Your Asperger’s Quotient
August 2, 2007 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
You can “determine your Asperger’s quotient” by taking this 50 question online multiple-choice test. (The test is, of course, no substitute for an actual diagnosis by a trained professional.) Dr. Joan Bushwell’s Chimpanzee Refuge notes that
The most interesting thing about Asperger’s syndrome is that its “discoverer” decided he had it and named it after himself, which he might have done even if not “suffering” from this “disorder.” Maybe.
and asks if is AS simply an “almost whimsical diagnosis of exclusion”: I would say, I think not; saying that one’s child has Asperger’s is more than just a way of saying that child is “quirky” or “anti-social” or is shy or has difficulty making friends. Many of my friends whose children have AS, and friends who themselves have AS, would hesitate to say that this is a diagnosis that is any way “whimsical”: Parents note that their kids have to suffer through the daily round of exclusion from the rest of the lunch crowd in the cafeteria and more. What about Tim Whattler?
“Disclaimer: This test is designed for fun.”
That’s not true actually. The test has been studied as a potential screening instrument. See, for example
http://www.springerlink.com/content/k872618310261272/
He didn’t name it after himself. He used the term “autistic psycopathy” to describe the syndrome. I believe it was Lorna Wing who first used the term “Asperger’s syndrome”. He did recognize that he had a number of traits in common with the subjects of his study (and so did Kanner) but didn’t, as far as I know, ever go so far as to say he was autistic.
Just what we need (not) is another online screening tool to be abused by people seeking to prove their latest theories.
Oops, I see now it’s just the same old same old Baron-Cohen AQ test. Not the worst of the lot, at least it’s not designed to prove we are of a separate species! Still, it gets very old hearing people say “Well, I got 32 and there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with me, why do you think you are ’so special’?” etc. Not to mention the people who try to use tests like this to prove something about prevelance rates.
*”psychopathy” (i kan spel)
I did this test and so did my brother (who I’ve always considered to have quite a few more Aspie traits than I do) and was surpirsed to discover that he scored himself as much less Aspie than I scored myself. I think, though, that just reflects that he doesn’t actually perceive problems in social settings. For example, although he regularly blurts out embarrassing truths about people, he checked “I am a good diplomat.” So I wonder if this type of thing actually does a better job testiny how introspective a person is, rather than truly being a test for Asperger’s?
If you’re not very objective about some of these “answers”, it can skew the score, and as others have pointed out, the particular social situation as interpreted by the responder matters…am I imagining a cocktail party or a PTA meeting?
Anywho, I got a 28…which is surprising, only that I thought that I was being pretty conservative, albeit candid, in my replies.
I doubt that it is “whimsical”, and I don’t think that “shy” is sufficient. On reflection with our first-hand experience, I’ve realized that a couple of guys in my High School class undoubtedly had Asperger’s or were otherwise on the spectrum. Nobody ever said anything to point it out explicitly, but conversely, those poor guys were harassed, teased, pranked and picked on brutally…students, and even some teachers. It breaks my heart now to think about it, esp. to recall the day when one guy’s mom came to pick him up because he’d finally had enough and righteously blew out. You could see the tears, anguish and pain in both of their faces. He didn’t return. The other guy survived HS and now organizes conventions, but I still wonder and hope that D— ended up finding a better school or a better fit. This might have been exceptionally bad, but we were real louses.
I hope that people, or at least our behavior, have evolved further…
so, how did you score, Kristina? (answer only if you want to).
(i scored something like 36 & 40 at different moments in the past several years)
I was wondering if you’d ask! I have not had time to do it today—I hope to by the weekend.
It’s important to be honest and as objective as possible for those tests. If you have a hard time with some of the answers, try to remember what others’ say about your overall disposition/demeanor.
Some people never get candid, constructive feedback, though. People get mad or offended at what they see as “anti-social” behavior and never think to bring it up. They assume the “offender” knows better and was intentionally like that.
I have some ASD relatives who acknowlege and discuss their score on this kind of test. I also have one who, autistic as all get out, would not answer any of the questions as any other person who knows her would. She can’t see herself.
I’ve taken it a few times over the years and always score in the vicinity of 40 — give or take a couple points.
There is a triad of autistic symptoms, social impairment, communication deficits and repetitive behavior and all three are contained in DSM-IV-R. They are so subjective children who would never have met diagnostic criteria for a PDD in DSM-III are now routinely given the diagnosis.
Autistic traits? How about the hilarious controversy in the British tabloids claiming the new PM of Britain was ‘on the spectrum’ because of his well documented characteristics of being socially awkward and having difficulties with interpersonal relationships even with political allies. We can also point out the communication impairments of President Bush who can also be described as being ‘on the spectrum’.
As far as the AQ is concerned, not very far removed from psychobabble.. everyone is autistic.
Well, as far as the test goes, as long as you are honest and introspective, I think it works fairly well. I did it (thinking in-character) for a character who is probably at least slightly autistic (it’s known for a fact that said person is socially phobic) and the test calculated a score of 42 for said character. I know this character well and can look at his personality and mannerisms both from his POV and from that of someone who isn’t him.
I think it’s more indicative of how perceptive one is to people, and therefore is testing the inverse of what they’re after. I’ve had Aspie friends who would have answered they were great in social situations and some who would have said they were absolutely horrid. Both often made the same social mistakes, but some were self-aware of those mistakes. The ones who aren’t would score much lower. It may be an intesting little quiz just to see if people are aware of their own similarities with people on the spectrum.
I scored a 33 this time. Last I took it I did a 28. I’m not on the spectrum, unless you start including introversion as being on the spectrum. Just because I like books better than people doesn’t mean I’m autistic, which is what this quiz seems to be pointing towards. No matter the disclaimers put on such a tool, there will invariably be a new crop of “internet Aspies” (self-diagnosed, non-doctor confirmed people who claim to have ASD because they are socially introverted) every time it gets brought up again on more mainstream blogs.
Wow!! I Just found out that my son is not autistic, but I am!
I got a 9.
I find the test a bit subjective (gee, do I like dinner theatre more than Pioneer Village today?), but score between a 36 and 38 depending on my mental state at the time.
To me the real issue is how well one functions, rather than what the score is.