Anyone diagnosed who had a low AQ test score?

[PeachPumpkin]

I did an AQ -10 test and got a 4. I understand that generally, a 6 is the minimum to be considered potentially Autistic. Psychiatry UK website seemed to suggest that with a score that low, it’s not worth pursuing a diagnosis.

I also did a longer AQ test and scored 31, which I understand is probably considered about borderline.

Does anyone have any thoughts/ experience or insight they could share?

I do suspect I may be Autistic, but I also suspect I may well be borderline and possibly fall under the wider Autism phenotype. I fully appreciate though that you either are Autistic or you aren’t.

Thanks.

I scored 8 on the AQ 10 and 45 on the AQ and was diagnosed recently. I’ve read several times that non-autistic people don’t spend time wondering if they are autistic so the fact you are doing online tests is a good guide to chasing this up if you want to pursue a diagnosis.

I am seeking private diagnosis as I think I have autism but suspect that if I went to the GP and they administered the AQ10 I wouldn’t meet the threshold. I find the questions in the AQ10 outdated and unclear. For example I select “no” to “collecting information about categories of things”. Because I don’t collect information about the categories, ie names of car models? But I absolutely am an information seeker with deep monotropic focus, who gets obsessed with one topic for years on end, which I imagine is what this question is trying to get at. So although I answer no to some of the questions i think it’s because they’re worded poorly rather than because I don’t have autism.

I printed out and annotated an AQ10 with comments like this, and took it to the GP, who kind of chuckled and was happy to refer me for an assessment!

I was like, how can I possibly know whether I can notice small sounds other people don't? I don't do a survey every time I hear a sound. And also I had my hearing tested a while back and the doctor said I had impressive hearing when it came to high-pitched noises, so I probably do hear noises other people don't, but not necessarily because I'm autistic.

Every question was like this.

It's like the ones that ask whether you'd prefer to go to the theatre or the museum. Well, who am I with? What's on at the theatre? What sort of museum? How busy is it?

Anyway I had my assessment recently and apparently I am autistic, although the report has a lot of errors in and I need to go through it properly, and half wonder whether they'll change the diagnosis after I've done that.

I am certain that I have traits, and am quite happy tif I am autistic. I don't exactly agree with the "you're autistic or you're not", because I reckon I fall close to the line on whether I have significant enough traits in enough areas which cause me enough ongoing difficulty. I've got stuff like perimenopause, high IQ, and probably ADHD in the mix and it's all very hard to unpick.

Yes every question is so stressful. Perhaps I should have been braver and talked it through with the GP, I’ve just heard so many stories of people being fobbed off.

I don’t relate to the theatre vs museum question either. I assume it is related to the idea that autistics struggle to work out people’s intentions and therefore don’t like fiction, and therefore would prefer museums which are jabout facts versus theatre which is a work of fiction. Whereas I’ve always loved reading, fiction, tv & film, and that is apparently very common for autistic women. Museums on the other hand I find really difficult as they are sensory overload and I compulsively read every note and look at every object, which is exhausting and I find it socially stressful as I am overthinking my behaviour in a public environment.

I also agree about the difficulty with the black & white - you’re either autistic or you’re not. I also am confident I have many traits but whether they are enough to pass the diagnostic threshold isn’t clear, and how subjective is that on the part of the assessor? Also agree that it’s really complex and wish it was more delineated between different types. For example an acknowledgement somewhere that traits will be different according to IQ level. I am a reserved / socially anxious / hyper vigilant type so I closely track people’s expressions and monitor their signals, and don’t monologue or really talk about the things I’m passionate about so I don’t fit that more stereotypical profile of someone who doesn’t notice that others are bored with their monologuing.

Just been referred and I do monologue.I always assumed everyone loves their job at my work as it's a creative field.I didn't score highly on AQ10 however my ADHD assessment said I had lots of autistic traits.Im hyper active impulsive type ADHD.

Guh, BIL is having this problem right now, but what helped his case with psychiatry UK is that he filled the AQ50 in, and got a score of 27, and his brother filled one in about him and got 42, and this was used as evidence that due to likely being neurodivergent, he is incredibly poor at self reporting as he lacks the social awareness to realise he has significant social deficit.

For example on one question it asks if you consider yourself to be a good diplomat, he chose the definitely agree option, when anyone who had interacted with him knows that as soon as he involves himself in a situation it is made 100x worse, another question was do you enjoy reading fiction, he chose definitely. He hasn't picked a book up for 15 years, fact or fiction.

The problem is he answered those questions as true to himself as he could, but because of the social deficits he has in both communication and understanding, the figures are a misrepresentation for what is actually going on.

Thanks for the responses. It’s been interesting reading and hopefully it might be of help to others too. I took the AQ 50 and got 35. I also did the CAT Q and got 147, but a bit of googling shows that social anxiety can really boost that score upwards. I agree that your own answers may not be the most accurate. It’s interesting to see an example of that. I think I’m good at certain aspects of social communication… but am I really?

@whatisforteamum- can you possible update please when you have your assessment?

And yes to the questions in the AQ not being detailed enough!

Only just been referred.Approx Dec or January.

That’s not too long to wait, which is good. Was that right to choose?

I keep going back and forth over seeking assessment. If it turns out I’m ‘just’ socially anxious, then all the difficulties I’ve had will feel like my fault. And I wouldn’t think harshly of someone else in the same situation, but frequently we are our own worst critics. My other concern is that if I do get diagnosed with Autism, it will lead to people treating me differently. I don’t have to share the diagnosis, but the NHS at least will surely know. And I feel like a fraud in some respects. I have a child severely affected by ASD and I bear no comparison to her. On the other hand, I’ve long struggled with friendships, struggled socially, jobs have proved tricky in some respects etc.

I’ve read so much over the years about Autism, but I’m still on the fence as to whether I am Autistic or not. Obviously I’m not qualified to diagnose either way. I have traits, but I don’t know if these are sufficient. I have sensory issues and stims, but so do most people- obviously these impact Autistic people to a far greater extent but it’s hard to know if mine cross the ‘threshold’ so to speak.

When I had my assessments I was told that if I hadn't been diagnosed autistic I would probably have gotten a standalone cPTSD diagnosis.

My assessor said it's the most common alternative diagnosis if someone doesn't meet the threshold for an autism diagnosis and sometimes, like me, you receive a dual diagnosis.

I, like you, have an autistic child with significantly higher needs than I have ever had, so I ummed and ahhed about it, but I'm so glad I went for it because it was the most validated I've ever felt in my life.

My AQ scores were low - can’t remember my AQ10 score, but the AQ50 was 17! The thing I really noticed is that they don’t really ask about sensory issues. I am also very sociable (but don’t like crowds) and actually take more from people’s body language and facial expressions than I do from what they say (and therefore loathe phone calls). I have ADHD, which is glaringly obvious and probably overrides a lot of autistic traits - I am diagnosed, but with a PDA profile, which tends to be a more sociable presentation. I think it takes someone with a lot of experience to truly understand the nuances.