Science lovers, how do you score on this?

[Evo]

I scored 25. I am extremely nerdy but overcame my shyness at a young age and am now in a leadership role.

Is there a key for scores? I'm great in social situations.

 

[Blenton]

20 here.

 

[sapphire_glow]

I got a score of 36.

 

[Andre]

Hmm, your wife's score is close to mine, and we're both well below the average score. Wonder if this is more a gender-detecting test ?

Oops would you think so? I scored 15

 

[Kurdt]

Oops would you think so? I scored 15

Does that mean that you're a woman Andre?

 

[robertm]

mine is 19




does it! I didn't read what's it about, I just go thruogh the questions directly

The aim of the survey seemed apparent to me in the questions.

Didn't you at lest read the short paragraph once you had completed the questions? Would seem rather odd to just go through the whole thing then post your score without being aware of what the point of the thing is.

The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) has been developed to measure the degree to which an
adult with normal intelligence has autistic traits. In this paper it is evaluated for its potential as
a screening questionnaire in clinical practice on one hundred consecutive referrals to a
diagnostic clinic for adults suspected of having Asperger Syndrome or high functioning autism
(AS/HFA). The results indicate that it has good discriminative validity and good screening
properties at a threshold score of 26. The implications of these results are discussed.

From; Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Vol. 35, No. 3, June 2005
http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/pubs/viewpub.asp?t=Screening%20adults%20for%20Asperger%20Syndrome%20using%20the%20AQ%20%3A%20diagnostic%20validity%20in%20clinical%20practice&d=2005_Woodbury-Smith_etal_ScreeningAdultsForAS.pdf"


Interesting that our average score is 27.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I didn't take the test. I note the following:

Psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen and his colleagues at Cambridge's Autism Research Centre have created the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, or AQ, as a measure of the extent of autistic traits in adults.

Although it has psychological implications, autism is a neurological disorder, not a psychological one. There already is a test for autism http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/overview_diagnostic_criteria.htm" . Many of the questions in Cambridge's test are irrelevant to the diagnosis.

The test is not a means for making a diagnosis, however, and many who score above 32 and even meet the diagnostic criteria for mild autism or Asperger's report no difficulty functioning in their everyday lives.

That would be because of questions like these:

4 I frequently get so strongly absorbed in one thing that I lose sight of other things
12 I tend to notice details that others do not.
19 I am fascinated by numbers.
23 I notice patterns in things all the time.
28 I usually concentrate more on the whole picture, rather than on the small details.
41 I like to collect information about categories of things (e.g., types of cars, birds, trains, plants).

It seems like a test to find out if the person is a scientist. Perhaps the entire test could be replaced with a single question: Are you a scientist?

 

[Danger]

I scored 20, but I strongly suspect that it would have been significantly different 7 or 8 years ago before I went on the Citalopram for ADD.
A few of the the questions were a bit ambiguous, and others somewhat inapplicable in my case. The first one, for instance, doesn't specify what activity is involved when it asks if I prefer to do things by myself or with others. If I'm working on something, either artistic or mechanical, I don't want anyone bothering me. A partner is pretty essential for sex, though, and I prefer to drink in groups.
As for the one about knowing when it's my turn to talk on the phone... pretty much the only people who call are W's nieces and nephew, in which case it's never my turn to talk. One of them in particular has kept me on the line for over an hour and a half upon several occasions. If she's playing music that she really likes, she'll sometimes put the damned handset down in front of a speaker and make me listen to a song before carrying on the conversation. (Or is it a conversation when only one person is talking?)

 

[Monique]

Place me in the control group: 17.

 

[27Thousand]

I didn't take the test. I note the following:

Although it has psychological implications, autism is a neurological disorder, not a psychological one. There already is a test for autism http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/overview_diagnostic_criteria.htm" . Many of the questions in Cambridge's test are irrelevant to the diagnosis.

Something to consider, regardless of whether the questions are relevant/irrelevant, all the peer-review research studies show that it does a fairly good job of telling the difference between those diagnosed vs. those not diagnosed. For example, 80% of AS/HFA scored above 32, while only 2% of the non diagnosed control group score above that. http://autismresearchcentre.com/tests/aq_test.asp How do we explain that? That CDC link you gave lists the diagnostic criteria, which is considered more accurate, because it's the official clinician diagnostic criteria. Obviously the AQ test isn't a final say, only official diagnostic criteria is. In addition to that, having the criteria met isn't good enough, but it also needs to be clinically impairing in important areas. However, that doesn't mean the AQ test can't be a fairly accurate "brief screening assessment".

