aspergers based on this online test result?

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danch
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17 Apr 2016, 12:21 pm

SocOfAutism wrote:
danch wrote:
Traits which fit me (mentioned most of these earlier):

-Myopia/Limited range of interests
-Poor effective empathy
-Flat effect/stilted speech
-Possible chasm between spatial and verbal abilities
-Solipsistic conversational patterns
-Occasionally have trouble following tv shows or films
-Poor body coordination

Traits that don't fit me:

-Most of the sensory quirks
-Repetitive physical movements
-Obliviousness to inflectional nuances (i.e. taking things literally).


I am NOT nor will I ever be a psychologist. I'm in graduate school for sociology with a specialty in autistic adults, but even when I'm a doctor in long years all that means I will be qualified to do is make observations. With that being said:

-Like Kraftie, I would like to know if these traits were present in your childhood
-Could you be depressed?
-Could you have post-traumatic stress disorder or some other disassociative disorder?
-Are you a member of a minority class or culture separated from other members of your class or culture?


-I don't remember a lot of details from my childhood, besides the fact that I was more socially well-adjusted and didn't develop any circumscribed interests until about late middle school.
-Yeah, I have been for a while.
-No..
-Nope.


_________________
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 91 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 122 of 200
RAADS-R Score: 91


SocOfAutism
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18 Apr 2016, 9:23 am

danch wrote:
SocOfAutism wrote:
danch wrote:
Traits which fit me (mentioned most of these earlier):

-Myopia/Limited range of interests
-Poor effective empathy
-Flat effect/stilted speech
-Possible chasm between spatial and verbal abilities
-Solipsistic conversational patterns
-Occasionally have trouble following tv shows or films
-Poor body coordination

Traits that don't fit me:

-Most of the sensory quirks
-Repetitive physical movements
-Obliviousness to inflectional nuances (i.e. taking things literally).


I am NOT nor will I ever be a psychologist. I'm in graduate school for sociology with a specialty in autistic adults, but even when I'm a doctor in long years all that means I will be qualified to do is make observations. With that being said:

-Like Kraftie, I would like to know if these traits were present in your childhood
-Could you be depressed?
-Could you have post-traumatic stress disorder or some other disassociative disorder?
-Are you a member of a minority class or culture separated from other members of your class or culture?


-I don't remember a lot of details from my childhood, besides the fact that I was more socially well-adjusted and didn't develop any circumscribed interests until about late middle school.
-Yeah, I have been for a while.
-No..
-Nope.


If I were you, I would go see a psychiatrist. You could possibly have major depressive disorder, which can kick in from a lot of stress, a traumatic event, some biological issue, or things I don't know about. Again, I'm a sociologist, not a psychologist, so I just pick up this kind of knowledge incidentally.

Sociologically speaking, you could have some kind of issue preventing you from feeling an "authentic" identity. Let's say, for example, that I am a biological woman (I am). I have always felt like a female and most knowledge that I have heard associated with being female makes sense with what I know about myself. I have never questioned that I am a female. If I had a sneaking suspicion that I was NOT female, I would be experiencing stress whenever reminded of things that didn't feel authentic to me. Such as seeing myself in the mirror or hearing myself described in a female way. Even if I didn't realize that this was the thing that was bothering me, it would still cause me stress.

So this can happen with all kinds of other identities. If a person does not agree with their neurological category, a diagnosis, a race category, a name, the shape of their body, their sexual orientation, their hair color, their social class, etc, etc. If I were you, I would continue to do some deep thinking and try to isolate what is out of place. It sounds like you have neurological difference as a possible miscategorization. Is there anything else?



Kiriae
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19 Apr 2016, 11:22 am

Something is probably going on but it doesn't have to be ASD related. A lot of personality disorders have such traits. It's hard to say based only on what you wrote here.

Quote:
-Myopia/Limited range of interests
-Poor effective empathy
-Flat effect/stilted speech
-Possible chasm between spatial and verbal abilities
-Solipsistic conversational patterns
-Occasionally have trouble following tv shows or films
-Poor body coordination

Is very vague description. Specific examples would be better.

- How is "Myopia" related to "Limited range of interests"? Myopia = nearsightedness. Why did you put it in the same point as "Limited range of interests"? Is it your special interest or what? Not to mention Myopia is not related to ASD. And "Limited range of interests" could be for example sign of depression. Are you so crazy interested in whatever interest you that you fail to get interested in anything else or... barely anything interests you?
- There also seems to be something wrong with "Poor effective empathy", do you mean "affective empathy"? Or some kind of "empathy that gives effect"? Well, "poor affective empathy" could be ASD trait, but so could be trait of many personality disorders and even simple depression (where you might feel so bad that you just don't care what others feel).
- Flat effect and stilted speech could be related to ASD but also stuff like schizophrenia or schizotypal PD.
- Possible chasm between spatial and verbal abilities - you don't even know for sure. But even if that's the case - it doesn't mean ASD. Similar thing could be sign of NVLD or dyslexia and many other learning disorders.
- Solipsistic conversational patterns - I don't even know what you mean by that. Like talking to yourself or what?
- I bet everyone occasionally has trouble following some TV shows or movies. And even if it happens often - it could be sign of anything. For example: prosopagnosia, ADHD , hearing problems, memory problems etc.
- Being clumsy also doesn't have point to ASD(it's only a comorbid, one that doesn't happen with everyone, I don't have it). Especially since you have Myopia. Ever since I got my glasses I become more clumsy because my field of view shrunk (can't see whats under and right next to me because of frames). But I am still well coordinated when I don't have my glasses on.

