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neuropsych testing - remembering words

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invisibleboy
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06 Apr 2017, 6:50 pm

I did some neuropsych testing as part of a study to determine cognitive ability. I didn't want to ask what a lot of it meant, I didn't know if I was allowed, since the study will be running for several years, so I likely am not allowed to know exactly what they're looking at.

But I did notice out of all the tests I was absolutely terrible at remembering lists of words. Once I figured out I could remember them better if I sorted them into categories in my head (such as animals, vegetables, etc), I was a little better at remembering, but still pretty terrible at remembering what had just been said to me.

I'm not entirely sure it's an ASD thing as I have other diagnoses that can affect executive functioning. But I'm still curious if this is common on the spectrum or just me.


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AspieUtah
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06 Apr 2017, 6:57 pm

I completed a neuro assessment several years before my autism assessment. I couldn't remember much of the "lists" I was supposed to remember. It turns out that I was in the normal range. But, I don't believe that memory is generally an autistic skill beyond special interests. It is common to hear or read Tony Attwood and Temple Grandin describe how autists (regardless of their IQ) need to be reminded several times to remember tasks or other facts. Actually doing the tasks helps us learn, it seems.


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leejosepho
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06 Apr 2017, 9:36 pm

AspieUtah wrote:
It is common to hear or read Tony Attwood and Temple Grandin describe how autists (regardless of their IQ) need to be reminded several times to remember tasks or other facts. Actually doing the tasks helps us learn, it seems.

Yes, definitely. I enjoy academic teaching and instruction, but then I seldom remember any of it unless it is accompanied by hands-on practice and experience...and then at later times when I cannot recall how something is done, getting started again with my hands can revive recollection as I go along.


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MentalIllnessObsessed
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07 Apr 2017, 7:59 pm

For me, I have memory problems so the place I got my psychological assessment done at dis extensive testing on my memory. One of the things was remembering words verbally. I don't know if your test was verbal or visual, but for me, I was really good at this (verbal). There were 15 random words you had to remember and you had five trials to see if you remembered them. By the third trial I knew them all. The first trial was 11, then 13, then 15 three times in a row. I scored in the 99th percentile for this test.

I have visual memory and working memory problems, but not verbal memory. It could be just me like this and not an autism trait. I feel like my memory issues relate to undiagnosed AD/HD more than autism.


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Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 148 of 200
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NikNak
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08 Apr 2017, 8:57 am

MentalIllnessObsessed wrote:
For me, I have memory problems so the place I got my psychological assessment done at dis extensive testing on my memory. One of the things was remembering words verbally. I don't know if your test was verbal or visual, but for me, I was really good at this (verbal). There were 15 random words you had to remember and you had five trials to see if you remembered them. By the third trial I knew them all. The first trial was 11, then 13, then 15 three times in a row. I scored in the 99th percentile for this test.

I have visual memory and working memory problems, but not verbal memory. It could be just me like this and not an autism trait. I feel like my memory issues relate to undiagnosed AD/HD more than autism.


I also did neuropsychological testing and my verbal skills were in the superior range but I had a comparative significant deficit in my visual memory. This was before my ASD diagnosis and so I was diagnosed with Learning disorder- NOS (possibly because NVLD isn't in the DSM, though that term was never mentioned).


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NikNak
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08 Apr 2017, 9:00 am

leejosepho wrote:
AspieUtah wrote:
It is common to hear or read Tony Attwood and Temple Grandin describe how autists (regardless of their IQ) need to be reminded several times to remember tasks or other facts. Actually doing the tasks helps us learn, it seems.

Yes, definitely. I enjoy academic teaching and instruction, but then I seldom remember any of it unless it is accompanied by hands-on practice and experience...and then at later times when I cannot recall how something is done, getting started again with my hands can revive recollection as I go along.


I learn by doing also.

I also tend to be anxious about a new task until I'm given the opportunity to try it.

Does anyone actually learn by instruction alone though? It doesn't seem very efficient or even sufficient?


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Lost
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08 Apr 2017, 6:09 pm

I also had difficulty with the word list memory test. Turns out my short term memory is very poor but my working and long term memory is good.
People on the spectrum have different mixes of abilities, some will have above average abilities in some areas and below average in others.