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mrL
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25 Feb 2013, 11:08 pm

AmazingMess wrote:
I've taken a few of those tests out there once or twice, and they always result in saying I'm below the cutoff for an Aspie score, the most recent time being almost there but not quite. Yet, ever since I heard about AS, I've been positive that I have it. On another thread, I read something about a guy whose psychologists told him he didn't have it, but it was because he hid it so well. Does anyone think that's my problem? I've had a counsellor tell me she didn't think I have it, and I instead just have "social phobia". Which, is that not exactly what AS is sometimes??

Anyway, ranting aside... Have any other Aspies scored "not Aspie" on those online tests? Or am I just imagining my problems?


You very well may be an Apsie or rather have HFA. The DSM-5 is going to change a lot of this around. The way we classify Asperger's and HFA are changing. In addition you are a female; with no disrespect after recent studies which verified my own personal suspicions; Female Aspies exist at the likely the same ratio as males; they simply mask it better. I would suggest seeing a Psychiatrist or Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner that is experienced with Asperger's. I'm not saying women lie on these test however what you feel inside and what you produce outside is likely different.



Tyri0n
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25 Feb 2013, 11:15 pm

AmazingMess wrote:
I've taken a few of those tests out there once or twice, and they always result in saying I'm below the cutoff for an Aspie score, the most recent time being almost there but not quite. Yet, ever since I heard about AS, I've been positive that I have it. On another thread, I read something about a guy whose psychologists told him he didn't have it, but it was because he hid it so well. Does anyone think that's my problem? I've had a counsellor tell me she didn't think I have it, and I instead just have "social phobia". Which, is that not exactly what AS is sometimes??

Anyway, ranting aside... Have any other Aspies scored "not Aspie" on those online tests? Or am I just imagining my problems?


When i was your age, I was likely not self-aware enough to rate myself "negatively" enough to have gotten an autistic-level AQ. I used to get very furious when people described the way they saw me and simply blocked it out. It was a form of disassociation, and the only thing I admitted to have was social anxiety. It took a rude knock to figure out how I was actually perceived by others, which led me to getting a diagnosis several years later.

So my point is the online tests ain't worth s**t, unless you already have a diagnosis or are somehow very self aware (unlikely if you are, in fact, on the spectrum), which is another way to say they ain't worth s**t at all.



AmazingMess
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26 Feb 2013, 12:59 am

Tyri0n wrote:
When i was your age, I was likely not self-aware enough to rate myself "negatively" enough to have gotten an autistic-level AQ. I used to get very furious when people described the way they saw me and simply blocked it out. It was a form of disassociation, and the only thing I admitted to have was social anxiety. It took a rude knock to figure out how I was actually perceived by others, which led me to getting a diagnosis several years later.

So my point is the online tests ain't worth sh**, unless you already have a diagnosis or are somehow very self aware (unlikely if you are, in fact, on the spectrum), which is another way to say they ain't worth sh** at all.


Interesting point, I never thought of it that way. I try to be self aware but it is probably very likely that I'm not.
Also I just like hearing that the online tests are no good. :p



Ettina
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26 Feb 2013, 12:23 pm

Quote:
I've had a counsellor tell me she didn't think I have it, and I instead just have "social phobia". Which, is that not exactly what AS is sometimes??


Nope.

Social phobia is fear of interaction, AS is not being good at it. (Plus some other traits.)

You can have both, but they are not the same thing. My brother and I are a good example:

My brother has social phobia without AS. (Not officially diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure he has it.) He keeps getting down on himself claiming no one likes him, he finds social interaction tiring because he's constantly worrying about what other people think of him, and the thought of going to school or anywhere people could interact with him seems to be quite stressful to him. He has a lot of sick days, and the thought of someone else not liking him causes him great anguish.

However, he has a close friend who encourages him, and seems to be liked by pretty much everyone at his school. When he and I are out walking together, we often run into people who know him and greet him in a friendly manner. In addition, he often explains social things to me, or seems amazed that I missed them. He reads between the lines, he understands slang and idioms, he reads faces, etc etc.

Meanwhile, I have AS (technically PDD NOS) without social anxiety (in fact I probably have abnormally low social anxiety). I find it hard to tell how others are feeling. I tend to talk on and on without realizing no one is following what I'm saying. I was bullied and friendless through much of my childhood. I often say things in a blunt manner, not realizing others find this rude. I take a lot of statements literally and find it hard to guess at the intended meaning of a non-literal statement.

However, I have never felt embarrassment (I'm probably incapable of it). I sometimes feel nervous in social situations, and I often find them overloading, but it rarely occurs to me to imagine what someone else thinks of me. I will quite happily chat up complete strangers, without feeling at all nervous. I even enjoy public speaking, and don't have as much trouble with stage fright as most people. The social situations that cause fear or nervousness in me are exclusively ones in which either there is very real danger, or there was real danger in similar situations in the past (bullying, sexual abuse, etc).

So, yeah, AS and social anxiety are not the samke thing. There's a difference between fearing something and being bad at it.



AmazingMess
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26 Feb 2013, 3:11 pm

Ok, I made it sound like I thought AS and social phobia are the same thing but I know they're not. I just meant that having Asperger's can definitely result in having social phobia and they can go along with each other. Sometimes. And I know they're not always a pair, too.
Just to clarify. :oops: