How autistic am I?
It’s not a formal diagnosis, but the Internet has a fairly reliable test.
We all wonder from time to time how well we understand our own minds. Especially when we hear the symptoms of a common condition like ADD, OCD or autism. It’s easy to see yourself in those descriptions.
And you might just be right.
Asking the Internet whether you have a condition has become a normal experience in our society. Most people now know the Web can’t diagnose you. We warn our friends not to WebMD themselves into a psychosomatic case of scarlet fever or syphilis.
Many people stay away from online advice … but many more scratch that mental itch. It’s good to have an online reference that might point you in the right direction.
After all, it’s only a finger pointing to what you might have. Even if it’s the list of questions psychologists use to diagnose autism.
The Internet has many places where you can take the test yourself. The one I’ll be using for this article is Psychology Tools, which hosts a huge number of interactive quizzes in the layout that diagnosticians use. Check it at the bottom of this article [1].
Even if you’re not firmly on the Spectrun, it can be a huge relief to know that you do have a few symptoms. In the Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) community, you would be what’s called a cousin — there’s not enough there for a diagnosis, but you’re definitely like us.
This quiz is for the Autism Quotient and is set up so you can test yourself. This is a godsend if you’re an adult. Autism screening is usually designed for children, since that’s when most cases are diagnosed. And there’s long been a misconception that autism is most noticeable in children, or worse, that only kids have autism.
The test for checking out your child is different, and has a really distinct feel. It’s called The Autism Spectrum Screening questionnaire. Check the end of this article for it [2].
You’ve probably noticed the big problem with assuming that autism only exists in kids: So many of us don’t get diagnosed as children. Whether we didn’t have access to the right kind of care, or our carers had other priorities, or something else happened to keep the diagnosis away, it’s normal for people in their 40s and 50s to learn that they’re on the Spectrum.
The other problem is that until a diagnostician sits with the child and gives an honest analysis, you have (a usually loving but) an extremely biased parent speaking for their child. They may be afraid of the diagnosis, or they may want their child to be autistic.
When you’re learning that you may have a condition, the lack of info can be jarring. That’s the other reason why an Autism Quotient is such a relieving first step.
What is the Autism Quotient?
Autism is a broad spectrum. Maybe you’re a little awkward, maybe you can’t tie your shoes. Because autism starts with a single genetic mutation, there’s a big butterfly effect that causes a few common things in everyone on the Spectrum, and a lot of individual quirks.
Your unique quirk could be a fixation on a very specific hobby, or that you keep reading a specific social cue wrong. No two cases are exactly the same.
The Autism Quotient tests those few highly specific common symptoms, especially the symptoms that survive into adulthood. Like many good screening tests for mental conditions, you need quite a high score to qualify. That means the average, neurotypical person can check how close they are to the Spectrum and get a detailed answer.
For example, the Screening questionnaire has statements about your child, like:
This child …
- is old-fashioned or precocious
- has a different voice or speech
- has involuntary face or body movements
The AQ test has questions about you, like:
- I prefer to do things the same way over and over again.
- I am fascinated by dates.
- I tend to have very strong interests, which I get upset about if I can’t pursue.
- I frequently find that I don’t know how to keep a conversation going.
- I am often the last to understand the point of a joke.
- I like to carefully plan any activities I participate in.
- I find it difficult to work out people’s intentions.
- When I talk on the phone, I’m not sure when it’s my turn to speak.
- I don’t particularly enjoy reading fiction.
- Other people frequently tell me that what I’ve said is impolite, even though I think it is polite.
This definitely sounds like me.
That’s good knowledge to have. Knowing yourself may be the best treatment. It could help to contact a diagnostician near you and find out for sure. The waiting list for adults is absolutely painless compared to that for children.
If you find out you are autistic, your life will be exactly the way it was yesterday.
Nothing has changed, you just have a name for the way you differ from others. Maybe you didn’t even notice yourself changing.
It doesn’t mean you suddenly have all those Hollywood autism stereotypes, like a need for sharp routine or a tendency to hurt yourself. If you’ve never noticed those things in yourself, chances are you don’t have them.
If you keep learning about yourself, and you’re willing to work on some things that might make your life easier, this is a huge chance for improvement. A psychologist can introduce strategies and handy life skills at a comfortable pace. You could read about what helps people on the Spectrum and try a few things.
Right now I’m wearing blue blocking glasses, have a daily meditation routine and have discovered I’m gluten intolerant. Every one of these realisations has given me the type of freedom I couldn’t imagine when I was an autistic child. Trust yourself to experiment and stay safe.
Footnotes:
[1] Autistic Spectrum Quotient questionnaire
[2] Autism Spectrum Screening questionnaire