Where did you get those "traits"? Can you link the website?



flamingshorts
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20 Apr 2016, 5:08 am

I know the official line is "cant tell from online tests" and "need a professional" etc but...
I think the online tests are never completely inversely wrong. So you probably don't have autism. There I'm off the fence.



danch
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22 Apr 2016, 10:13 am

Kiriae wrote:
Something is probably going on but it doesn't have to be ASD related. A lot of personality disorders have such traits. It's hard to say based only on what you wrote here.
Quote:
-Myopia/Limited range of interests
-Poor effective empathy
-Flat effect/stilted speech
-Possible chasm between spatial and verbal abilities
-Solipsistic conversational patterns
-Occasionally have trouble following tv shows or films
-Poor body coordination

Is very vague description. Specific examples would be better.

- How is "Myopia" related to "Limited range of interests"? Myopia = nearsightedness. Why did you put it in the same point as "Limited range of interests"? Is it your special interest or what? Not to mention Myopia is not related to ASD. And "Limited range of interests" could be for example sign of depression. Are you so crazy interested in whatever interest you that you fail to get interested in anything else or... barely anything interests you?
- There also seems to be something wrong with "Poor effective empathy", do you mean "affective empathy"? Or some kind of "empathy that gives effect"? Well, "poor affective empathy" could be ASD trait, but so could be trait of many personality disorders and even simple depression (where you might feel so bad that you just don't care what others feel).
- Flat effect and stilted speech could be related to ASD but also stuff like schizophrenia or schizotypal PD.
- Possible chasm between spatial and verbal abilities - you don't even know for sure. But even if that's the case - it doesn't mean ASD. Similar thing could be sign of NVLD or dyslexia and many other learning disorders.
- Solipsistic conversational patterns - I don't even know what you mean by that. Like talking to yourself or what?
- I bet everyone occasionally has trouble following some TV shows or movies. And even if it happens often - it could be sign of anything. For example: prosopagnosia, ADHD , hearing problems, memory problems etc.
- Being clumsy also doesn't have point to ASD(it's only a comorbid, one that doesn't happen with everyone, I don't have it). Especially since you have Myopia. Ever since I got my glasses I become more clumsy because my field of view shrunk (can't see whats under and right next to me because of frames). But I am still well coordinated when I don't have my glasses on.

Where did you get those "traits"? Can you link the website?


-I meant myopia in the figurative sense: close mindedness, low openness to experience, etc. I don't feel as if I'm crazy interested in what I do - it usually seems kind of perfunctory - but in practice, yes, I tend to fixate on a narrow range to topics (personality theories, reading esoteric literature, etc.) to the detriment of my social life.

-I can tell there's a gap between two scores based on the fact that while my spatial skills seem at least average based on how well I perform on math tests and visual-spatial tests, I have trouble expressing myself fluidly and think my diction is egregious for a native english speaker. I often find myself contemplating the simplest of syntax and double-checking word definitions when I'm writing.

-In regards to solipsistic conversational patterns: I have trouble finding some sort of common ground between me and a person that I'm interested in the way most NTs seem to seamlessly - I fixate on what I'm going to say as opposed to being emotionally present with the person. I feel as if there's an impenetrable wall between me and other people. Nowadays, I generally only communicate with people when I want something from them, and I do so charmlessly. For example, when I approach a girl that I'm interested in, I rely on a few rehearsed questions and once I've exhausted them, I have no idea how to continue the conversation. I fare better in more organic situations, but even those cases, there still seems to be something lacking in my communication - I admittedly don't find most people interesting and usually let my conversation partner do most of the talking.


_________________
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 91 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 122 of 200
RAADS-R Score: 91


Last edited by danch on 22 Apr 2016, 10:40 am, edited 3 times in total.

SocOfAutism
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22 Apr 2016, 10:26 am

Did you look up social anxiety? As to interests...I'm a little on the fence about that. I'm trying to think of neurotypical people with narrow interests. I think there are plenty, but they don't seem to be self-aware of having narrow interests.

I think maybe the big thing is that you are very self-aware, maybe to the point where it's freaking you out a little.

My own bottom line is that if you have read a great deal about the autism spectrum, met and interacted with autistic adults, and it seems to fit for you, I would say that you are autistic, despite what any test says. You could be doing the test "wrong" in that the people who made up whatever tests you're taking didn't anticipate for your answers or way of thinking. So whatever you choose might give an inaccurate result.