It seems like a test to find out if the person is a scientist. Perhaps the entire test could be replaced with a single question: Are you a scientist?

Something to keep in mind, many who answered in this forum are scientifically minded, but didn't score very high on the AQ test. The average for the control group was 16. In one peer-review study, the average for the math olympiad winners was 25. However, the average for the clinical AS/HFA group was 36. Although there is "some" correlation with being scientifically minded, it would seem there's more to it than being nerdy or analytical. The reason I posted this was to see if I could replicate that scientifically minded people score higher than average. However, using the proof is in the pudding, it seems that the test averages and standard deviations separates AS/HFA from the scientific nerds (but only most of the time, it's still not as accurate as the diagnostic criteria and is only a good brief assessment).

Also consider that although some questions have to do with being scientific, at the same time there were quite a few questions not having to do with being scientific.

 

[27Thousand]

I scored 25. I am extremely nerdy but overcame my shyness at a young age and am now in a leadership role.

Is there a key for scores? I'm great in social situations.

Evo, there is a way to see how you compare. Keep in mind that it's not meant to diagnose, but rather be good at giving a brief assessment.

If you go to http://autismresearchcentre.com/tests/aq_test.asp and peer-review journal article "The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) : Evidence from Asperger Syndrome/High Functioning Autism, Males and Females, Scientists and Mathematicians
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 31:5-17", Table 5, it'll actually give you percentile rankings.

For each score, it mentions what percentage of those diagnosed with AS/HFA score above it, and control group scoring above.

For you personally, it says 94.8% of AS/HFA score above 25, while 9.8% of the control group does. Then breaking it up into gender, in the study, it looks like none of the women diagnosed with AS/HFA scored 25 or lower (although some men scored in the upper teens).

The average for math olympiad winners was 25, which I got from table 1.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Apparently I scored 29. I didn't think I would score that high. Of course I have trouble with these types of quizs because I tend to find them too general to be able to make an easy answer on a lot of the questions.

Like, "Do you enjoy meeting new people?" I was unsure how to answer. I do like to meet new people so long as they are people I like, but that doesn't happen very often.

And maybe my anal retentiveness regarding the questions means my score is about right.

 

[Integral]

21 for me.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

However, that doesn't mean the AQ test can't be a fairly accurate "brief screening assessment".

The brief one has more questions than the real one. The nature of the questions would be expected to screen for autism. However, the questions require an kind of inward examination that my own son would find difficult and he's on the spectrum. There is also an unnecessary unevenness in the questions that leaves me wondering how much thought went into them. Here's a pair:
4 I frequently get so strongly absorbed in one thing that I lose sight of other things.
23 I notice patterns in things all the time.
Why the words 'frequently', 'tend to', 'usually', and 'often' in the other questions, but 'all the time' in question 23?.

 

[27Thousand]

The brief one has more questions than the real one.

Keep in mind that the diagnostic criteria is not a questionnaire, nor designed to be self-diagnostic. A real diagnosis, with the criteria sheet from the CDC, may take hours. Just getting the results back may take a couple of months, for some. Then they have to interview parents, etc. Then it costs money. At least that's what those diagnosed as adults say.

Keep in mind the diagnostic sheet on the CDC's website isn't a questionnaire for patients, but rather it's diagnostic criteria. I guess someone can just tell themselves whether they fit the criteria, however there's always the possibility that patients won't know if the symptoms are severe enough to have something. Keep in mind that having symptoms, in self-diagnosis, is not enough. Everyone has symptoms. One must have it at the clinical impairment level for those areas. The Autism-Spectrum Quotient test is brief in the sense that an actual clinical diagnosis will take much time and cost something.

Consider that the AQ test has been tested across different cultures and people, results in Autism peer-review journals, and has been found to be a good brief assessment, even if not as accurate as a formal clinician diagnosis.

The nature of the questions would be expected to screen for autism. However, the questions require an kind of inward examination that my own son would find difficult and he's on the spectrum. There is also an unnecessary unevenness in the questions that leaves me wondering how much thought went into them. Here's a pair:
4 I frequently get so strongly absorbed in one thing that I lose sight of other things.
23 I notice patterns in things all the time.
Why the words 'frequently', 'tend to', 'usually', and 'often' in the other questions, but 'all the time' in question 23?.

It's not meant to be reader friendly for everyone on the spectrum. It's meant specifically for AS and HFA, rather than all with ASD. Even if they can't reflect on their emotions as well, and even if some questions are vague, when 80% of those diagnosed score above a 32 and only 2% of controls score above, how is that to be explained? Even if some questions are vague or not worded well, looking at forest from the trees, if it does a good job of telling the difference, don't you think that's what matters?

