Do YOU Have Autism? Take This Survey to Find Out!
The LA Times in their series on Autism last week referenced a British study that appeared to have found 1% of adults with the disorder, the equivalent to the rate among children right now, as a way to convince the public Autism really isn't an epidemic after all. Millions of adults with the disorder have been with us forever they tell us, unfortunately either misdiagnosed, in prison, or worse. The quest to find them has begun, and in Britain, they've already started.
I forgot about that study from 2007 and decided to go back today and look at what it found and how. I remembered it being pretty ridiculous, and sure enough, I was right.
Logic would dictate that if you were truly screening the adult population for Autism, you would subject them to the same DSM criteria children are, and that you would investigate as to whether or not they had those symptoms as children. Let's compare apples to apples, shall we? But no. That's not really what happened in this study. Instead, it starts with a survey, one that the adult answers themselves. (Think about that for a second.) Naturally, I decided to take it to see if I too would be flagged with possible Autism.
Here is the actual survey, called the AQ20, and here are my answers. (It's quite obvious the survey is strictly trying to identify people with Asperger's Syndrome. Muddying the waters to say 1% of adults with Asperger's is the same as 1% of children with Asperger's and Classic Autism is pretty neat trick, eh? And for what it's worth, over 5,000 of the 7,000 plus interviewees in this study qualified as possibly being Autistic based on it, making them initially eligible to move on to phase two. Seriously.)
Go ahead! Try it! Maybe you're Autistic too.
1. I prefer to do things over and over the same way. Yes. I like my laundry folded the same way all the time.
2. I often notice small sounds when others do not. Yes. Since being a mother, I can hear a whisper down the hall at midnight.
3. Other people often tell me what I've said is impolite, even though I think it is. Yes. When I talk about Autism with very little patience and creative curse words, this is usually the case.
4. I am fascinated by dates. Yes. I live my life by the calendar, no doubt.
5. I find social situations easy. Not always. Depends on the situation.
6. I tend to notice the details others do not. Yes. I was raised to.
7. I would rather go to a party than a library. Depends on the party.
8. I find myself drawn more strongly to people than things. Depends on the things. Depends on the people.
9. When I talk, it isn't always easy for others to get a word in edgeways. Often, yes. I'm an Irish-Catholic woman from the midwest. This is surprising?
10. When I'm reading a story, I find it difficult to work out the characters intentions. Depends on the writer. Some people are terrible story tellers.
11. I particularly enjoy reading fiction. Not lately.
12. I find it easy to make new friends. Yes, but harder as I've gotten older.
13. I know how to tell if someone listening to me is getting bored. Yes. This happens a lot with Autism talk.
14. I find it easy to do more than one thing at once. Easy? No. Can I? Yes.
15. When I talk on the phone, I'm not sure when it's my turn to speak. Cell phone? All the time. The delay kills me.
16. I find it easy to work out what someone is thinking or feeling just by looking at their face. Yes.
17. I like to collect information about categories of things (types of cars, etc.). Yes. I collect coffee mugs. And I really like coffee. Read a book about Starbucks.
18. I like to plan any activities I participate in carefully. Yes. I'm a control freak. Ask anyone.
19. I enjoy social occasions. Is my family there?
20. I am not very good at remembering people's date of birth. Thank goodness for Face Book.
Although this is sarcastic, the truth is that even without sarcasm, there were enough positive answers to move me to phase two. You?
Julie Obradovic is a Contributing Editor to Age of Autism.
Seems to me the author's answers show a lack of taking the questions seriously. Also there is a tendency towards narcissism and a lack of empathy towards others who have these real issues. Meanwhile in America the medical community tries to do all it can to shrug off the idea functioning adults can be in the new spectrum. So many good at their jobs but they have no home lives. Usually marked by several divorces also sadly. Lack of communication destroys a marriage if two people don't talk. Narcissism and lack of empathy are two traits.
Posted by: Tim | September 25, 2016 at 04:12 PM
I don't think all the questions are supposed to be answered 'yes' in order to qualify for autism. There are a few 'trick' questions. 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 19?
Posted by: Grace Green | June 09, 2015 at 12:13 PM
I just got my grandmothers letters to her BIL in his diaries. The letters discuss my 80+ year old Mom issues with delays in speech and social delays. Going though their letters back and forth spells out signs of undiagnosed autism Now I wish I had more info on Dads history.
Posted by: Vic | June 09, 2015 at 09:10 AM
I think I was born autistic. I have always been "different" I didn't talk well as I started school and had huge meltdowns so my sister was taken out of her class to figure out "what I was wanting". I heard noises most didn't and would say it's hurting my ears. I've always known I've had a " learning disability" but was never diagnosed with that either. I had sloppy handwriting and I spelled as words sound. Today as an adult there is so much talk about Autism, even one of my children have been diagnosed. The more I learn, the more I believe I have it. How do I find out? No ins. so is there any kind of free testing? Thank you
Posted by: Karen | March 22, 2015 at 06:01 PM
What's phase two???
Posted by: Allison Duddleston | February 21, 2013 at 06:49 PM
yes I have autism. I also have a history of miserable shot reactions. Might I suggest that the vaccines have effected us the parents and doubly so our poor children.
Posted by: Carly | December 20, 2011 at 07:17 PM
from the question summary i took from above its quite possible i do have a form of autism, via the questionare i had over 90 % yes to the survey., my daughter was diagnosised with it in recent yrs. and we also have a family connection via my nephew as well.