It could ALSO be that you are a "kind of person" who does not have a formal category yet. There are undoubtedly other people who fit your category, but there isn't a name to describe you yet. It doesn't mean that you aren't valid in noticing a difference from others. For example, I was an adult before I knew what Mayan people looked like. When I was a child, I categorized them as Mexican or Hispanic, without realizing that they are a unique kind of people. Now it's easy to tell a Mayan person from other kinds of people, but before I knew what they were, I couldn't have told you the difference.



Kiriae
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25 Apr 2016, 4:14 pm

danch wrote:
Kiriae wrote:
Something is probably going on but it doesn't have to be ASD related. A lot of personality disorders have such traits. It's hard to say based only on what you wrote here.
Quote:
-Myopia/Limited range of interests
-Poor effective empathy
-Flat effect/stilted speech
-Possible chasm between spatial and verbal abilities
-Solipsistic conversational patterns
-Occasionally have trouble following tv shows or films
-Poor body coordination

Is very vague description. Specific examples would be better.

- How is "Myopia" related to "Limited range of interests"? Myopia = nearsightedness. Why did you put it in the same point as "Limited range of interests"? Is it your special interest or what? Not to mention Myopia is not related to ASD. And "Limited range of interests" could be for example sign of depression. Are you so crazy interested in whatever interest you that you fail to get interested in anything else or... barely anything interests you?
- There also seems to be something wrong with "Poor effective empathy", do you mean "affective empathy"? Or some kind of "empathy that gives effect"? Well, "poor affective empathy" could be ASD trait, but so could be trait of many personality disorders and even simple depression (where you might feel so bad that you just don't care what others feel).
- Flat effect and stilted speech could be related to ASD but also stuff like schizophrenia or schizotypal PD.
- Possible chasm between spatial and verbal abilities - you don't even know for sure. But even if that's the case - it doesn't mean ASD. Similar thing could be sign of NVLD or dyslexia and many other learning disorders.
- Solipsistic conversational patterns - I don't even know what you mean by that. Like talking to yourself or what?
- I bet everyone occasionally has trouble following some TV shows or movies. And even if it happens often - it could be sign of anything. For example: prosopagnosia, ADHD , hearing problems, memory problems etc.
- Being clumsy also doesn't have point to ASD(it's only a comorbid, one that doesn't happen with everyone, I don't have it). Especially since you have Myopia. Ever since I got my glasses I become more clumsy because my field of view shrunk (can't see whats under and right next to me because of frames). But I am still well coordinated when I don't have my glasses on.

Where did you get those "traits"? Can you link the website?


-I meant myopia in the figurative sense: close mindedness, low openness to experience, etc. I don't feel as if I'm crazy interested in what I do - it usually seems kind of perfunctory - but in practice, yes, I tend to fixate on a narrow range to topics (personality theories, reading esoteric literature, etc.) to the detriment of my social life.

-I can tell there's a gap between two scores based on the fact that while my spatial skills seem at least average based on how well I perform on math tests and visual-spatial tests, I have trouble expressing myself fluidly and think my diction is egregious for a native english speaker. I often find myself contemplating the simplest of syntax and double-checking word definitions when I'm writing.

-In regards to solipsistic conversational patterns: I have trouble finding some sort of common ground between me and a person that I'm interested in the way most NTs seem to seamlessly - I fixate on what I'm going to say as opposed to being emotionally present with the person. I feel as if there's an impenetrable wall between me and other people. Nowadays, I generally only communicate with people when I want something from them, and I do so charmlessly. For example, when I approach a girl that I'm interested in, I rely on a few rehearsed questions and once I've exhausted them, I have no idea how to continue the conversation. I fare better in more organic situations, but even those cases, there still seems to be something lacking in my communication - I admittedly don't find most people interesting and usually let my conversation partner do most of the talking.

Is the "myopia" a common figure of speech or you made it? I totally didn't get it and I thought I am pretty good with such stuff already... English isn't my mother language though so it is also possible I just don't know the idiom yet. Despite the fact we actually have such idiom in my mother language ("krótkowzroczność" meaning "nearsightness" but also "narrowmindness" - we just don't translate "myopia" to "krótkowzroczność", "krótkowzroczność"="nearsightness", "myopia"="myopia, medical/scientific term for nearsightness")...

Have you read about Schizotypal Personality Disorder? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizotyp ... y_disorder

Interest in occult, metaphorical, odd speech (I had trouble understanding you - you use way too many complex words. I thought you are just using scientific language related to your special interest or something but the "myopia" thing made me realize it's probably actually full of odd metaphors), social withdrawal, poor affect.
Schizotypal PD can mimic Asperger from the outside but underlying reasons are different.

Just a hunch.



spinelli
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26 Apr 2016, 7:29 am

He sounds like a very interesting chap none the less .

Hope he sticks around ☺ .



josh338
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26 Apr 2016, 8:14 am

Danch, have you looked into BAP (broader autism phenotype)? This is common among relatives of Aspies and consists of milder, generally subclinical autistic traits. There's a specific test for it that's available online (although some question has been raised about the accuracy of the scoring of the online version).

http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/project_4_phenotype

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aurt/2011/545901/