Autism in adults, is this test any cop or is it silly?

[Flightattendant27]

I just took an online test here

I have no previous experience of autism or aspergers

I've had difficulties all my life and been diagnosed with anxiety/depression

However I just scored 47 on this and that seems to be quite high.

Can anyone advise or is this just a silly test - I'd hate to gatecrash the SN board without a good reason, so apologies if it's worthless iyswim.

Thanks xx

It's not rubbish but it's not very thorough - e.g. it doesn't really address sensory issues, or go into much detail about subtle language/conversational difficulties. I'ld see it as a starting point for further reading rather than as an answer in itself.

I would look at the NAS (www.nas.org.uk) website or google for the Cambridge Autism research centre for further info.

It's based on questions set out by one of the international experts in autism, Simon Baron-Cohen, who's designed it to give people a clue about whether to ask a proper diagnostic person for a proper assessment (which is the only way to find out for certain).

A score above 32 is high enough for a diagnostic person to think 'aha' and want to do a full set of tests.

Most adults with an ASD (autism spectrum disorder) are originally misdiagnosed as having anxiety/depression/anorexia/ocd/etc because most doctors don't know what an ASD looks like in an adult.

Er, does that help, or do you need a cup of tea and a sit down at this point?

thankyou.

I was amazed tbh as usually I think of adults with aspergers/autism as those strange ones in the playground that I find it easier to be around. I didn't think I was like them. It would be such a bloody relief if it was the answer though. I might be able to stop feeling like a freak.

Have been variously diagnosed with all of those btw...

I scored 37, looking back at my childhood i was a lot like my dd1, shy, chewed my clothing, hated being touched by people, i was facinated with animals and had every book i could get hold of to do with horses.

I have a feeling dh would have a high score.

Dh has been treated for depression on and off for most of his life and i am being treated for anxiety. I have a feeling dh's mum had Aspergers (sadly she took her own life when dh was 11)

Gosh

That is really sad about your mil Marne.

Flightattendant, dont't worry about your score, I just did this and I got 46. I am not surprised at all about this.
I had anorexia in my teens, and was finally diagnosed with depression and apparently an inability to deal with 'real life' and 'the world'.
You see, I started typing this and now I don't know how to end it, I am hihgly aware that I make everything about myself, not because I am selfish, but because I think that is how to have a conversation. I come across as being arrogant, self-centred, and wierd. I feel anxious about all types of social contact, so I would like to apologise if I appear to be hijacking your thread. I now think I sound stupid, hohum.

Deeeja, you don't sounds stupid at all. I write about me all the time

Marne, so sad to hear about dh's mum and your experiences of anxiety.

Flightattendant27, generally the only adults who've been diagnosed so far are the ones who have really outwardly noticeable ASDs. Most of us manage to disguise it well enough that most people never guess. The vast majority of people with an ASD are still 'out there', undiscovered, being treated for things they Don't Have or for things that are the result of living in a way that's totally unsuited for them.

If anyone is interested in finding out for sure, the National Autistic Society lists diagnostic people, or your GP can find one for you (er, eventually). Some people don't ever want to go for a formal diagnosis - it's very much a personal choice. It helped me a lot, though.

Quite a few people on here with a formal dx of an ASD, so plenty of people to ask things of.

Wow. Deeeja, you don't sound stupid, you sound like you're articulating how I feel inside. I dread social contact every single day - I have about 2 friends, the rest of the people I talk to are friendly people from school who try and get to know me, before giving me that 'look' and giving up in favour of someone more normal.

In the past I've been told the things I say offend people, but the person who said it couldn't explain how which left me feeling really confused and ashamed.

I just avoid anything that means having to interact as it's so stressful.

MN is easier for me than real life but even so I deregister out of shame and embarrassment every time I fuck up on here - thus the number at the end of my name.

Amber, thankyou for being so nice. When did you get diagnosed? I'm 35 now. I'd be so relieved if it was the answer to what's wrong with me. Often I feel quite happy and cheerful despite being rather lonely - so it seems strange to say I'm 'depressed'. Sometimes of course it does hit full blast and everything seems pointless for a while - but I'm really wondering now.

I rang the NAS helpline and they're sending me a pack, also told me to try and get referred for an assessment by the GP.

I've been assessed in the past a fw times by psychiatrists but they never mentioned ASD or AS. Apparently not many of them are trained to assess it which might explain.

Flightattendant27, your social problems sound like most of us with an ASD. If I had a £ for every time I've said something and discovered it was Very Rude for some unknown reason , I'd be rich.

I've known for about 5 years, and have been dx'd by two different methods over that timescale, both ending up with "oh yes!" as the answer. But I didn't really have a clue until I was a few years older than you are now, so lived much of my life in a very aspie-like way but without realising why.

Standard psychiatrists have little clue about adult ASDs as yet. Even the proper diagnostic people are still learning about it, because so few adults have been discovered as yet and a lot of what they had assumed about us has turned out to be untrue/misleading. They've only just discovered the sensory stuff (hypersensitive or undersensitive to things like sound, flickering lights, touch, tastes, textures, smells etc) and they only found out about it by reading the books we were writing about our lives. As it wasn't on the questionnaires they'd written, we didn't mention it (being very literal people )

Hint to medical professionals: Listen to your clients first, then design questions about it afterwards

After having several children, the majority of which seem and/or are Dx'd ASD, it has come to our attention that its very possible that both me and Dh are on the spectrum somewhere. Out of interest we just took the test too... we both scored 40 (on different things) but it isnt much of a surprise and we are happy with our lives.

...our socially inept, factually correct, very routine lives

i scored 9, my husband did this test some years ago and got over 40, we have 3 children all of them have autism, My DH accepted that he had AS thou he never went for DX, my DH semed to get more autistic then he was DX with a brain tumour, i do wonder about the cross over now and wonder what was down to the AS and what was down to the brain tumour, DH would have been good for the doctors to look at for research, sadly he died in june so that won't happen now. DH had an identical twin who has similar difficulties to Steve they would have made an interesting case study.

Hi OJ

Thankyou. Hope it hasn't brought up too many sad feelings.

Wow 9 though, you must be a very sociable person!

I had heard it can be hereditary.

I did my mum with the test last night. She reckons she has OCD and social phobia, but surprise surprise all her answers were coming back with the same scores as me.

Miss C&S, I envy you being so contented. It must be lovely having such an understanding of each other.