Posted by: cindy bigsby | December 20, 2011 at 01:43 PM
How can we complain in a coordinated fashion against this nonsense and the lies that the LA Times insists on printing ?
Posted by: Simpson Wood | December 20, 2011 at 05:14 AM
I believe I would score more autistic than my daughter, since she likes to think positively and would tend to answer affirmatively on most of these, maybe even all of these, but if she found the above quiz too abstract for such certainty, she would probably identify a yes/no pattern in the first few questions and continue, scientifically, to the end.
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | December 20, 2011 at 02:20 AM
I love it, although many answers required a NO for autism. I don't know if you qualify with many of your yeses? hee hee hee I on the other hand probably could in this list of questions! I have become quite non-social after numerous experiences trying to include my daughter with autism in activities. If it isn't all about her she can't handle it so we only get to do kid oriented things - so, I don't know how to behave at an adult function anymore! And I might know that people are getting bored but my whole life is centered around autism and special ed and therapy so I don't know what else to talk about! I know one adult who is about 50 with autism, he was diagnosed as a child and is very high functioning but still has great difficulty with social situations. He has a few friends with autism, and they are quite spread out, but he knows these guys mostly because his mom started a support group for the parents of adults with autism. He will tell you there weren't many kids like him in school when he was there and he is grateful to know a few people like him now.
Posted by: Linda Higgins | December 19, 2011 at 05:36 PM
My favorites:
3. Other people often tell me what I've said is impolite, even though I think it is.
and
9. When I talk, it isn't always easy for others to get a word in edgeways.
Hey, I'm from New York, you gotta problem with that???? But maybe it is my autism......LOL
Posted by: chantal Sicile-Kira | December 19, 2011 at 05:14 PM
cia parker
What you said:
"Exactly"
The epidemic of obesitiy, thyroid trouble, diabetes, drug abuse, increase in immune diseases, and mental problems, the very basic reason for increase of drug use in middle America are all there rolled up together.
Studies of long term effects of the DPT shots -- lets do them now - since we have several generations of long term victims of the DPT- the whooping cough shot. I would like to see James Cherry at the end of life, go through a public trial. I would like to see him sweat - finally! It would help me heal emotionally at least!
Posted by: Benedetta | December 19, 2011 at 03:53 PM
Obfuscation and public deception is the name of the game. It's the LA Times turn to carry the torch. This is just part of a massive public psych op.
Posted by: Sarah | December 19, 2011 at 10:46 AM
I totally agree that vaccines are causing our children's autism, I know the hep-B vaccine caused encephalitis in my newborn daughter, who was later diagnosed with autism. But she had acquired two words by 18 months of age, uh for up at the playground, and uff for dog. When she got the fourth DTaP at that age, her two words disappeared entirely, and she didn't say them or any other word until she was nearly three.
I say this to make the point that the first cases of autism, in the late '30s and early '40s, were caused by the pertussis vaccine, which continued to cause, and is still causing, many cases of both diagnosed and undiagnosed autism. Both my brother and I reacted to the DTP vaccine as infants in the late '50s. I reacted with days of inconsolable screaming and he with beating his head on the sides of the crib. We both grew up to be shy and awkward in dealing with people, and in our ability to speak, and, after I started to read a lot about autism after I realized my daughter had it, I realized that my brother and I both had Asperger's syndrome, doubtless because our brains were damaged by the DTP. Just off the top of my head, I had an acquaintance from the Sierra Club who, although he had had a full-time job for years, could not converse to save his soul, spoke very slowly, just couldn't put together his thoughts verbally. The husband of a friend is from Latin America, he can't put together a complete sentence in either Spanish or English (he's lived here for thirty years, and got a Ph.D., but was not able to find a professional-level job.) He often falls back on ineffectual gestures with his hands to try to express what he is unable to verbalize. My friend had dyslexia as a child (which didn't exist before the DTP) and anorexia as a young woman (which may be linked). My Italian ex-husband could only look at me with sidewise glances, had an irrational bad temper, and had great difficulty expressing himself in words, in both Italian and English (although he was a fluent and perceptive writer). His brother was even worse, less verbal, and completely unable to carry on social interaction, and had tried twice to commit suicide in his despair at his inability to fit in. What all these people had in common was DTP as children.
I understand and agree that a lot of bogus studies are being flung together in an attempt to discredit the vaccine/autism connection. But before our side tries to discredit their argument that a number of adults have autism, I think it would be better to remember that damaging vaccines did not start with the MMR. Vaccine rates started to skyrocket with the MMR and hep-B (and, in my opinion, the continued upward spiral has a lot to do with Prevnar). It wasn't one in eighty-eight who got some form of autism before the eighties, but whatever the number, it was there, and it crippled a lot of us for life.
Posted by: cia parker | December 19, 2011 at 10:38 AM
People with Cracker Barrel rocking chairs...surrender...we know you like to rock and we know *why* you like to rock!!!!! Just step away from the waiting porch...and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!
Posted by: Media Scholar | December 19, 2011 at 10:26 AM
Only a year ago we seemed to be so close....
December 18, 2010, CDC / Autism research breakthrough...
The search for a cure... Autism and Freeway proximity Heather Volk PHD
http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/12/living-near-freeway-autism-risk.html
What is Heather up to these days ???
Posted by: cmo | December 19, 2011 at 09:55 AM