Online Tests

One of the first ways an undiagnosed aspie might try to determine his or her likeliness of having Asperger’s syndrome, is by taking one of the online tests. Some of these are better than others, and caution should be taken when considering the results – particularly if you find yourself worrying that your results don’t match with those of other aspies. Many of these tests are based on research that might not be that well grounded in science. Broadly speaking, they probably do give a good idea of whether or not to pursue an assessment, but don’t let them become a source of anxiety either way.


Asperger’s Quotient Test
The simplest online test, and the one many people will find first, is the fifty-question Asperger’s Quotient (AQ) test, based on Simon Baron-Cohen’s contentious the Extreme Male Brain theory. You can also get the AQ test as an iPhone app, and have loads of fun testing other people. It has helped me to raise awareness amongst my NT friends, because while many people hear of a particular aspie trait and say, “oh, I do that kind of thing all the time,” this test shows them all the things they don’t do. Caution: results might be fun, but are not necessarily reliable.


Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale
This 70-question test, found on the Aspie Tests site, is considered a valid and reliable instrument to assist the diagnosis of adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The same website offers a range of tests, including the Cambridge Mindreading Face-Voice Battery (see below). This is probably the best set of tests out there.


Rdos Aspie Quiz
The more comprehensive 150-question Rdos Aspie Quiz, based on the controversial Neanderthal Theory, generates an in-depth report, and offers insight into the many different areas affected by Asperger’s syndrome. Despite its questionable grounding in science, the rdos test does appear to identify a difference between neurotypicals and aspies. (Musings of an Aspie has written a balanced review of it here.)

Probably the most popular feature of the rdos test is the results graph, which provides a useful visual reference to those of us who like that sort of thing. It does, however, generate another note of caution: do not be tempted to compare your graph with known aspies, and worry that you’re not aspie enough; the range of bone-fide-aspie results is huge. To illustrate this point, I’ve posted some graphs – all from formally diagnosed aspies – below. I’ve also included a neurotypical graph, so you can see just how different that is on this scale.


Female, autistic

Female, autistic

Female, autistic

Male, autistic

Female, autistic

Male, autistic

Male, autistic


Male, neurotypical

Facial Expression & Tone of Voice Tests
These two tests are also from the Simon Baron-Cohen research team. The best known is probably the Cambridge Mindreading Face-Voice Battery (also on the Aspie Tests site): the user is presented with fifty three-second videos of different facial expressions. Each video has four options to identify the expression. The voice test is similar, with fifty sound bites to play, and four choices for each. You need to complete both tests before you get your score. The drawback is that some faces are easy to work out by elimination, and many voices can be guessed from the words spoken; but overall, it’s an interesting assessment.

The Reading the Mind in the Eyes test, which shows thirty close-up photographs of people’s eyes only. Many of the pictures were stereotypical, and thus easy to guess, but it should give an overall idea of ability.


Empathy Tests
Again based on Baron-Cohen’s male vs female theory, is the Empathy Quotient Test (this version on The Guardian website), which aims to show that aspies are more “male” in their thinking. Even the research team acknowledge the results are only “averages” so don’t pay too much heed if your own results are different from what you expected.


Dyslexia and Dyspraxia
One or both of these conditions often go hand-in-hand with Asperger’s. The Key 4 Learning website has a Dyspraxia Checklist and a Dyslexia Checklist, which will give you a good idea of whether it might be worth pursuing further assessment. There is information on the same site about attention deficit conditions too.


In addition, the Autism Research Centre’s website (more Baron-Cohen) has a long list of downloadable tests covering many of the tests above, plus more.

If you know of any reputable tests (for Asperger’s or other co-morbid conditions), or would like to share your experiences of using these tests, please leave details in the comments below.

Related content:
» Think you might have Asperger’s syndrome?”
»
Asperger’s in Women
» Bullying & Abuse
» It’s Okay to Want a Diagnosis!”
» Symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome (from an aspie perspective)
» The Triad of Impairments
» Diagnosis Stories

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114 thoughts on “Online Tests”

  1. Hi I am 52 female. and was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child I was frequently kicked out of class as a kids for asking to many questions I use to rock but as I have gotten older I just have learned to either shake my leg or move my hand ECT. I tend to have to have things a certain way and it’s very hard for me to transition from one thing to another. And I can go on but it may get long. I have taken a few online aspi test and the first one was 32 and the second 38 my question is who would I take this info to.

