» Symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome (from an aspie perspective) » Think you might have Asperger’s syndrome?” If you know of any reputable tests (for Asperger’s or other co-morbid conditions), or would like to share your experiences of using these tests, please leave details in the comments below. In addition, the Autism Research Centre’s website (more Baron-Cohen) has a long list of downloadable tests covering many of the tests above, plus more. There is information on the same site about attention deficit conditions too. The Key 4 Learning website has a Dyspraxia Checklist and a Dyslexia Checklist, which will give you a good idea of whether it might be worth pursuing further assessment. One or both of these conditions often go hand-in-hand with Asperger’s. Even the research team acknowledge the results are only “averages” so don’t pay too much heed if your own results are different from what you expected. Many of the pictures were stereotypical, and thus easy to guess, but it should give an overall idea of ability.Īgain based on Baron-Cohen’s male vs female theory, is the Empathy Quotient Test (this version on The Guardian website), which aims to show that aspies are more “male” in their thinking. The Reading the Mind in the Eyes test, which shows thirty close-up photographs of people’s eyes only. The drawback is that some faces are easy to work out by elimination, and many voices can be guessed from the words spoken but overall, it’s an interesting assessment. You need to complete both tests before you get your score. The voice test is similar, with fifty sound bites to play, and four choices for each. Each video has four options to identify the expression. The best known is probably the Cambridge Mindreading Face-Voice Battery (also on the Aspie Tests site): the user is presented with fifty three-second videos of different facial expressions. These two tests are also from the Simon Baron-Cohen research team. I’ve also included a neurotypical graph, so you can see just how different that is on this scale. To illustrate this point, I’ve posted some graphs – all from formally diagnosed aspies – below. It does, however, generate another note of caution: do not be tempted to compare your graph with known aspies, and worry that you’re not aspie enough the range of bone-fide-aspie results is huge. Probably the most popular feature of the rdos test is the results graph, which provides a useful visual reference to those of us who like that sort of thing. (Musings of an Aspie has written a balanced review of it here.) Despite its questionable grounding in science, the rdos test does appear to identify a difference between neurotypicals and aspies. The more comprehensive 150-question Rdos Aspie Quiz, based on the controversial Neanderthal Theory, generates an in-depth report, and offers insight into the many different areas affected by Asperger’s syndrome. This is probably the best set of tests out there. The same website offers a range of tests, including the Cambridge Mindreading Face-Voice Battery (see below). This 70-question test, found on the Aspie Tests site, is considered a valid and reliable instrument to assist the diagnosis of adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Caution: results might be fun, but are not necessarily reliable. It has helped me to raise awareness amongst my NT friends, because while many people hear of a particular aspie trait and say, “oh, I do that kind of thing all the time,” this test shows them all the things they don’t do. You can also get the AQ test as an iPhone app, and have loads of fun testing other people. The simplest online test, and the one many people will find first, is the fifty-question Asperger’s Quotient (AQ) test, based on Simon Baron-Cohen’s contentious the Extreme Male Brain theory. Broadly speaking, they probably do give a good idea of whether or not to pursue an assessment, but don’t let them become a source of anxiety either way. Many of these tests are based on research that might not be that well grounded in science. Some of these are better than others, and caution should be taken when considering the results – particularly if you find yourself worrying that your results don’t match with those of other aspies. One of the first ways an undiagnosed aspie might try to determine his or her likeliness of having Asperger’s syndrome, is by taking one of the online tests. Think You Might Have Asperger’s Syndrome?.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |