What if your scores on online tests say "no Aspergers?&

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Im sure I have it. Or I *think* I'm sure I know I'm on the Spectrum. I don't recall the names of all the tests I took online, but they are contradictory with me. The test where there are 200 questions says I'm definitely an Aspie and had me do another test for stims. Another online test that says you have to score 35, I believe, to be an Aspie, I score around 32. Another test, that says 25 means Aspie, I scored 20. On the Childbrain PDD.Com test I scored as a mild PDD. I fall short in the techie, memorizing dates/phone numers, collecting things categories. I ace all the horrible social skills, obsessions, and everything else that equals AS I have an incredible long term rote memory and can recall books I've read ten years ago practically verbatim, but I'm not good at math or numbers. So, with these mixed scores, and my lack of techie skills, can I really be an AS? Although I'm on a list for diagnosing, it will still be several months, so I qualify as self-diagnosed. I know I'm definitely NOT NT!! !! I am on the spectrum--too many symptoms. But can I still be an Aspie? Thanks in advance to anybody who can shed any light here.

I took a few, and they all put me in the aspie category. STILL, I don't know if I trust most tests. Questions may be subjective, etc... After all, with 200 questions, you may get a different score next time!


You said that you fall short in the techie(AS people basically specialize. They may change them, but I don't think they have to be "techie". Most of my skills are though.), memorizing dates/phone numers(Isn't one potential atistic trait not caring so much about that? As for memory, it can change REDICALLY! I have been running mine through the mill a LOT! Sometimes, it is FANTASTIC! I read a whole page of hindi words, and remember them ALL! Sometimes I have to struggle to learn one.), collecting things categories(Again, back to the specialties. I DID collect some things earlier, but certainly don't now.(Unless you count the fact that I am a packrat(American slang for someone that saves seemingly everything. I have nearly every computer, cable, program, book that I have ever bought. OK, the last move DID have me get rid of perhaps 25% of it(I think I even got rid of my first Popular Mechanics, and Radio Electronics magazines. 8-(), but that STILL left a LOT!))).

There ARE AS people that study NON technical things, and don't collect.

Steve

On a test administered by a psychologist who specializes in childhood autism, I scored 4 out of 4 in only one of 6 parameters and 0 in the others. You must score at least 3 out of 4 in at least 3 parameters for a positive diagnosis. Nevertheless, being severely impaired socially has profoundly affected my life, and I feel like I fit right in here.

A diagnosis is not about self-test scores. As it has been explained to me, a diagnosis should be more like an art by a skilled and experienced practioner. Never give any online test much significance. Such tests may alert you to a strength or weakness. Never give any judgement from such tests any credence.

A good Dr. will examine many things and look key characteristics over time. There will be many "signposts" all pointing in the same direction before a good Dr. will feel confident in a diagnosis. They will also not be "anchored" to self reporting because this is where judgement about behaviour can be most subjective.

You can have a lot of Aspie traits and technically not be Aspie because you don't have enough of them, or not have them in enough categories. You'd be put in the "PDD-NOS" category, probably--that's a catch-all for people with autistic-like symptoms that don't fit into any of the autism spectrum disorders (Kanner's, childhood disintegrative disorder, Asperger's, and Rett syndrome) but do have some sort of pervasive developmental disorder.

You could also be diagnosed with:
Obsessions only: OCD or "obsessive personality" (I don't think it's true OCD if you enjoy your obsessions, though)
Social problems only: Social phobia, nonverbal learning disability
Sensory only: Sensory integration disorder

In any case, if you're NT, you're on the Aspie side of NT--kind of like Aspies are on the NT side of autism. There's no reason some of the strategies we use to overcome shortcomings and strengthen talents can't be of use to you.

Remember also that internet tests are not necessarily accurate; and that the scores you report are borderline. The inaccuracy of a test could put you either squarely into the NT category, or edge you into Aspie territory, depending on which way the test was skewed.

Whoops wrong forum.

I was diagnosed 3 times with "PDD-NOS" yet when I mentioned aspergers they booked me a psych that I'm seeing this week.

My emotions are like a babys, switched on or switched off, no matter how hard I try I can't find anywhere between, either I'm simply an extreme case of asynchronous development, or AS..

Maybe they're the same thing essentially, as I fit every other aspect of the diagnostic criteria anyway.

I was thinking PDD-NOS. My son was dxd. with that. The only thing is, I had no speech delay. I had very precocious speech and started writing at two.

On the AQ Test (the one you mentioned you only scored 32 on) 80% of Aspies score 32 or higher. It's entirely possible to be an Aspie and only score 32.

However, those tests are biased towards a specific type of autie, so you might get a lower score. The main problem with the AQ Test is that it's based on the stereotype of the aspie computer nerd, which doesn't fit all or even necessarily most of us. It also automatically gives extroverted autistics lower scores, when we have the same range of extroversion and introversion as NTs. For some of the questions regarding social interaction, I would have to give entirely different answers depending on whether I was socializing with autistics or NTs. On statements on the AQ Test like "I enjoy meeting new people," a disagree answer will result in a higher AQ score than an agree answer. However, autism in and of itself doesn't result in not enjoying meeting new people, social anxiety from being repeatedly bullied by most of the people you meet does. Non-computer geek extroverted autistics who have been accepted for who they are throughout their life will get a much lower score than those the test is biased towards, without necessarily being less autistic.

The childbrain.com PDD test I'm guessing is designed for parents with children under 5 years old. As an autistic adult, you'd probably score much lower, since we do develop as we get older.

What I recommend doing to be sure you are autistic is to read a bunch of different autistics' writing and see how much you relate to them. That I've found is more useful than taking online tests.

Or stick around here and read some others posts.. I didnt think I was aspie, last year, and had "knowledgable" friends talk me into being normal, but a year later (now) I'm confident I am aspie, but I will not see a doctor (mainly because they CANNOT tell me who I am, only give me a general 'this is you' and label me something).. That and I dont trust head doctors, they dont seem reliable to me