The Quick and Easy Asperger's Test (Asperger's Syndrome is basically a mild version of Autism)

[Douglas Carpenter]

Asperger's Syndrome is basically a mild version of Autism. Many, probably most Asperger's Syndrome people hold normal jobs and live fairly normal lives - but with some difficulties. Of course as with all diagnosis there are severe and mild cases of Asperger's Syndrome and much in between.. An interesting quiz to say the least.

http://aspergersquiz.com/#fgY0tgDBttioiTEJ.01

If I may quote something from this website: This this quiz does NOT replace the examination and diagnosis that should ONLY be made by a trained medical/mental health professional. It is for informational purposes only. Ergo, if you believe that you have Asperger’s, or your quiz results point toward that possibility, it is your responsibility — to yourself, as well as those close to you — to seek the guidance and expertise of a medical/mental health professional."

Read more at http://aspergersquiz.com/#bGwsJqUY8l78ufvG.99

[CBGLuthier]

1. After 50 years of being one I don't really think a mental health professional will help me much.

When I found out about it years ago i was just happy to know why I am what I am. I am quite happy to be myself and the neurotypical can just leave me the hell alone.

[Douglas Carpenter]

2. I can understand that. But for many people finding out why they are the way they are can be

liberating. Also, if one has an official diagnoses there may be occasions when they might need the shield of law to protect them in work situations or other situations where they might be mistreated, harassed and discriminated against. But if you have known this for some time and it has been officially established for some time - I suppose that is a different matter.

[Mopar151]

25. + 1027.3 n/t

[Douglas Carpenter]

30. perhaps you may enjoy the Internet Forum, Wrong Planet.net

It is a safe haven for neurodiverse types and a great place for discussions across quite a range of opinions and experiences:

http://www.wrongplanet.net/forums.html

[femmocrat]

3. I took the quiz out of curiosity.

I got a 38.1%. I'm probably more of an introvert than anything else.

[Douglas Carpenter]

4. I gather one is not suppose to brag if they got a higher score

[femmocrat]

5. I thought more DUers would be interested in this thread.

[KamaAina]

8. Sure you are!

[KamaAina]

9. That's higher than me!

A pathetic 28.6%!

Welcome aboard!

[TBF]

50. That's what I got as well - high 20th percentile.

I'm an introvert but not shy. I can function pretty well socially when needed, but I prefer to be by myself a lot.

[KamaAina]

52. Yes, but you don't have a diagnosis!

I don't think.

[TBF]

54. Nope - blissfully undiagnosed

I just keep to myself and try not to be too weird.

[magical thyme]

10. 57 here

there is a link to a longer quiz where I scored neurodiverse 121 (out of 200) and neurotypical 114 (out of 200).

[Douglas Carpenter]

48. have you tried the EQ empathy test? A lack of empathy is one of the principle symptoms

NOTE: You do NOT have to sign up on the site to take this test. You only have to answer your age group, your sex and whether or not you have or are suspected of having an Autism Spectrum Disorder. After answering those questions you can skip the rest and go straight to the test.

http://aspietests.org/eq/index.php

Usage - From the Oxford Dictionary

People often confuse the words empathy and sympathy. Empathy means ‘the ability to understand and share the feelings of another’ (as in ‘both authors have the skill to make you feel empathy with their heroines’), whereas sympathy means ‘feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune’ (as in ‘they had great sympathy for the flood victims’).

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/empathy

[magical thyme]

51. yup. scored a 66 on empathy

which I figured confirms I'm an empath. Really, I just don't neatly fit into any categories.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1018&pid=642040

[Douglas Carpenter]

53. with a score like that - it would probably be unlikely that you would be in the Autistic Spectrum

Again as I keep pedantically pointing out - It should be noted that a person can be compassionate, sympathetic and quite willing to help others - but not necessarily very empathetic which requires an ability to spontaneously and intuitively understand what and how someone else is thinking and feeling. Fundamental to the Autistic Spectrum - one lacks that ability to comprehend how others are thinking or feeling - That doesn't necessarily mean that they are not a nice person or a kindly person - those are actions of sympathy and other factors. Empathy in this sense is a matter of neurologic wiring.

[a la izquierda]

12. I'm an introvert too

I'm rarely comfortable outside my circle of friends.

[betsuni]

17. Me too

I got a 33.3%. I'm really shy. There was a recent discussion about Asperger's on a forum I've been a long time member of and was surprised that some people thought I might have it. I don't know why. In real life I've often had the shy/asshole confusion thing happen, where people assume I'm being arrogant or something when in fact I know I'm failing in this social situation and can't do anything about it but try to retain a little dignity. Dignity, always dignity.