  2. I am 78 years old and have just found out why my life was what it was. Now I can explain to my husband why I hate the phone, have to go one route to work, yes, I have a part time job, I hate socializing, etc, etc. I didn’t get married until I was 48. My boy friends always dropped me after being frustrated with me. I had few women friends. I still hide when the doorbell rings, keep to myself in church, but do enjoy a dinner party, as my husband is very social and I stick with him and don’t talk unless someone talks to me. At work I had friends who forced me to socialize, they did all the work, so I had half a life, but was sad because I knew I couldn’t be like them. My brothers all played musical instruments excellently, I never got beyond beginning. Could never sew a straight seam, draw a straight line, etc. But life was still worth living. There were many good parts.

  3. I think I am an NT but My test scores state otherwise. I started thinking Autism was likely when my nephew was diagnosed last year. I was having dinner one evening at work (registered nurse) when all the other nurses I sat with debated a diagnosis for me (possible bullying) anyway they came up with autism or ADHD.
    So I started doing the whole on line test thing just like everyone else on here. I score high on most of them except for the “aspie quiz” ND 129-200 and NT 98/200. What does that mean? I feel like I want to talk this over with a psychologist I have been seeing sporadically, but the timing could not be worse. Hi mother is in palliative care and dying and I don’t want to just show up and be all like “oh by the way….this”. So at the moment I think I will just go on living my life as an undiagnosed NT and leave this all behind me.

  4. I’ve long suspected that I was a borderline aspie but having taken several tests my scores are high on all of them except the facial recognition one, I suspect this is because of my background in art, being very good at observation and picking out details. My problem lies in actually responding when I’m put on the spot. I’m totally at a loss as to how to answer, even if intellectually I know what the response should be, I can’t bring myself to do it quickly enough in a social situation as all these possibilities are going through my head at once!
    I would say that I don’t regard myself as abnormal, only different – I kinda object to the term disorder, after all there is really no such thing as normal, only statistically average and who wants to be average? I run my own business and have to interact with customers on a daily basis but this is usually doable as it is all under my terms – I don’t have to answer to a boss and I’m in control. When I left college with an art degree we were told that it made us good at self employment as we were focused creative thinkers, able to work out plans and self motivated, able to work at a problem alone, just not team players. It strikes me that these are also pretty aspie qualities. I’ve always been happy alone, although I do have a partner, I really don’t have any close friends. I remember being taken to nursery once when I was 4 and they told my mum I was a lovely quiet child, I didn’t join in with the other kids games but sat happily playing with the wooden bricks in the corner! Looking back now it seems like ‘spot the aspie kid, walling herself off’!
    I think our differences should be celebrated rather than classed as abnormal, although I realize that many find their problems debilitating, by fostering understanding that not everyone is going to behave in the same way we might change the expectations others have of us and find help to cope with our quirks.

  5. Great article! I realize I’m commenting years after it was posted, but does it strike anyone else as odd that the average NT scores on the Ritvo test are in the mid-80s, well above the threshold for suspected ASD of 65? This would seem to indicate that even average NTs should be suspicious that they may be ASD. A person would have to be significantly NT (average NT is insufficient) to fall below that suspicion threshold of 65. Interesting.

    I suppose a possible explanation is that the average NT numbers are skewed. I did notice a number of commenters who were surprised to find that their results indicate they are likely on the spectrum. But they have already marked themselves as NT before they took the test. Also the act of taking the test indicates that the test taker is already suspicious of being on the spectrum – highly NT people would be less likely to take the test because why would they? They already know their behaviors don’t match with ASD behavior.

    On a personal note, I scored a 116, right in the middle of the aspie averages and the NT averages. But I was already seeing a counselor for this. Although the results come as no surprise, the diagnosis, some months ago at age 42, certainly came as a surprise. Although I feel like a diagnosis answers questions, I also feel like “Oh, that’s why I struggle with that.” I’m still rather perplexed at what exactly is missing in my connections with others. I can’t quite put a finger on it. I’ve never been an NT so it’s hard to recognize what I am missing.