 

[RaStevey]

I scored 23... I can feel Jim Carrey creeping up behind me...

 

[Pythagorean]

Why the words 'frequently', 'tend to', 'usually', and 'often' in the other questions, but 'all the time' in question 23?.

"all the time" is a common accepted figure of speech for frequently. Of course, a stereotypical autistic would probably interpret it literally too.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

"all the time" is a common accepted figure of speech for frequently. Of course, a stereotypical autistic would probably interpret it literally too.

Or they may do a little bit of pattern matching and note the distinction in this question. It's a foolish thing to have in the test.

 

[endless06]

i got 27.

 

[fuzzyfelt]

11
(and I quite like being on my own)

 

[Evo]

Evo, there is a way to see how you compare. Keep in mind that it's not meant to diagnose, but rather be good at giving a brief assessment.

If you go to http://autismresearchcentre.com/tests/aq_test.asp and peer-review journal article "The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) : Evidence from Asperger Syndrome/High Functioning Autism, Males and Females, Scientists and Mathematicians
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 31:5-17", Table 5, it'll actually give you percentile rankings.

For each score, it mentions what percentage of those diagnosed with AS/HFA score above it, and control group scoring above.

For you personally, it says 94.8% of AS/HFA score above 25, while 9.8% of the control group does. Then breaking it up into gender, in the study, it looks like none of the women diagnosed with AS/HFA scored 25 or lower (although some men scored in the upper teens).

The average for math olympiad winners was 25, which I got from table 1.

What if the person taking the test is a misanthrope? I would put myself in that category, to some extent. I excel in social situations, but would prefer to not participate at all if I had the choice, and just not particularly fond of humans in general.

 

[vanesch]

I had 30.

 

[fuzzyfelt]

What is the average for flibbertigibbets?

 

[wolram]

I scored 26 is that good or bad?

 

[daniel_i_l]

I scored 18

 

[27Thousand]

Or they may do a little bit of pattern matching and note the distinction in this question. It's a foolish thing to have in the test.

Something I found interesting from the peer-review research on the test, even if there are questions that AS/HFA don't understand, since in test after test it's good at telling the difference from the control group, looking at the forest from the trees it would seem it's a good brief assessment. Yes, not as good as spending hours getting diagnosed and waiting maybe a month for results; however as a brief assessment many would see as reasonable. On post 41 there's a peer-review link for a distribution table, ex. if you score at such and such, _% of controls score that high and _% of AS/HFA score that high.

Another way some may look at it, if the wording of many questions is made more concrete, but at the same time the standardization/validity of the test doesn't actually go up, is anything accomplished at the bigger picture? Some ask, if you're going to reject a test, what matters more at the big picture level, how the questions sound or if it's good at telling the difference from the control group? Wording of questions may definitely improve what's there, but I don't know why it would be a reason to reject it at the big picture level?

 

[27Thousand]

What if the person taking the test is a misanthrope? I would put myself in that category, to some extent. I excel in social situations, but would prefer to not participate at all if I had the choice, and just not particularly fond of humans in general.

There's also Schizoid Personality Disorder, don't confuse with Schizophrenia! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoid_personality It's when they hate human interaction/avoid it to the point where it's clinical, without the obsessions/repetitiveness of AS/HFA, and many of the social skill problems. "Clinical" is the key word here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoid_personality#SPD_and_other_disorders

I was reading that some AS/HFA may hate human interaction, while some may want it but not have the social skills for it. However unlike Schizoid Personality Disorder, AS/HFA have the obsessions/repetitiveness that infers enough with daily living.

Since people with Schizoid Personality Disorder don't care that they avoid others, usually treatment is seen as unnecessary.

Then there's other things it could be as well.

And if something doesn't impair you enough, I wouldn't worry about it because then it's not supposed to be considered a disorder.

 

[27Thousand]

I scored 26 is that good or bad?

Post 41 has a peer-review link to a distribution table. In addition to that, what matters is if you think it impairs you enough in your functioning (significantly either the social, occupational, daily living, etc. areas).

 

[Kronos5253]

I got a 12

 

[BobG]

25.


I don't think that qualifies me for autism or Aspergers. I don't think I like the sound of Schizoid Personality Disorder (even if it isn't Schizophrenia).

Can't I pick a different mental illness?

I'm kind of depressed sometimes - at least 4 or 5 minutes a day. And I'm also having problems sleeping. For some reason, I've been waking up around 40 to 20 minutes too early every morning. What kind of mental illness does that qualify me for?