Do you ever think you could be a bit autistic?

😁 Sorry, I was trying to be funny in a Life of Brianesque type of way.

The Issues with Saying That “Everyone Is a Little Autistic” | by Ines May | ArtfullyAutistic | Medium

Because it's AH a 3 minute symphysis will do.

@OscarMIlde I empathise with you, truly.

The way i see it, speaking from my own point of view, being an autistic person. The spectrum is so wide, being highly functional is a load of ****.

Highly functioning in my eyes, can be seen as having a job, house, family, etc. That's what society see's. Anyone with Autism struggles with life! from "highly functioning to being completely

incapacitated", that is the spectrum. Not human traits and it's disingenuous to subscribe it otherwise.

Personally, I’d be wary of articles like that written by autism advocates. Their explanation of the idea of a spectrum isn’t the problem, but then they go and argue the same way they’re trying to address as being wrong, when they give examples like this -

My doctor recently referred to my autism is “mild.” I gently pointed to my psychologist’s report which stated that my executive dysfunction as being greater than 99th percentile.

“That means I am less functional than 99% of people. Does that seem mild to you?” I asked her.

It’s not their autism, it’s a diagnosis of autism, using objective criteria to form a diagnosis, as opposed to just focusing on a single criteria that doesn’t fit the profile and can therefore mean that their diagnosis isn’t what it is, whether it’s moderate, mild or severe autism. It’s a diagnosis that’s made as a whole, not just its constituent parts.

Thought terminating cliches aren’t particularly useful either, like “if you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism”, because it’s misleading, autism isn’t a personality trait, it’s a neurological development disorder, and professionals haven’t stopped trying to understand it. They would if they were to take any heed of thought-terminating cliches like the above, and then there would be even less support and research done into the condition in order to understand it.

From a clinical standpoint (as opposed to an advocacy standpoint), there are three levels, or degrees of severity, of autism -

There are three levels of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which are described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5).

Each person with ASD is further diagnosed with either ASD level 1, level 2, or level 3, depending on how severe their disorder is and how much support they need in their daily life.1

The levels range from least to most severe, with ASD level 3 describing an individual who has the most severe level of ASD symptoms, and ASD level 1 describing someone with symptoms on the milder end of the spectrum.

This article discusses the symptoms that are typical of each of the three ASD levels. It also includes realistic examples of the strengths and limitations that are unique to each level.

https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-the-three-levels-of-autism-260233

Yes. Autism in a condition that can be crippling for people and for those around them. But there's been this weird movement, almost, in the last 10 years to try and normalise it, for want of a better word. As if it's something that's ranges from a sort of mild tic to an untapped superpower and not what it really is, which is a mental disorder that needs careful and special treatment.

We now have people wondering if their "on the spectrum", because they might have an odd habit or two, or feel a bit uncomfortable in a large crowd of strangers. That's like wondering if you have Tourette's because you utter a few curse words every so often.

I'll let you know when they're available for you to study. 😉

WTF? Of course it lends legitimacy. Your "morphing" point is just bizarre. BTW he's Borats's cousin so looks like you're not great on attention to detail either. All you've done on this thread is posted rambling nonsense plus dug yourself into a hole over something you said to a work colleague.

These sort of threads are quite funny - they are in AH and meant to be light hearted yet always get lots of po faced, dismissive "experts". Same with any thread on anything related to psychology, Briggs Myers, dark triad, IQ etc.

"That's not autism, THIS is autism"

I knew that posting my honest score from Borat's cousin's (happy now?) test would draw this out and looks like it has.

Ah, so it's inconsequential now - yet was used as part of your bizarre "morphing" point in this thread. I know exactly what you were at - you thought that by pointing out that I had referred to him as Borat's brother (cousin) in one post and subsequently referred to him as Prof Baron Cohen, that I was trying to add weight to my point. If you're going to go for that gotcha, at least get your details right.

As for the other stuff, so Baron Cohen's and Gilberg's publications and reputations don't lend any legitimacy to their research - so whose research is legitimate then? Your research? Or nobody's?

LOL

AQ test was designed in early to mid 90s the questions are very dated now go to a theatre or library can you remember phone numbers and dates. Last I heard there are many trying to develop a digital age friendly test but of the 50 questions on the AQ test many would still remain or be altered ever so slightly to be relatable to modern day situations.

I’m not persisting with the Borat thing because it’s not worth persisting with, and you wouldn’t be the first poster to have received an unexpected response to your post! It happens, oh boy does it happen! 😁

It’s a fair question as to how I determine what constitutes legitimate info and what doesn’t, and the answers pretty simple - by reading it. I don’t have to refute the validity of the test in terms of what it’s actually used for, and what its purpose is. It’s actually really useful in that context, but outside of that context, like the idea that it’s used to determine whether or not a person is autistic, that’s a claim that’s not even made by it’s authors, who caution against that sort of thing -

The authors cited a score of 32 or more as indicating "clinically significant levels of autistic traits". However, although the test is popularly used for self-diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders, the authors caution that it is not intended to be diagnostic, and advise that anyone who obtains a high score and is suffering some distress should seek professional medical advice and not jump to any conclusions.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism-spectrum_quotient

You were right the first time in not lending much weight to the idea of the results of an online test, but you were wrong in suggesting that because of it’s authors reputation, the test itself is somehow more useful in contexts where it isn’t.

Great contribution, Mr Rolleyes.

Again, looks like it needs to be repeated that the test mentioned in this thread is not some FB clickbait quiz. It was developed by a renowned expert on autism, to be used as a tool, not as a substitute for a proper evaluation. Still, it's more than sufficient for a light hearted thread in AH. Suggest you refer back to my post about how po faced, dismissive "experts" always appear in these type of threads to rubbish everything.

Also, given the massive and well documented problems getting to see a GP, getting a GP to see patients for more than 2 minutes, bullsh*t phone consultations, getting a GP to do anything apart from sending patients to A&E for minor issues - then yes, Webmd starts to look like a decent option. So that point isn't the gotcha you think it is.

I'm 90% sure I have a mild form of ADHD but you'd have to get a referral and several consultations done and then medication on top of that. I don't want the cost or the hassle never mind taking medication for the rest of my life. I'll just manage as I have the last 34 years.

I feel like that at the moment the likes of Autism and ADHD are becoming symptoms that are being medicated against to turn the patient into a some sort of neutral personality type.

Referrals aren't necessary. I say a site that had a list of people who can assess for ADHD/Autism and no referrals were necessary. However it does take months of waiting because the queues are long. And you could be looking at being a grand out of pocket.

If you want to go public I'd say you need a referral and you'd probably be years waiting. There's feck all available for adults in Ireland.

I'll see if I can dig out the links I have and post them here. You, or others, might find them helpful.