My self-diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome

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After something seemingly minor turned into a major blowup, someone suggested to me that I have Asperger's syndrome; this is the first time that I recall anyone ever suspecting me of having that condition. This led me to research the question of how one would test for that condition, and I found the closest approximation to self-testing that I could find at Autism Research Center - Tests. It has several papers by the likes of Simon Baron-Cohen, and some of them contained questionnaires that can be used as tests.

To make the job of taking the tests easier, I extracted some of them from the original PDF files and turned them into webpages that can calculate one's score from one's answers. In particular, I extracted and HTMLized the tests from:

Autism Quotient (AQ)
Empathy Quotient (EQ)
Friendship and Relationship Quotient (FQ)
Sytemizing Quotient (SQ)

I found that I score within the Asperger's range and out of the neurotypical range, which convinced me that I very likely have that condition.

I've been reluctant to put these HTMLized tests online out of lack of approval by the tests' original authors; any opinions on doing so?

as long as you give due credit, why not?

After all, on the web unless you take steps to prevent it, anyone can use anything you publish. It called 'copyleft' as opposed to 'copyright'.

nd

Could you please? They'd be really helpful for those of us who have also self-diagnosed, or those who are curious about, or who doubt their diagnosis (particularly those who have been told nothing is wrong with them)...

Here goes:

The master page, with expected scores and links to the tests:

AQ: Autism Quotient How close to autistic are you?
EQ: Empathy Quotient How sensitive to others' emotions are you?
FQ: Friendship and Relationship Quotient How concerned are you with these?
SQ: Systematizing Quotient How systematic are you?

My scores:

AQ: 41/50
EQ: 16/80
FQ: 52/135
SQ: 29/80

I find it extremely hard to gauge myself on these kinds of questions, but here are my results:

• AQ = 29/50 (I remember scoring 16, 18, and 20 in the past, though)
• EQ = 24/80
• SQ = 25/80
• FQ = 72/135
  

It is quite interesting to see how these various scores are all related to one concept: autism.

haha, hoho, here we go:

AQ: 44 /50
EQ: 45 /80
FQ: 48 /135
SQ: 66 /80

Thanks for posting those, I've been looking around for something like that. Hopefully we can get a few more up here to compare...

Here's mine:

AQ: 41/50
EQ: 18/80
FQ: 33/135
SQ: 61/80

A couple of mine are actually beyond even the ranges for AS. I win!

37/50
19/80
49/135
39/80

The third test was really hard for me -- I thought some of the questions were impossible to answer. For example, #7:

(a) If I moved to a new area, I would put more effort into staying in touch with old friends than making new friends.
(b) If I moved to a new area, I would put more effort into making new friends than staying in touch with old friends.

I would put very minimal effort into either one. The result (whether I stayed in close contact with old friends, or not, and whether I made many new friends, or not) depends on other people: whether old friends contact me, whether new people befriend me.

AQ:46/50
EQ:3/40
Not done the friends one as I don't have the experience to base it on
SQ:30/40



I think it is a good idea to have these particular tests online rather than in PDF format,it is strange how they weren't in HTML form firstly anyway,unless it's a bandwith issue.

Wow, this is really a great initiative Archimedes. Thanks!

No time to do the tests now, but when I have some time, I sure will.

38/50
16/80
36/135
35/80

AQ: 43/50
EQ: 7/80
FQ: 13/135
SQ: 64/80

A bit of a shock as I think my scores were different before. However, there is an interesting explanation/hypothesis to puruse:
For the past 3 months I have been away from my job which provided me with some social contact, albeit minimal. I have been depressed about being on leave from my job which made me more reclusive. My social contact has been limited to WP and intermittent contact with strangers at the other job, which is so busy you don't really get time to engage with others.
I am guessing that being on WP is validating for some behaviors which I moderated for the sake of being in the other job. Not having to moderate them and having been validated for them, I more likely endorsed them truthfully on the test.

Would be interested to know what other people think.

(AQ) is 38 out of 50
(EQ) is 25 out of 80
(FQ) is 37 out of 135
(SQ) is 36 out of 80

Archimedes, not trying to burst your bubble, but they've already got the SQ and EQ tests online:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/news/pag ... 43,00.html

As well as the AQ, which I think is on Wired. But the test doesn't work on Wired it seems anymore (last I checked) so good you made another one.

But I don't know about the FQ Test. Good work on all of them though. That must have taken some time.

As for me:

AQ: 46
EQ: 9
SQ: 58
FQ: 28/135

AQ - 42/50
EQ - 23/80
FQ - 76/135
SQ - 28/80

AQ - can't really comment!

I think for the EQ, I'm possibly a bit of an anomaly - I cannot for the life of me tell how someone else is feeling, but I like trying to put myself in their shoes. I Like thinking 'if I were in that situation, I might feel like this. I also love trying to see different viewpoints, and why those may arise - I may not necessarily be good at it but nonetheless I love trying!

FQ - friendships are very important to me; I'm constantly anxious about how my friends view me, and I'm sometimes rather paranoid that I'm ruining the friendships. Perhaps it's because I'm really rather insecure?

SQ - I'm extremely methodical in certain aspects, but not in others. I often wonder how certain things work, if it randomly interests me, but if I'm not interested then I really am not! If I'm interested in something I'll wonder about it and become obsessed to an extent (if not beyond ) but if it doesn't interest me then I couldn't care less. If that makes any sense. Ie certain information I will catalogue and research, but otherwise I'm not bothered. If I'm interested then I'll probably be systematic, but if not then I won't. Argh! Does anyone understand that?!


Thank you very, very much for putting those links up! Oh I've just seen that 'the master page' was a link ... shall take a look. I was about to ask if someone could post the scores

Oh, and I knew the AQ and EQ tests were online, but they've NEVER worked for me, so extra thanks to Archimedes