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teflon_woman
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25 Oct 2010, 12:17 am

So a friend of mine who identifies as an Aspie posted (on Facebook) his results to an autism spectrum quiz (Autism Quotient) tonight, and his friends started posted their scores as replies. One woman replied,
"I lose. I got 35. Yoicks!" (35 is a fairly high score)
So I said,
"[Name of Woman], how is that losing?"
So she writes,
"The highest score. Not so good!"

So I sent her a personal message saying,
"[Name of Woman], are you aware that both of [our mutual friends'] children are autistic?"
She replied,
"As am I. That's what I meant. ???"
So I explained,
"What I'm saying is: You seem to be assuming that that's a bad thing. I don't. I'm not sure [our mutual friends] do either."
And she replied,
"I don't either, jeez. Goodbye."

I'm so confused! She described getting a high AQ as "losing" and "not so good," but then acts like I'm absurd for interpreting that as implying that she thinks being autistic is a bad thing. What am I not getting?

I realize in retrospect that I should have just NOT ENGAGED. I ended the exchanged with,
"I'm sorry if I offended you. I must have misunderstood."
But I'm still really upset about it and don't understand how I could have misunderstood. Help?

Just in case you're curious, my score was 32.



dyingofpoetry
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25 Oct 2010, 3:05 am

I was not happy that that quiz ended up as a Facebook application, but it is not reliable or comprehensive anyway. If people want to take it for fun then fine, but no one should take any of the results seriously whether their score is high or low. I only have a problem with the fact that people are taking it for fun when Asperger's is debilitating for many people.


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Marsian
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25 Oct 2010, 3:22 am

Hiya,

I was thinking about starting my own thread about this but obviously I'm not the only one who has an issue with it...

Personally I find it offensive that that woman was kinda saying I'm an aspie, I'm a loser, well thats what it sounds like to me anyway, I think it sounds bad but the only way to know would be to ask what was meant by that comment.

One of my so called friends, who is also one of the few people I have revealed my diagnosis to, sent me an email containing a screenshot of the infernal AQ test entitled OMG I got 34...

I considered replying but honestly didn't know what to say. I don't know whether he is taking the test seriously because when I first told him that I have AS he asked his psychologist whether he has AS and she said she didn't think so but then I think Does this test mean he thinks he does? Or is he just being dumb?

Also I find it kinda offensive because its not something that I take that lightly that I share my diagnosis with someone who I trust and they kinda ridicule it.

I deleted the email in disgust and I'm not sure what to do but I didn't email back because I dont particularly want to have a row about it.

I just don't know how to interpret the whole thing. I think The guy who sent it to me thought it was quite significant that it says that not many people get over 32 or whatever.

I just wondered too, does anyone else find that when they disclose to people that the reaction of those you disclose to is to think they have AS too...?

Any advice would be appreciated x

Also do you think it would be worth contacting FB and asking them to remove it?



Asp-Z
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25 Oct 2010, 4:23 am

She is making absolutely no sense whatsoever. What you did, OP, was exactly what I'd have done, but I wouldn't have even bothered with private messages.



gassy
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25 Oct 2010, 4:52 am

teflon_woman wrote:
So a friend of mine who identifies as an Aspie posted (on Facebook) his results to an autism spectrum quiz (Autism Quotient) tonight, and his friends started posted their scores as replies. One woman replied,
"I lose. I got 35. Yoicks!" (35 is a fairly high score)
So I said,
"[Name of Woman], how is that losing?"
So she writes,
"The highest score. Not so good!"

So I sent her a personal message saying,
"[Name of Woman], are you aware that both of [our mutual friends'] children are autistic?"
She replied,
"As am I. That's what I meant. ???"
So I explained,
"What I'm saying is: You seem to be assuming that that's a bad thing. I don't. I'm not sure [our mutual friends] do either."
And she replied,
"I don't either, jeez. Goodbye."

I'm so confused! She described getting a high AQ as "losing" and "not so good," but then acts like I'm absurd for interpreting that as implying that she thinks being autistic is a bad thing. What am I not getting?

I realize in retrospect that I should have just NOT ENGAGED. I ended the exchanged with,
"I'm sorry if I offended you. I must have misunderstood."
But I'm still really upset about it and don't understand how I could have misunderstood. Help?

Just in case you're curious, my score was 32.


By the sounds of it she may not have wanted it taken literally. Instead she was maybe being a little sarcastic or having a little banter to an extent.

I sometimes do it with my friends from time to time if they say something that if taken literally would have been offensive, but we laugh it off and take the mick out of each other etc.

However, the last message she gave suggests other wise. She probably wasn't diagnosed, but is "autistic" becasue thats what the test told her. She may or may not know that the test shouldn't have been taken seriously though. So she may have been a little ignorant of what the effects autism can have OR knew about the effects but was sort of laughing them off.

Either way i wouldn't take it to seriously, or dwell on it to much.



Aimless
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25 Oct 2010, 4:54 am

I think the test is insufficient and having it on FB is going to confuse a lot of people. Two people I know have taken it and

have come up with scores close to or over the AS range. However both of these people are highly eccentric and

creative and so their answers are going to be different from the "norm". They are both very socially at ease and have no

trouble having relationships.



Marsian
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25 Oct 2010, 7:04 am

I agree with you Aimless,

I think the test is misleading. Especially because it is fairly obvious which answers are traits of Aspergers making it easy for people to bias their answers one way or the other if they wish to do so. I think it would be better if they put more of a disclaimer on it stating that it isn't a substitute for a dianosis. I tried to go on FB and report it as offensive but I couldn't find the link to do so!



LAEMapsie
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25 Oct 2010, 3:20 pm

I did that AQ test and got 27. Not really gonna take it seriously mind.



Sparrowrose
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25 Oct 2010, 3:36 pm

The AQ test is seriously flawed.

I scored a 45 on it, but honestly any introvert with low self-esteem could get a very high score.


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