Dresses comfortably due to sensory issues and practicality
Not really. I just wear whatever I think looks good.
Will not spend much time on grooming and hair. Hairstyles usually have to be wash and wear
This applies more to my NT sister. She prefers simple hairstyles and barely ever wears makeup. I don't style my hair much more than her, but I almost always wear makeup.
Eccentric personality; may be reflected in appearance
I am a bit eccentric, but I haven't been called weird since I was in elementary school. Most people just think I'm a hipster.
Is youthful for her age, in looks, dress, behaviour and tastes
Not really. I started wearing makeup when I was twelve and I had a boyfriend when I was fourteen. Even though I'm seventeen most people don't ask for ID me at the bar.
Usually a little more expressive in face and gesture than male counterparts
Yes.
May have many androgynous traits despite an outwardly feminine appearance. Thinks of herself as half male/half female
I've always thought of myself as 100% female. I have gotten interested in some "boyish" stuff, but haven't most girls? I am gay, but I don't think that's related to my gender or Asperger's.
May not have a strong sense of identity, and can be very chameleon ?like, especially before diagnosis
Sometimes I feel like my identity is a bit fragmented, but I wouldn't consider myself a chameleon. Sometimes I want to be more chameleon-like.
Enjoys reading and films as a retreat, often sci-fi, fantasy, children?s, can have favourites which are a refuge
I don't really have a taste in movies and books. I prefer music.
Uses control as a stress management technique: rules, discipline, rigid in certain habits, which will contradict her seeming unconventionality
No. I hate routines and discipline.
Usually happiest at home or in other controlled environment
I need a lot of downtime at home, but I wouldn't say that I'm happier at home.
May have been diagnosed as autistic or Asperger?s when young, or may have been thought of as gifted, shy, sensitive, etc. May also have had obvious or severe learning deficits
I was diagnosed with autism, but I was only diagnosed because I was badly behaved and my parents were poor.
Often musical, artistic
I guess I am, but I don't think this is related to Asperger's.
May have a savant skill or strong talent
NO!! ! This is one of the reasons I doubt I'm autistic.
May have a strong interest in computers, games, science, graphic design, inventing things of a technological and visual nature. More verbal thinkers may gravitate to writing, languages, cultural studies, psychology
Kind of, but I don't think it's autism related.
May be a self-taught reader, been hyperlexic as a child, and will possess a wide variety of other self-taught skills as well
Apparently I taught myself to read. I don't think I did. I think I just learnt it at school.
May be highly educated but will have had to struggle with social aspects of college. May have one or many partial degrees
No clue.
Can be very passionate about a course of study or job, and then change direction or go completely cold on it very quickly
Unfortunately this is true. I wish I could just stick to things!
Will often have trouble holding onto a job and may find employment daunting
I don't know. I've only had one job.
Highly intelligent, yet sometimes can be slow to comprehend due to sensory and cognitive processing issues
As my brain fog is clearing I'm beginning to learn faster.
Will not do well with verbal instruction ? needs to write down or draw diagram
It depends. If the person giving me the instructions is all condescending and boring I find it very hard to pay attention to them. I don't really care because those low-lifes don't deserve any of my attention.
Will have obsessions but they are not as unusual as her male counterpart?s
My obsessions are pretty unusual. They're so unusual I have an obsession with hiding my unusual obsessions.
Emotionally immature and emotionally sensitive
A bit, but it's gotten way better over the years. I've always been about two years behind. As I've gotten older my emotional immaturity has become less noticeable. Hopefully one day I will completely catch up.
Anxiety and fear are predominant emotions
Yes.
More open to talking about feelings and emotional issues than males with AS
Yes.
Strong sensory issues ? sounds, sights, smells, touch, and prone to overload (less likely to have taste/food texture issues as males)
When I feel sick or tired I have problems with light and sound.