  6. I took a couple of the other quizzes before doing the 150 question quiz. Both of them I scored above the threshold. This has been on my mind for a while and I’m not sure how I feel about it. When I took the Rdos aspie quiz I got a 144/200 neurodiverse score and an 84/200 neurotypical score. It told me I was very likely neurodiverse or Aspie. Now I’m concerned because I’m 20 and I’ve never been screened and now I’m wondering if I should get assessed for ASD. I’m just really concerned I guess.

  7. I think i am an aspie because on the rdos test i got a 153/200 that says im most likely an aspie , how do i tell people ??

  8. I scored a 40 on the AQ, and a 186 on the RAADS-R. I only took the tests because of what teachers have told me over the years, and because of my own suspicions, which are now closer to confirmation. However, I am broke. Does anyone live in LA and know where I can get evaluated for free? Should I get evaluated at all?
    I am seventeen and genderfluid, if that characterizes any of the above information in any way.

  9. I scored a 40 on the AQ and a 186 on the RAADS-R. I think this confirms what many teachers have told me, which is that I should get officially tested. I would, as I think an official yes or no would explain some things -or least answer that question-, but I am seventeen and broke. Does anyone live in LA and know where to get evaluated for free?

  10. I personally scored a 173.0 on the raad test, about 137/200 on the rdos test for neurodiverse and 62/200 for neurotypical ( with the test saying that I was most likely and aspie), and a 32 on the aq test. Now I am wondering if I should be worried.

    P.s. I am about 14 years old and a female.

    • Idn you shoud probably get tested im 14 allsow but male so yea i scored 33 on the aq test so yea

    • Hi Cal,
      Firstly, I’m not an ‘expert’, but I am an ‘Aspie’, so my knowledge comes from my own experience as much as from what I have read and learned. I just wanted to comment regards you being ‘worried’. I think that like many other ‘conditions’ the actual degree to which one should be concerned is directly proportional to the degree in which ‘having’ the condition negatively affects one’s life in the short and long-term. Many people who seek out a diagnosis for AS for instance, have done so because they feel that they don’t fit in, or they are concerned about their inability to understand other’s social motivations or are sensitive to noise and/or light that don’t seem to affect others in the same way. The latter sometimes giving rise to concerns of a physical impairment or there being something wrong with their brain, or hearing, or sight.
      I think that an early diagnosis can often allow individuals whom ‘have’ an ASD to ‘reframe’ their existence in a positive way, knowing that some environments and circumstance will trigger discomfort that others may not be affected by, and also allow them to more easily understand that other people aren’t being purposefully cruel etc. I therefore would encourage you to cultivate a positive outlook if you are an ‘Aspie’, as some variations of this, can also seemingly provide you with greater senses than ‘normal’ people. Dr Tony Attwood – a leading expert in this field – believes that ‘Aspies’ are probably the next stage in human evolution, simply because we see things in ways that most people don’t. It would also be worth bearing in mind that many of the great leaps forward in technologies and/or ways of thinking have in fact been discovered or created by people who are ‘on the spectrum’. I believe you are actually very lucky to have possibly discovered this about yourself so early in life – I didn’t discover this until my mid-40s, and for many, many years, held the self-belief that I was broken, whereas it turned out that I was just different. Since I have started to embrace my gifts, life has become much, much more gratifying. I wish you a good future – whether you are on or off the spectrum, but do encourage you to look for a diagnosis if you are troubled or worried by your test scores.
      p.s. look up some videos on YouTube by Dr Tony Attwood i.e. “Could it be Aspergers?” and also bear in mind that the generally held belief is that it is more difficult to diagnose females, so please don’t be put off if you have a few hurdles to climb (not easy I know – especially if you are ‘Aspie’, but persevere and don’t take it personally if people get things wrong initially). I hope this helps.

    • No you should NOT be worried. You are you, you are yourself. What tests you take and what the results are don’t affect that. IMHO (and I am an old woman) self-knowledge can only be helpful. Go, girl!

  11. A person can be an aspie and STILL be able to read and “interpret” social cues simply because they’re smart and know what the cues are. I test borderline aspie on another test yet think I’m really good at figuring out what people are feeling based on their facial expressions, simply because I know, for instance, that a crease between the brow and a crooked mouth usually mean frustration, or a downward turned mouth and upward brows means sadness or anxiety, etc., etc., etc. Questions need to be able to exclude the intellectual ability to interpret social behavior from the social/connection ability to.

    • This simply means you are capable to read faces.

