"The Spectrum"

[Ronson]

Try some of the other tests like The Aspie Quiz. IIRC one of the criticisms of the RAADS-R is that it uses absolute statements like the ones you mention. This is a problem because autistics are more likely to take the question more literally than a neurotypical and not be able to accurately answer too many of the questions. Now, scoring really low on one test and still having autism is possible, but when that happens it is usually due to understanding what the questions are trying to gauge.

I had a 174 total score on the test. The only one I scored relatively low on was the AQ50 and was in the 30's, but still above the threshold.

From the Embrace Autism site there is this criticism.

Source: Embrace Autism

Kendall:


A significant percentage of the statements are nearly impossible for me to answer or, have no appropriate answer. It feels like throwing a dart at times; no choice is accurate, just slightly more or less accurate.

That said, the test has a close to 100% success rate in differentiating autism from non-autism, despite these limitations.

© Copyright Original Source

On the same page they say people with autism rarely score lower than 44. I think that those who do score that low or lower are not able to answer accurately due to the wording.

I'm not really concerned about having autism. I'm a pretty shallow, gregarious sort of person IRL that is usually looking for shortcuts instead of doing things by the book. Doesn't seem to fit the mold.

That's always possible, as people age they often become less tolerant of aggravations. Since you have a family member with autism there is a higher chance of having it yourself.

Only related to him by marriage. And yes, my general impatience increases with age. Part of that is due to seeing people trying to reinvent the wheel - or trying to make Marxism work.

[Cerebrum123]

I'm confused about the scale of the test NR linked to. It seems to indicate that it goes up to 30 as the highest level of 20-30 indicates "strong likelihood", but you all are mentioning higher numbers.

That seems to be incorrect numbers. The AQ50, if it is the one in that link, is 1-50 as a score. 26-31 is a borderline score, anything higher than that makes it very likely the person has ASD.

[Cerebrum123]

I'm not really concerned about having autism. I'm a pretty shallow, gregarious sort of person IRL that is usually looking for shortcuts instead of doing things by the book. Doesn't seem to fit the mold.

That's not too different from a friend of mine.

Only related to him by marriage. And yes, my general impatience increases with age. Part of that is due to seeing people trying to reinvent the wheel - or trying to make Marxism work.

Oops, sorry I misread that as your brother earlier. I wrote that response not long after I woke up.

[NorrinRadd]

Aspie Quiz says I'm probably a muggle.

Or a "mundane" in Babylon-5 Psi Corps parlance.

[Sparko]

On this bit --

Once upon a time, my IQ was 145. But after junior high, starting with my sophomore year in high school, my grades did not *quite* live up to my standardized test scores. Already by then I was just vaguely realizing I did not have quite as much drive and energy as some other kids. There were two other kids in my graduating class with mid-140s IQs, and they were both able to work part-time AND engage in extracurricular activities and still graduate in the top 10. I did not do much outside of schoolwork, and still graduated lower than they (15th).

-- I forgot to mention that I also intentionally skimped on "electives" so that I'd be able to nap once or twice a day in study halls.

You sound like me. My IQ tested at 135 and I basically skimmed through school but I had no real "drive" - I just wanted to get through high school and be done with it. It wasn't till after high school that I found some passions and put myself into them: Electronics and Computers. I still didn't want a 4 year college so I went to a vocational school for electronics and the rest is all self-taught. I got away with that professionally because there really wasn't any computer degrees back then. Computer Science was all about mainframe computers and programming in FORTRAN and crap like that that didn't translate into the new world of PCs and the Internet. I eventually took a couple of years of community college when I was in my 30s for Graphic Design.

I am basically a Jack of All Trades, Master of None. My interests are what drive me to self-learn but I hated institutionalized learning. Still do. I have always wanted to know "how things work" - I used to take things apart as a kid to figure them out. So I like to study astronomy, biology, physics, electronics, automotive, mechanics, etc to learn how things work, but don't have the drive to become a complete expert in any field (other than electronics and computer operations)

[NorrinRadd]

You sound like me. My IQ tested at 135 and I basically skimmed through school but I had no real "drive" - I just wanted to get through high school and be done with it. It wasn't till after high school that I found some passions and put myself into them: Electronics and Computers. I still didn't want a 4 year college so I went to a vocational school for electronics and the rest is all self-taught. I got away with that professionally because there really wasn't any computer degrees back then. Computer Science was all about mainframe computers and programming in FORTRAN and crap like that that didn't translate into the new world of PCs and the Internet. I eventually took a couple of years of community college when I was in my 30s for Graphic Design.