Moody and prone to bouts of depression. May have been diagnosed as bi-polar or manic depressive (common comorbid diagnosis? of AS/autism) while the AS diagnosis was missed
One person actually thought I was bipolar instead of autistic. I do get hypomania followed by a short episode of extreme depression if I get a very bad panic attack. I normally just have mild depression and a lack of motivation.
Probably given several different prescriptions to treat symptoms. Will be very sensitive to medications and anything else she puts in her body so may have had adverse reactions
No clue. My mom is against medication.
Stims to soothe when sad or agitated: rocking, face-rubbing, humming, finger flicking, leg bouncing, finger or foot-tapping
Unfortunately. I'm trying my best to only do it in private.
Prone to temper or crying meltdowns, even in public, sometimes over seemingly small things due to sensory or emotional overload
I rarely get meltdowns. I do cry a lot, but I don't consider that a meltdown.
Hates injustice and hates to be misunderstood, this can incite anger and rage
Doesn't everyone? This is totally not AS related!
Prone to mutism when stressed or upset, especially after a meltdown. Less likely to stutter than male counterparts but may have raspy voice, monotone at times, when stressed or sad
I don't have mutism. I sometimes have trouble explaining my feelings when I'm extremely anxious, but doesn't everyone? I also get mad when people force me to explain how I'm feeling when I'm panicking and can barely talk or move. I just feel like I want to punch them. They don't need to know exactly how I feel. All they need to know is that they need to leave me alone. I also tend to sound monotone if I'm nervous or antisocial.
Word and actions are often misunderstood by others
Sometimes, but doesn't this happen to everyone?
Is very outspoken at times, may get very fired up when talking about passions/obsessive interests
I was like this a child, but now I only do that stuff on the internet or with people I feel safe with.
Like her male counterpart, will shut down in social situations once overloaded, but is generally better at socializing in small doses. May even give the appearance of ?skilled?, but it is a ?performance?
I do get very tired when I socialize, but I rarely perform. I socialize normally if I get along well with someone.
Doesn?t go out much. Will prefer to go out with partner only or children if she has them
Yes, but I think that's because I'm depressed and tired.
Will not have many girlfriends and will not do ?girly? things like shopping with them or have get-togethers to ?hang out'
I don't really have any friends right now, but my friends were mostly female when I did have them. I did enjoy sleepovers and I enjoy shopping.
Will have a close friend or friends in school, but not once in adulthood is reached
I did have friends when I was a kid, but I don't really have any friends right now. Mainly because the friends I had in school were too patronizing and I'd rather have no friends than have patronizing friends. I'm usually scared that every person I meet will be patronizing, but I'm getting better at recognizing non-patronizing personality types.
May or may not want to have a relationship. If she is in a relationship, she probably takes it very seriously but she may choose to remain celibate or alone
I did have a boyfriend when I was fourteen, but I was mainly with him because I didn't want to be gay and I wanted to be able to say that I had a boyfriend. I quickly learned that relationships are no fun if there's no attraction. I'm not in any relationships right now because I'm closeted and I don't really like anyone in particular.
If she likes a male, she can be extremely, noticeably awkward in her attempts to let him know, e.g. she may stare when she sees him or call him repeatedly. This is because she fixates and doesn?t understand societal gender roles. This will change with maturity
I don't really like guys. When I was about eight or nine I had a crush on this girl. I would stare at her and chase her everywhere. She ended up hating me. I started to hate her as well, but I still liked her. It was so confusing for me. After that I never did anything like that again. After that most of my crushes were on musicians I knew I would never meet. I did have a crush on a girl when I was fourteen. It was very awkward, but most early crushes awkward? Now when I feel attracted to a girl I just pretend she doesn't exist.
Often prefers the company of animals, but not always due to sensory issues
I guess I'm a cat person, but I'm not animal crazy.
As you can see a lot of the items on this list don't apply to me. The ones that do are either very general or can be caused by other things.
_________________
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 82 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 124 of 200
You are very likely neurotypical
12 May 2014, 1:31 am
