Aspie quizzes - what they REALLY test

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Go to http://rdos.net/eng/ or any aspie quiz you like.

In the one I linked above, for example, there are 150 questions.

Count the amount of quiz questions that DON'T compare you to the "majority", then report that number on this thread.

What is your conclusion about what Aspie quizzes really test?

Uniqueness? (Or perhaps a special type of uniqueness whereby one is deemed to be unique under the rules of the test if they have enough AS traits)

The general tone of the questions seems to be "how different are you from ""others"""?" "Others" meaning "the majority of people".

Do others say that you are / Do others complain that you / can you do this or that like others / others, others, others ! !!

I can't think of any other disorders or sicknesses that are diagnosed based on the extent to which the sufferer differs from the majority. Can you??

So is being in a minority a disorder???

I'm not diagnosed, but my brother is (we don't live together, and haven't for a long time). I always figured I was different from "others".
I finally asked my aunt about it, gave her examples. She talked to my father(called) or something and thats how I found out my brother has it. She said I might have it and asked if I wanted to go in and see, and I said I wasn't sure. She called a therapist friend of hers and talked about it with her, asking about it.
My aunt never really thought anything was wrong with me (other than the occasional angry outburst), and expected me to behave, and my teachers just thought I was a kind-of problem child (forgetting to turn in homework etc), so thats how I got through the system unnoticed.
I always kept things inside until I had a meltdown and that usually resulted in rocking crying etc..but so does a panic attack. (I only did that at school once or twice before I learned that it wasn't practical, and the other kids wouldn't want to sit with me at lunch, and I was trying so very hard to fit in. )

There's other stuff that I noticed... I can list them for you tomorrow evening if you want to hear (read ) but not tonight (its like 2am here).

So yea, I think being asked: do you feel different from "other" people, and in what ways, is a legitimate question when you're trying to figure out whether you have AS (or pdd-nos) or not.

I don't think I would know I might have AS if my aunt hadn't been there to help me figure it out, so imagine what it would be like for an independent adult trying to figure it out...

And I haven't been in to be diagnosed because there wasn't a point and there still isn't. I was almost out of school then, and am now so unless I plan on going to college sometime soon (which I'm not) there isn't a reason to get a diagnoses.

edit: probably my aunt suspected something, now that I think about it...

Last edited by nomnom_hamster on 13 May 2008, 2:25 am, edited 2 times in total.

Well. . . actually, most psychiatric disorders are defined in this way; it's about whether the symptoms are strong enough to interfere with "normal" functioning.

But to answer your question, yes and no. Obviously people with AS are at a disadvantage in an majority NT world, so that does make us a minority. And because its harder for us to function in it, then yes it could be considered a disorder.

Is it really a "disorder" like the dictionary definition says? On dictionary.com, you type in disorder, and at 4. it says: "a disturbance in physical or mental health or functions".

So in order to have a disorder we would have to have something that kept us from thinking clearly, or that interfered with day-to-day functioning.

Yes, it does interfere with day to day functioning, but in an "NT world". It doesn't interfere with my mental or physical capabilities...

..So....No, I dont think having AS really is. Its a different way of functioning, sure, but I wouldn't consider it a "disorder" by definition. Some people say it is because its different.

In other words....I don't have AS, AS doesn't have me. I am aspergian, or am an aspergian And that does make me/us a minority.

yes. Being in the minority is a disorder. Oh, they will talk a good game, but . . .yeah, it's a disorder.

Merle

It depends on the specific nature of the minority. If you are an Indian living in Africa... then no, it isn't a disorder. If you are an autistic living anywhere, then yes it is. And disorder is only a diagnostic term. People who evidentially have autism (brain scan diagnosis) might not be diagnosed psychologically if it is not causing impairment in their social, personal, or work lives.

And autism (current evidence suggests) is a different wiring of the brain. Not a philosophically chosen value system different from the majority. That qualifies it as a disorder. Of course, this becomes especially emphatic when you branch away from social differences and take into consideration sensory issues like tactile defensiveness, auditory and light spectrum sensitivities, vocal control, and others...

What a convenient time for your insightful post to show up! I AM an adult who's been trying to figure out what's going on with me my entire adult life. I've been through 3 rounds of talk therapy for anxiety, but with the discovery of AS, I now believe that anxiety is only one symptom. Considering the amount of time I spent with my last therapist only 4 years ago discussing lack of emotions and socializing/realtionship issues, I'm very surprised she never mentioned AS. Maybe she didn't know about it?

I'm just this morning coming off what is my version of a panic attack/aspie meltdown or shutdown. No therapist has ever been able to tell me what they are. I've always been an expert at turning emotions inward and they seem to build up over time and I have no expressive way to release them since I don't even recognize what they are. It's like trying to plug the cracks in a failing dam filling with water. Eventually it bursts.

Waking up at 4 am with intestinal cramps, then multiple trips to the bathroom each accompanied by a sense of being overwhelmed by unknown emotions, isn't much fun. The aftermath is a sense of being completely drained of all emotions. It takes hours to regain a sense of normalcy. (No, not food poisoning since I feel completely normal just a few hours later.)

I don't know if this qualifies as an aspie meltdown or not but it sure is something very unpleasant.

hi, Lepidoptera
if you go to "Getting to know you" thread and to " The Dino-Aspie Ex-Café (for Those 40+... or feeling creaky) you will find a whole GROUP of people that learned about AS in their later years.
always a nice cup of coffee and a muffin or two.

Merle

Thanks for the suggestion. I had seen it, but 946 pages? Yikes! Now it sounds like it's being broken up but I don't know where the new topics are. I did find Adult In-Depth Discussion and maybe that's a better place for me. I may repost there.

nomnom, I'm glad someone else agrees we have a different order rather than a lack of order (dis-order).

I think the reason they compare the test-taker to others is so that the problem of degree is eliminated. Sure - everyone has said the wrong thing, missed the point of a joke, felt irritated by a tag or a seam. The only way to determine whether or not it is valid to answer on the test is to ask a) whether or not it interferes with daily living, or b) how it differs from "the norm."

LOL, no, no. . you don't have to READ all 946 pages (and there is 700 more pages of the OLD Cafe, too) but it is an ongoing chat room . . a 'cafe' where people stop in and chat and contribute on an ongoing basis. You are always welcome to pop into the latest page or two to see what's up!

Merle