[femmocrat]

19. Welcome to DU, betsuni!

Nice to meet you!

[betsuni]

20. Thanks!

Today is my first day posting in the Lounge. I started out only reading what's on DU's homepage and did that for many years, finally became a member and began posting in GD, now sniffing around other parts.

[femmocrat]

22. Hope you enjoy the Lounge.

It's a real friendly place!

[hunter]

6. I took the quiz and scored very highly.

Not surprising, I've had that diagnosis for years.

Then I started obsessing about all that was wrong with the design of this quiz... no, no, no!

Besides, the diagnosis of Asperger's was eliminated in the DSM-5 in 2013 and replaced by a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder on a severity scale.

Oh well, meds are helpful for the OCD/Depression aspects of it and I'm not entirely dysfunctional in normal society. It's something genetic in my family. Going back in my family tree there are people who were not functional at all, sometimes to the point of non-communication. I can read and write well enough, but I'm extremely clumsy in verbal communication.

I have gained the skills and experience in my half century of living to "fake it," more or less, and whenever I fail it seems my white male privilege often gets me a free pass as "eccentric."

Our society is not friendly to people who are "odd" in some way, especially those who are not white, not male, and/or not heterosexual. Many of these people end up living on the streets or in prison acquiring self-destructive habits and addictions along the way. The solution to the problem is a genuine acceptance of people who are not "normal" in some way, and free professional help for anyone who needs it.

Most people are not a danger to themselves or others until society crushes them down and spits them out that way. Truly dangerous psychopaths, sociopaths, rapists, active pedophiles, and other dangerous people, the sort who are rightly isolated from ordinary civil society, are much rarer than can be accounted for by U.S. homelessness and prison statistics. Even worse, there are dangerous people in high positions who are insulated from the legal and social system by their political power and wealth.

[KamaAina]

7. I always thought that saying "Asperger's" was kind of like saying "Hodgkin's disease"

instead of "cancer". The word "autism" carries so many negative connotations, thanks to all the lugubrious PSA's from Autism $peaks.

Indeed, when the Asperger's label was dropped, many self-described "Aspies" howled in protest. They were horrified at the idea of being lumped in with those nonverbal, hand-flapping Autistic people.

[Douglas Carpenter]

42. for many people even those who may have a mild form of Autism such as Asperger's - the image in

their mind of anything to do with Autism was someone who sits in a room and rocks back and forth, making noises and unable to talk. To many of those who have heard of Asperger's they simply imagined the most extreme end of that group. It has been only since the mid 90's that it became commonly accepted in mainstream Psychiatry that there are lots of people who have the neurological wiring of autism but function quite normally most of the time - but with some difficulties and a few oddities.

[jrandom421]

23. Scored highly as well

But, like you, I've known for the past 20 years. I was part of a study by Stanford University's Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research back in the mid-90s. It took almost a year and a half to complete the tests and analysis, and their conclusion was, "can't say for sure, but there is a strong possibility you do have Asperger Syndrome. It's an actual structural difference in how your brain operates, and while there is no cure, there are things you can do to make it easier to live with."

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

37. I also have it

Circa 1990, when he was ten, my youngest son had tremendous difficulty socializing in school, so my wife and I took him to a psychiatrist. The shrink said that our son had Aspergers, and described the classic symptoms. My wife and I looked at each other, and said, almost in chorus, that he was describing me. It runs in my father's family: My father had it, his father probably had it, my youngest son has it, my twin brother has it, his daughter has it quite severely.

One effect it has had on me is that I have considerable difficulty in keeping a job -- the longest I have ever worked in one place is five years. Yet I am a truly first-rate computer programmer. (Aspies tend to be either very good or very bad at mathematics -- I'm one of the ones who is very good at it.) To go along with my difficulty in keeping a job, I positively dread going on job interviews, because I am so bad at things such as reading people -- and now that I am in my 60s, age discrimination has made it far more difficult to find a job.

I can manage. As Hunter says, "I have gained the skills and experience in my half century of living to 'fake it,' more or less".

My real life-line has been my wife. We have been married for 41 years, and she has supported me throughout our time together. I literally could not get along without her. Most surprising of all, she loves me even when I am not at all lovable. I thank God daily for her.

[Douglas Carpenter]

39. wow that is so wonderful....

My real life-line has been my wife. We have been married for 41 years, and she has supported me throughout our time together. I literally could not get along without her. Most surprising of all, she loves me even when I am not at all lovable. I thank God daily for her.