      I am also a clever person. ( I am a very good software developer, which suggests I am clever, if you seek proof)

      But I am face blind.

      As clever as I am, I cannot do what you do.
      I simply cannot read faces. They all look the same.

      • I got a 163 on the Raad test. However, I feel like no matter how much I struggle with the inability to handle groups of people or loud noises, that if I confide in my best friend that he will think I’m just making this up and that I’m perfectly fine. I know that I’m not completely normal because I am incapable of being in crowds, or even with loud people without turning into an anxious mess. And if something happens to my daily set schedule it can take me hours to recover, and everyone tells me I’m just over reacting about losing my schedule.. But I need my days to be planned, if I don’t I can’t focus or function as well.
        Help me please, do I talk to my friend about this or am I just crazy?

        Sincerely,

        A confused individual.

  12. If the test results are right it makes a lot of sense as to why I am like I am! It points to being an aspie.
    Although I do well on the Cambridge face emotion test, normal. How old is that test cos a couple of those actors look like someone from Eastenders and Dr Who. Just me?

    • Heck yeah, that’s totally Freema Agyeman. (incidentally, I guess that means you and I aren’t face blind!)

      By the way, you can recognize facial expressions and still not know how to interpret them. For example, I can recognize the difference between positive and negative facial expressions, but if someone is looking at me with an expression that isn’t clearly positive, I will assume it’s negative and likely as not start apologizing unnecessarily.

  13. Someone said I need to take a quiz as she thinks, I’m a Aspie. I’ve just taken the quiz. I’ve got 167 of 200. My neurotypical (non-autistic) score is 28 of 200. It says,
    I’m very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)

  14. I scored 178 of 200. Not surprising since my therapist said that he is 90% certain that I am an Aspie (along with most of my family). Based on this test, and my therapist’s suggestion, I am going to have the diagnosis confirmed.

    I found the question about having an urge to study humans and animals humorous since that is all that I think about when I can think about anything I want to. I am a social-anthropologist whose focus is religious ritual and symbolism and my minor is Social Psychology and Art History. Along those lines, my current obsession is Phi, Fibonacci, and anything having to do with fractals and arabesque art patterns.

    Aspie? Let me think about that for a moment…

  15. I have been seeing therapy for along time AND on medication because diagnosed as bipolar mixed with psychotic features, borderline personality disorder and axiety disorder. All aspergers tests I take I score high in aspergers range. But are my current diagnoses what make me score high or is aspergers my actual diagnosis? I do not know, but DBT therapy had helped me and I dont know about my meds.

    • It is apparently quite common for ‘Aspies’ to be either misdiagnosed or for the ‘Aspie’ traits to be assumed to be products of another diagnosed condition. One of the most common misdiagnoses (from my reading of this) is Borderline Personality Disorder). More information is now generally available to GPs and diagnosticians regards ASD than in the past, it may be worth approaching this again. CBT/DBT have been shown to have positive effects in people who suffer BPD and/or Asperger Syndrome. My experience with medication is a very negative one, but even if you believe that it is having a negative effect on your mind-state, I suggest discussing everything with a qualified medical professional before lowering your dose or stopping the use of them, as some of them are very, very dangerous, and many suicides have been attributed to people who have not come off them slowly, under the guidance of somebody familiar with their effects.

  16. Total score for Ritvo Austin asperger diagnostic scale total 136. Social Relations 60.0 19.0 language 27.0 sensory motor 30.0 circumscribed all highlighted yellow meaning that I could benefit from a diagnosis es. Found it hard to answer when I was young as I am 48 so that’s long time ago.
    Going to get my medical records of when I was 13 a saw an physcharist as I wasn’t doing well at school. Ended up at great ormond street hospital after a battery of test physical eyes., ears etc. Can’t remember any of it was something to do with my mum?! IQ test above average Requesting medical records for the sake of firstly my daughter who started struggling at the same age at school.
    She bee diagnosed with social anxiety disorder on medication it has reduced her anxiety and she is back in education re hospital education. Under a physcharist at CAMPS. Questions being asked by school if she is austic.
    While researching this subject begin to question if I was.
    Waiting to see if she is going to be tested.

