# What is your Autism spectrum quotient? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324 "2011-12-15T19:16:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hi\_Medlo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hi\_Medlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Medlo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/21 "2011-12-15T20:28:50Z")
1. I always suspected that about me. ---
**Author:** ![Deegeea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Deegeea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deegeea)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/22 "2011-12-15T20:30:47Z")
Agree: 2,4,5,6,7,12,13,16,19,22,23,26,33,39,43,46: 1 point Disagree: 8,10,11,14,15,17,24,25,31,34,37,38,44: 1 point Score: 29 interesting. Not exactly what I expected out of a test for this topic. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/23 "2011-12-15T20:32:06Z")
24, though I might have changed a few answers with more thought. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/24 "2011-12-15T20:32:57Z")
> [@yanceylebeef](#): > > 1. > > Not autistic, or artistic. Ha. Going through that test, it struck me how many questions could be answered “definitely” by anyone seriously creative/artistic. Also, a lot of the questions described traits that could be explained by introversion just as well as social ineptitude. I got a 19. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/25 "2011-12-15T20:36:01Z")
27 ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/26 "2011-12-15T20:36:41Z")
I got a 19. Not autistic. Just your garden-variety nerd/geek. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/27 "2011-12-15T20:38:32Z")
23 ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/28 "2011-12-15T20:40:55Z")
Lucky 7. Out of curiosity, I also took it again, answering for a friend I’ve always suspected of being somewhere on the Autism spectrum, and got a 34. It was tricky, though - I tried to answer what I know to be true about my friend, rather than how she would answer. Part of her problem, as I see it, is that while she’s bad at social interaction, she’s completely unaware (or in denial) of that fact. On the contrary, she sees herself as a bit of a social butterfly. So for questions like “I know how to tell if someone listening to me is getting bored,” and “I find it easy to work out what someone is thinking or feeling just by looking at their face,” I know from personal observation that she’s terrible at both of these, but she would say she’s normal or even very good at them. And there are other, similar discrepancies between what she would say her preferences and interests are, and how she actually behaves. My point being, I wonder if there are a lot of people in that situation, who display some autistic characteristics, but lack the self- (and other-) awareness to realize that the way others perceive them is very different from how they perceive themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/29 "2011-12-15T20:46:32Z")
37! I win! Er, what was the prize again? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/30 "2011-12-15T20:48:43Z")
14 ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/31 "2011-12-15T20:56:10Z")
1. Although most of that is because I would rather be alone than with other people most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/32 "2011-12-15T21:19:47Z")
Agree: 4,6,7,12,13,16,18,23,46: 1 point Disagree: 8,11,15,29,38,49: 1 point Score: 15 And a few of the questions were definitely a “depends”. Library over party? Museum over theater? Well, which library, who’s at the party, which museum and what show? ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/33 "2011-12-15T21:36:04Z")
OK. 20. Weird questions, seemed to be trying to pick out cats who would rather stare at rnd numbers than any live being – we call them creatures, but, actually, in Acturian, they call them ‘cows.’ ---
**Author:** ![Tracyfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@Tracyfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracyfish)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/34 "2011-12-15T21:44:10Z")
1. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/35 "2011-12-15T21:49:31Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > And a few of the questions were definitely a “depends”. Library over party? Museum over theater? Well, which library, who’s at the party, which museum and what show? I agree. The ‘museum vs theatre’ question seemed especially ridiculous. I gave up at that point. I bale on any survey where I have to say “it depends” to too many questions. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/36 "2011-12-15T21:53:36Z")
1. And people have asked me before if I have Asperger’s. I have a friend I’ve known since 3rd grade who does; she and I are nothing alike. I am a little odd and introverted, though, and I have ADD-PI and issues with anxiety. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/37 "2011-12-15T21:54:44Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > I agree. The ‘museum vs theatre’ question seemed especially ridiculous. I gave up at that point. I bale on any survey where I have to say “it depends” to too many questions. This was my problem with it (and most similar tests), though I did tough it out. I don’t have any strong preference between theatres and and museums so it really boils down to the particular shows and exhibits involved. Just saying “a theatre” and “a museum” (or “a library” and “a party”) tells me next to nothing useful. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/38 "2011-12-15T21:55:35Z")
I took this test a couple of years ago, and scored pretty high- I think it was around 25? But I’m just highly sensitive and very shy, so I think that really skews the results. But I _am_ a very good driver, a very good driver. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/39 "2011-12-15T21:58:42Z")
13 I have social anxiety (but once I get into the social situation I flourish). I also am very detail oriented and like structure. Those are the areas I scored my points. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324/40 "2011-12-15T21:59:19Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Lucky 7. > > Out of curiosity, I also took it again, answering for a friend I’ve always suspected of being somewhere on the Autism spectrum, and got a 34. It was tricky, though - I tried to answer what I know to be true about my friend, rather than how she would answer. Part of her problem, as I see it, is that while she’s bad at social interaction, she’s completely unaware (or in denial) of that fact. On the contrary, she sees herself as a bit of a social butterfly. So for questions like “I know how to tell if someone listening to me is getting bored,” and “I find it easy to work out what someone is thinking or feeling just by looking at their face,” I know from personal observation that she’s terrible at both of these, but she would say she’s normal or even very good at them. And there are other, similar discrepancies between what she would say her preferences and interests are, and how she actually behaves. > > My point being, I wonder if there are a lot of people in that situation, who display some autistic characteristics, but lack the self- (and other-) awareness to realize that the way others perceive them is very different from how they perceive themselves. I have a male friend who I am 99.999% sure falls somewhere along the high-functioning Asbergers spectrum. Like your friend, he is completely unaware of his social ineptitude and is both baffled and hurt if told that his demeanor is not really acceptable or “normal.” He’s incapable of understanding these nuances without training. > [@](#): > > And a few of the questions were definitely a “depends”. Library over party? Museum over theater? Well, which library, who’s at the party, which museum and what show? Isn’t that par for the course for most internet not-really-for-educational-purposes-quizzes anyhow? It’s not like this is really valid. I knew going into it that I am actually a highly social, somewhat extroverted person, so for every ambiguous answer choice I answered as such; I self-censored as did anyone who answered this. Quizzes like this are for entertainment purposes only; mildly amusing and perhaps predictive or accurate but not really. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-autism-spectrum-quotient/606324.md?page=3)