I am basically a Jack of All Trades, Master of None. My interests are what drive me to self-learn but I hated institutionalized learning. Still do. I have always wanted to know "how things work" - I used to take things apart as a kid to figure them out. So I like to study astronomy, biology, physics, electronics, automotive, mechanics, etc to learn how things work, but don't have the drive to become a complete expert in any field (other than electronics and computer operations)

I had several problems in college:

-- My math skills are good, and I usually got As, except for one teacher that I had in 9th and 11th grades. But the other kids with IQs similar to mine -- or even lower, based on SAT and DAT scores -- did well in his classes. Turns out my basic math ability is good -- 98th percentile on DAT and SAT -- but not as good as my verbal. My parents, guidance counselors, and I should have been more aware of that before my going into electrical engineering. I do remember a weird "uh-oh" feeling on looking at my entrance pamphlet. It showed my math scores being nice and high compared to other enrollees in general, but not nearly so good compared to others in EE.

-- It literally took me several years to figure out that actually "doing" the homework, not just memorizing the formulas and following along in class, was hugely valuable. Math classes are not like other classes, especially in college.

-- It also took me several years to realize I did not really "like" electrical engineering. I slogged my way to a degree just to get done with it.

-- There was also the problem that I did not adjust well to being away from home and on my own, or to the fact that some girls actually showed interest in me and lived in the same building.

-- I was not mature enough to realize except on a sort of unconscious "vague feeling" level that engineering was likely to be a high-stress career, and I have never learned to handle stress well. But that vague perception helped dampen my enthusiasm for the field.

[Sparko]

I had several problems in college:

-- My math skills are good, and I usually got As, except for one teacher that I had in 9th and 11th grades. But the other kids with IQs similar to mine -- or even lower, based on SAT and DAT scores -- did well in his classes. Turns out my basic math ability is good -- 98th percentile on DAT and SAT -- but not as good as my verbal. My parents, guidance counselors, and I should have been more aware of that before my going into electrical engineering. I do remember a weird "uh-oh" feeling on looking at my entrance pamphlet. It showed my math scores being nice and high compared to other enrollees in general, but not nearly so good compared to others in EE.

-- It literally took me several years to figure out that actually "doing" the homework, not just memorizing the formulas and following along in class, was hugely valuable. Math classes are not like other classes, especially in college.

-- It also took me several years to realize I did not really "like" electrical engineering. I slogged my way to a degree just to get done with it.

-- There was also the problem that I did not adjust well to being away from home and on my own, or to the fact that some girls actually showed interest in me and lived in the same building.

-- I was not mature enough to realize except on a sort of unconscious "vague feeling" level that engineering was likely to be a high-stress career, and I have never learned to handle stress well. But that vague perception helped dampen my enthusiasm for the field.

I sucked at math like Algebra, but was pretty good at math like Geometry and Trigonometry. I guess because I am a "visual" thinker. I could "see" the answer in geometry because it was dealing with real world things like shapes and angles. Algebra not only bored me but seemed too "technical" or theoretical to me.

But I never really had any problem with math in Electronics. It was mostly just basic formulas for calculating current, resistance and so on. Again, linked to something physical so easier to visualize.

[Cerebrum123]

Aspie Quiz says I'm probably a muggle.

Or a "mundane" in Babylon-5 Psi Corps parlance.

Always a possibility, especially given you had a borderline score on the AQ50, but it is also possible that your score on The Aspie Quiz is an anomaly. That's why they suggest you take multiple of the online tests if you suspect you might have autism.

[Cow Poke]

Online tests are unreliable. Best to talk to your doctor about any potential neurodivergence. Pretty sure many twebbers aren't neurotypical anyway.

This is about me, isn't it?

[Cerebrum123]

This is about me, isn't it?

At this point it wouldn't surprise me if over 90% of TWeb doesn't fall into the category of "neurotypical". So, maybe?

[Sparko]

At this point it wouldn't surprise me if over 90% of TWeb doesn't fall into the category of "neurotypical". So, maybe?

You could probably extend that to the entire internet.

[Cow Poke]

At this point it wouldn't surprise me if over 90% of TWeb doesn't fall into the category of "neurotypical". So, maybe?

Some day, I'd really like to talk to somebody about this whole "spectrum" thing, because I've seen it abused (in my opinion) where a parent will dismiss the bad actions of a child because "well, he has autism". One of my sisters is like that with her grandsons, and these kids just don't even try to behave, because they have this "excuse".

[Sparko]

Some day, I'd really like to talk to somebody about this whole "spectrum" thing, because I've seen it abused (in my opinion) where a parent will dismiss the bad actions of a child because "well, he has autism". One of my sisters is like that with her grandsons, and these kids just don't even try to behave, because they have this "excuse".

Actual kids with autism generally are quiet and shy not loud and obnoxious. They can get overwhelmed and lash out but mostly they want to be left alone.

[Cow Poke]

Actual kids with autism generally are quiet and shy not loud and obnoxious. They can get overwhelmed and lash out but mostly they want to be left alone.

That was my impression, so it really seems odd to defend aggressive or obnoxious behavior. It's a green light to these kids to act up.

[Cerebrum123]

You could probably extend that to the entire internet.

Seems to be more very specific areas of the internet. I've been in a lot of different kinds of internet sites, and outside of very specific areas the ratio isn't nearly as skewed.