Aspies For Freedom

I'm not sure if this post fits the category of News and Media, but I prefer to post this in an area in which there is not restricted access.

Some aspies have expressed a wish for some kind of objective AS test. I would like it if AS/autism could be diagnosed by a neurologist using some kind of physical test or performance test. I think this might help to eliminate the problem of biased judgements or conflicting interests of clinicians. I have stumbled across a test in which autistic people are supposed to score at an extreme end of the range of scores, but I'm not sure how usable or reliable the very basic test is.

A while ago I was listening to this radio show episode http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bigidea/stories/s1270499.htm
In this radio show Prof. Jack Pettigrew explained 30.38 minutes into the radio show that autistic people have gotten extreme scores in the brain switch test, even more extreme than people who have bipolar disorder. The likeable Australian professor is open about the fact that he himself has bipolar. I have not been able to find any mention of the scores of autistics in the brain switch test in any research paper, so I can only take the prof's word that autistics get distinctive scores on this test.

This is a link to Prof. John (Jack) Pettigrew's own page http://www.uq.edu.au/nuq/jack/jack.html that includes links to his research papers, including papers about about interhemisheric switching and also its relationship with bipolar, and other interesting items.

This is a link to the TV show story summary that briefly explains Pettigrew's brain switch, and gives a link to the test itself http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1063853.htm

I invite aspies and NTs to have a go at the test accessible from the Catalyst web site, and take part in the poll if they wish to. I'm not sure if different brain switch tests can be accessed through the professor's page.

I tried the test when it was televised while watching the TV show in March last year while the family were squabbling. I unreliably recall getting a score of 4 under poor test conditions. I tried the test online recently, and found that any kind of eye movement or blink seems to disrupt the test, and the dots seemed to take a long time to fully disappear sometimes. I got scores of 3 to 4.

I had trouble understanding what I was supposed to do and how it should work. After working it out I got 7.
I think there was something similar as a test that was linked from the old Aspergia board.

Greetings,

I have just taken the image and made a javascript version of the test (easier for timing purposes).

You can get it here :-

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/wolfrider/brainswitch.html

That is much easier! Thanks Wolfy.

I scored 3, and now I have known why I've been looking into so much into details. Even though I can play an instrument such as a keyboard, I can't play an instrument and read sheet music at the same time because its too much for me. I can pick up music by ear, even the details such as chords, bass, drums etc.

Noetic, do you notice when you change from one mode to the other? Does anything noticeable happen?

The waking with a jolt after sleeping a few seconds thing might be the hypnagogic state, which is a thing that all people get when falling asleep. Sometimes it can feel like falling which can be terrifying and wake a person up. I believe the falling sensation sometimes experienced in sleep or dreams is caused by mild seizure activity.

Noetic, do you ever get hypnogogic hallucinations? I do, its where you hear noises, or for some people imagine they see things, as you are drifting off to sleep.
Do you ever get the feeling when you are sitting down that you are asleep and have just woken up, even though you have been just sitting there, like a sleepy daydream?

I scored 3 on the video test, and 4 on wolfys.

Sometimes I wake up thinking I have been doing the same thing over and over in my dreams, trying something and not being successful and trying again ...

I know what you are describing, Noetic, and I get that too, but I think the dream type is a different thing, something to do with anxiety maybe. A bit like dreaming that you have OCD. :?

I had problems deciding whether the dots had left the screen, or merely faded (which made it very difficult to remain focused on one dot) so it's pretty inconclusive, I got 3, 4 or 5, depending on how much "fade" I used as my criterion.

Interesting though.

Becca, I am appalled that you were misdiagnosed with psychosis just because you couldn't keep up with some things. Psychosis is a serious thing. It is supposed to be a state in which one is completely and demonstrably irrational. I don't understand how any competent doctor coud make such a grave mistake.

Noetic wrote

I wouldn't dream of taking Prozac.  

I tried the test again and got scores from 1 to 4. I found it easiest to focus on the bottom yellow dot, as I don't see the dot next to the one I'm focusing on when I blink then.

From what I read on the original page, the switch occurs only dots come back - so I tend to go with 100% fade - also because when they come back they can be faded.  It is always a sudden event when they come back.

I wish you the best of luck, Becca. I would be interested to hear about your experiences as a student and whatever you choose to do after that. I got pretty good marks at uni studying psych years ago because I had read about a lot of of the research and ideas in the course before I started the course.