I have thought at times stories like that only happen in the movies.

[Douglas Carpenter]

11. here is a more extensive test - this one will probably take about 20-30 minutes

http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php

[KamaAina]

13. Poor handwriting?!

If anything, mine is too legible. Mom compares it to that of a fourth-grader.

[nomorenomore08]

32. I have the arrested-handwriting thing too. My cursive looks about the same as it did in third grade.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

38. I taught myself calligraphy

[Hell Hath No Fury]

14. Uh, I scored 67.

That is kind of weird.

[sendero]

15. Guess I'll never know..

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PHP Sessions error. Check your sessions settings.

[sendero]

18. I tried with a different browser..

.... "there is 0.0 percent chance you have Asberger's"

[From The Ashes]

26. I got the same thing.

including the 0.0% chance...

[mysuzuki2]

16. i took the test. It said I have a 57% chance of having Asbergers.

And a 43% chance of just being an asshole.

[Douglas Carpenter]

28. i grew up in a world where as far anyone knew there was no dyslexia, no ADHD and no Asperger's

Children with problems were deemed to be either stupid, needing a spanking or just weird.

[Douglas Carpenter]

33. here is the most extensive and recognized test - as far I can gather from the materials I've read

Last edited Sun Jul 20, 2014, 06:22 AM - Edit history (1)

it is actually designed to be administered by a professional - but it can be taken and scored online:

The Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R)

http://aspietests.org/raads/index.php

[Douglas Carpenter]

24. one more for exposure

[JonLP24]

27. It didn't tell me

but I answered yes far more than I answered no. The sports question was interesting, it is an environment where I don't feel anxiety socially but I went w/ a no asking me if I was clumsy or poor.

[Douglas Carpenter]

29. Here is another online test I found that was developed at Cambridge University in England -

" Psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen and his colleagues at Cambridge's Autism Research Centre have created the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, or AQ, as a measure of the extent of autistic traits in adults. In the first major trial using the test, the average score in the control group was 16.4. Eighty percent of those diagnosed with autism or a related disorder scored 32 or higher. The test is not a means for making a diagnosis, however, and many who score above 32 and even meet the diagnostic criteria for mild autism or Asperger's report no difficulty functioning in their everyday lives. "

http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aqtest.html

I suppose if one scores within the Asperger's/High Functioning Autism range on all three test - then they probably should look into it farther. Although - I cannot help but wonder if one is reaching their senior years on this earth - does it really make any difference anymore? I suppose it might help a person understand themselves and why they are the way they are a little better,

[Wolf Frankula]

40. 14.3%

But then I've had no contact with Jenny McCarthy, and it's been proven that Jenny McCarthy causes autism.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12311168

Wolf

[Douglas Carpenter]

41. I guess that explains a lot in recent years, but what about those of us born well before

Jenny McCarthy was even alive? I guess we're just freaks of nature

[JoeyT]

43. Some of these are kind of iffy.

Bad handwriting and poor at sports? I'm not sure how either one of those is relevant.

23.8% score here. Mostly because of the anxiety questions.

[Douglas Carpenter]

45. actually - most (but not all) people with Autism Spectrum Disorders have poor hand writing

and some degree of physical clumsiness. Poor in sport is the case in most but not all people with Autism Spectrum Disorders. They are considered contributing but not necessarily absolute symptoms in a diagnoses. Poor eye contact is one of the major symptoms as well. But many people with ASD correct that as they get older.

The Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R)which I will post the link to below is one of the more recognized test - which is actually designed to be administered by a professional but can be taken online. One does not need to sign up to take it:

http://aspietests.org/raads/index.php

[JoeyT]

46. That makes sense.

For some reason the sports and handwriting thing struck me as something that was prevalent in people with Autism Spectrum Disorders, but also super prevalent in people without them, to the point it would be like "Do you wear shoes sometimes?" as a question.

[Douglas Carpenter]

47. most socially awkward people do not have ASD nor do most people who talk to themselves or

most people with poor eye contact - But if you start adding up multiple signs and someone has most of those signs or had them when they were younger and they test positive on multiple testing along with signs like poor handwriting and being a bit physically clumsy and poor in sports - then there is a significant possibility that they have ASD.

[Xipe Totec]

44. I have selective Aspberger's; Significant difficulties in social interaction with assholes.

No, not you.

[BlueJazz]

49. 23.8 percent I thought it was rather high until I saw some of the answers here.

My knowledge of Asperger's Syndrome is also about 23.8 percent.

[sakabatou]

55. Invalid argument... wut?