College Student and Undiagnosed Aspergers.. Help?

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Hi!
I am 18 years old and a freshman in college. I have never been diagnosed with autism or aspergers, nor have i ever been tested. I was tested and diagnosed with ADD when I was 16 though. I know there is sometimes an overlap between the two. Some people have told me they think that I have aspergers, and I looked into it and think I might as well (this has actually been going on for a couple of years.) I have taken the aspergers spectrum quotient test and the rdos test 3 time (different versions). The following were my results:
1. Aspergers quotient: 36

2. Rdos 1:
Your Aspie score: 168 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 30 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie

3. Rdos 2:
Your Aspie score: 171 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 21 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie

4. Rdos 3:
Your Aspie score: 172 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 27 of 200 You are very likely an Aspie

(it wont let me post the graphs for the rdos so I put them on my blog.. check them out if that will help please!)

Do you know how accurate these tests are? Do you think I have aspergers? Should I get tested? What are the advantages of getting tested? How would I even go about getting tested as a college student? any advice regarding the matter (even if not answering the questions) would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

Aside from the tests, why do you think you have it?

Also, why do others think you have it?

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Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk

I am a university prof, and I can say that quite a lot of undiganosed aspies are present in the university system in the student population. Some of them do not even have the first idea that they have AS.

I know that Simon Baron-Cohen did some work and found that physical science undergrads tend to have a higher average SQ score than arts and humanities students, maybe you should consider what sort of degree you are doing. If you are doing a physical science like physics then you will be in a class of people with high SQ scores.

I suspect that an aspie would fit in to a subject better if the subject is associated with high SQ scores. But I see no reason why a aspie would be unable to do a subject like history or art. I know that some artists with AS are members here on the wrong planet.

_________________
Health is a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity I am not a jigsaw, I am a free man !

Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.

Combining my answers to both questions:
1. I hate/don't make eye contact with people
2. I get very obsessive about things, to the extent where I'll lose sleep because ill become so obsessed with it
--> I will also talk a lot about a single topic for a while
3. I can't stand sudden changes
4. I can't stand changes to my schedule, I basically map out every hour of every day
5. I don't know how to act in social situations and feel uncomfortable-- I am really awkward
6. I interpret things very literally
7. I have a hard time picking out important information when I get a lot of it
8. I am very uncoordinated-- lose my balance, trip and walk into things a lot
9. I have a hard time expressing myself
10. I can't read peoples emotions
13. I can't tell when people are uninterested in what i am saying
11. I do flap/rock when im stressed
12. I have a hard time reading social cues
13. I can't tell when something I say is going to be offensive

thats what i thought of off the top of my head

If you have read something about AS and listed everything you think you have (in which case you may have been slightly bias) then I recommend you do further research, but if those are all true and you are sure that they go beyond the degree of normalcy then it sounds like you definitely have AS; based strictly on the information above and your R-DOS test results (which are some-what accurate, not perfect/guaranteed) it's highly likely.


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What are the advantages of getting tested?

If you need help/support or want assurance concerning the matter, then I recommend that you undertake a professional diagnosis. In other words, the main advantages are that you have an 'explanation' of sorts as to why you feel and behave differently from those around you, and that if you need it (depending on residence) you may have access to additional support and/or support groups.


How would I even go about getting tested as a college student?

I'm not so sure on this one as it depends where you live. I'm assuming you're American as you said you're a college freshman, so in that case I can't really help you. The general idea is that you see your doctor or a psychologist and obtain a referral to a specialist in the field of ASDs, who will then professionally diagnose you with AS or otherwise.

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_________________
Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk

You might try visiting your student counseling service and talking with a therapist there and see if they can give you a name for someone who could diagnose you, or even get a referral. I was diagnosed the year after I graduated, and was still working on campus, and that was how I was able to find someone to get tested.

One thing I did was pulled my old school records from when I was a kid.

As Norny mentioned, you can bias yourself when reading up on a disorder you think you might have. Before talking to any family, friends, professionals about it.. I sent a letter in to the school board I used to attend asking for all records that could in any way be related to mental illness, neurological functioning, etc.

What I got back was a very thick envelope chock full of psych assessments I didn't know existed (as they were performed when I was very young, I probably didn't realize what was happening), teacher reports, mental health referrals, you name it... all explicitly documenting all of the major traits or symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome with very detailed examples. I even read about a videotape the school took of me to send to a referred psychiatrist when I was 7, showing me walking along the edge of the school yard, hands at my sides, looking down and avoiding other children, exhibiting a "stereo-typed gait"... (I went from being unsure about having AS to baffled that it wasn't diagnosed when I was that young). There was very clear descriptions of my stimming, of me having obsessions and interjecting about them repeatedly in unrelated conversations, my inability to form friendships... I literally checked off the DSM criteria on a piece of paper while reading through the documents. Afterwards, I went to see a psychologist specializing in Autism and took the documents with me, and was diagnosed in short order.

Anyways, I'm rambling (I tend to do that). Long story short, this is something you might want to look into. Chances are, you are legally entitled to copies of those documents if they exist.

PS. I would strongly advise requesting a referral to a psychologist or neurological psychiatrist who specializes in Autism. In my opinion, a normal psychologist or therapist is generally NOT qualified to make a diagnosis either way. You could either get incorrectly diagnosed with it, or told you don't have it when you really do.

Taking up a tradition from another forum (model trains) ....

Welcome to the forum!

Sounds to me like you have it.

If you attend a large university, I would think there would be free medical treatment, , that way if you don't want your family to find out 'just yet', you can. They might not be, as ASPrm puts it, specializing in Autism, but it should be free.

I'm in Canada so can't be of help there.

Maybe my case being as thoroughly documented as it was is unusual? Who knows...