Hello all,
I stumbled on something while I was filling in a questionnaire for diagnosis. The Autism Research Centre asked if I matched all 10 "Key Features of Asperger’s Syndrome". They didn't include the list in the literature I sent, but I remember seeing it before on their website somewhere. On that website (I can't find it now) they said that you have to fulfil ALL TEN of the criteria to be considered an aspie. These are:
• finds social situations confusing
• finds it hard to make small talk
• good at picking up details and facts
• finds it hard to work out what other people are feeling
• can focus on certain things for long periods
• can appear rude
• has unusually strong narrow interests
• does things in inflexible repetitive way
• has difficulty making friends
• tends to turn conversations back on themselves or to own topic of interest
Now, correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Asperger's a spectrum disorder and therefore not in anyway uniform or as wide-ranging as this? I only match 8 of these. I'm getting a bit worried about Baron-Cohen and the Cambridge people and thinking that all the useful stuff I have learnt on this forum about the way Aspie's think and feel (which has helped my own self-diagnosis) is wrong and that maybe I'm not aspie at all and just a weird freak. Arrrgh!
I didn't know you could look like an Aspie. I don't look like you though..... ;p)
AndyN! I think all 10 apply to me, though in varying degree. But, it seems highly inflexible of the doc-doctors to say such a thing that one has to meet every one of these to be aspergian. It is actually quite hard to answer each of these "questions". For me to arrive at the most truthful answer I would have to find situations in my own life and past that can apply to these in one way or the other and that takes time. It has to because of the seriousness of the outcome.[/color]
• finds social situations confusing
• finds it hard to make small talk
• good at picking up details and facts
• finds it hard to work out what other people are feeling
• can focus on certain things for long periods
• can appear rude
• has unusually strong narrow interests
• does things in inflexible repetitive way varies
• has difficulty making friends
• tends to turn conversations back on themselves or to own topic of interestvaries[color=black]
AndyN! I think all 10 apply to me, though in varying degree. But, it seems highly inflexible of the doc-doctors to say such a thing that one has to meet every one of these to be aspergian. It is actually quite hard to answer each of these "questions". For me to arrive at the most truthful answer I would have to find situations in my own life and past that can apply to these in one way or the other and that takes time. It has to because of the seriousness of the outcome.[/color]
• finds social situations confusing
• finds it hard to make small talk
• good at picking up details and facts
• finds it hard to work out what other people are feeling
• can focus on certain things for long periods
• can appear rude
• has unusually strong narrow interests
• does things in inflexible repetitive way varies
• has difficulty making friends
• tends to turn conversations back on themselves or to own topic of interestvaries[color=black]
I can only pick one from that last which is can appear rude when i do not mean it.
All ten apply to me as well, though as mentioned before, they vary in intensity and frequency. I can't recall ever reading about the last one being an important Aspie trait before (• tends to turn conversations back on themselves or to own topic of interest), but now that I think about it, in nearly every conversation in which I engage myself, I end up talking about snakes or freshwater fish (and usually get strange or bored looks from the people I'm talking to).
I knew I did it some of the time, but when I read that and I tried recalling as many recent (real) conversations as I could, I realized they all ended with me talking about snakes or fish. Crap.
• finds social situations confusing
Yes, but Aspergians who learn how to socialize with NTs won't be as overwhelmed.
• finds it hard to make small talk
Yes. And Aspies don't see the point, either.
• good at picking up details and facts
Usually. Not always.
• finds it hard to work out what other people are feeling
Usually. Not always.
• can focus on certain things for long periods
Yes
• can appear rude
Maybe.
• has unusually strong narrow interests
Yes
• does things in inflexible repetitive way
Yes
• has difficulty making friends
Usually
• tends to turn conversations back on themselves or to own topic of interest
Yes
I don't think you need to have all ten, just match a lot of them.
I think you have to have all ten in order to have ASPERGER'S.
I only have six, so I only have ASPERG_ _ _ _.
Cleopatra only scored three yesses, so she had ASP_ _ _ _ _ _ _.
LOL. I match all ten. But I really do try not to be rude.
All ten would apply to me.
Except for the one that says "does things in inflexible repetitive way". Sometimes I feel like doing something different, e.g. not sitting on the same seat (where I always sit) on the bus, or trying a different flavor of ice cream. All the other features apply to me.
All 10 apply to me, some a bit more than others but they all apply.
I try to act as polite as possible all the time, but sometimes I make a mistake and end up being rude.
I try not to talk about myself or my interests, though but if I do I am always bringing the converstation back to them.
I also like to try new things, but I prefer the old things.
• finds social situations confusing (slightly agree)
• finds it hard to make small talk (definitely disagree)
• good at picking up details and facts (slightly agree)
• finds it hard to work out what other people are feeling (definitely agree)
• can focus on certain things for long periods (definitely agree)
• can appear rude (slightly disagree)
• has unusually strong narrow interests (definitely disagree)
• does things in inflexible repetitive way (definitely disagree)
• has difficulty making friends (slightly agree)
• tends to turn conversations back on themselves or to own topic of interest (definitely disagree)
Ok, so I will compare myself with two other friends I knew with Aspergers (both dead now)
situation me friend 1 friend 2
finds social situations confusing yes yes yes
finds it hard to make small talk yes, yes yes
but learned
good at picking up details and facts yes yes yes
finds it hard to work out what yes yes yes
other people are feeling
can focus on certain things for yes yes don't know
long periods
can appear rude yes yes no
has unusually strong narrow interests yes yes don't know
does things in inflexible repetitive way yes yes don't know
has difficulty making friends yes ?bought yes
friends
tends to turn conversations back
on themselves or to own topic yes yes yes,
of interest both were rather quiet
so I couldn't say they did it too often.
I don't know any other real life persons (not internet pals) that have Asperger's at the moment. Unfortunately both of these people are dead. One committed suicide and the other's death was ruled accidental but I think it was suicide.
Use courier new as a font.
I don't think you need to have all ten, just match a lot of them.
Meiloyn,
I have all ten, except I don't often appear as rude. That's just occasionally.
All the rest I match with about 80% intensity.
I've got AS, and I've got it bad.
No, you are just a big aspergian.
Guys, get off the disorder style of describing. It's starting to piss me off.