  17. I’m here, kind of in a state of shock. I’m a 49yr old college lecturer and went to a training session last week, as I have students with quite severe Autism/Aspbergers in classes that I teach. Whilst sitting listening I found myself thinking, ‘I’m like that, I do that…’ over and over until it got quite alarming. I came home and told my wife, who has always been troubled by some of my behaviour, saying that she’s never been in a relationship with someone like me, when I think I’m quite ‘normal’ and a good guy. I’ve always been able to get on in life, although I think some of this has been that I tend to live amongst people that are naturally forgiving of difference and expression, being within an artist/musician community of friends in general. I did the Aspie quiz and scored 142 neurodiverse and 109 neurotypical, which seems quite different to a lot of responses I’ve seen online so far. Has anyone else had similar scores? I did the AQ test twice and scored 36 and 40 out of 50. Maybe I’m just good at masking things and being in control, who knows, but this realisation that I could have some of these traits certainly makes some sense of things. Maybe It’s not just that I’m a grumpy person who can’t let an things go, who feels anxious at the thought of phoning anyone, ever. Who feels anxious that I should care more about other people’s news, when I never really care, who has tantrums on a weekly basis with my wife when plans change, but can hold it together to teach and work and enjoy standing in front of a class of my students, but feels like it’s close to a life threatening event if I have to go to a wedding and make small talk..I also realised that I’ve pretty much had the same sandwich for lunch since I was 12! Ha! The list could go on and on… I’m confused at the moment!

    • Wow that is me to a T.I can nit pick someone for hours.I can’t let anything go either.Everything you said.Im 43 and am pretty sure I’ve got it bad.

    • Hi Steven, I think I know how you feel.

      I just did the Rdos Aspie quiz and got Aspie 122/200 and ND 112/200! With the Ritvo Autism test I got a total of 140 and a score of 38 with the AQ test. Totally bewildered like you- if I hadn’t listened to Woman’s Hour on Radio 4 this morning I wouldn’t have thought of testing myself! I’m 54 and always been odd- lonely/loner but an artist. Now I’m just really confused- are my social, learning and working problems due to being Asperbergers or simply fatigue and over sensitivity with “Fibrofog” caused by Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS? Thank you to everyone who has generously posted on here- it’s all been very enlightening to read and I have recognized parts of myself buried for years. Vive la difference!

      • I too have cfs/me and I’ve noticed the “social” side of me just can’t be bothered anymore, I find chit chat exhausting, I’ve always found it difficult and pointless but I wonder if having cfs/me has made it hard to compensate and try to appear “normal”.

        • Wow, another person with CFS here. I can completely relate. I have noticed a lot of my social issues/stims got much worse after becoming ill. I think the constant over-stimulation of feeling malaise/fatigue exacerbates my stimming as well.
          Before CFS I still struggled in school environments, and had out of school instruction. With CFS, school became a comforting ‘structured environment’ and a break from my new obsession of learning about CFS and researching everything I could to the point my parents became annoyed with me. I definitely abandoned all social interaction at that point. I feel like now I can finally explain to them (and myself) why I behave like I do.
          I got 161 for Aspie and 57 for Neurotypical.

    • You might enjoy reading _The Journal of Best Practices_ (you wife might enjoy reading it with you) Also _Look Me in The Eye_

    • Probably a little late, as your post is from a couple of years ago, but can I direct you towards the video ‘Could it be Aspergers’ by Dr Tony Attwood, that you should be able to find quite easily on YouTube. You sound like I did just before my own diagnosis – the video I refer to was what started my investigation and subsequent diagnosis.

    • Thank You for your comment about phoning people. I generally Never phone anyone, they call me. My Mother asked why my friend could call me, but I never called her. I am 69 yrs and to this day, I don’t do personal phone calls.

  18. i’ve always suspected there was something ‘wrong’ with me. there had to be a reason why no matter how hard i would try to be ‘normal’ (remember: there is no such thing…) i still wouldn’t be accepted, hired, talked to like a person…the list goes on. i hate the phone & begrudgingly sit with my husband & his friends when they come by to visit him. note, i said his friends. don’t have any. pretty much all i have is my husband.
    and i’ve told him my suspicions about myself; he’d like to think that i’m alright the way i am, but i don’t know how to be ‘human’ like others. i need a job, but can’t because i’m freaking over stupid stuff.
    and now that i’ve scrolled over these replies, i know i am not alone in going through this. i just wish i’d known long ago, i could have been better, to my sons, my husband, my parents, my friends….my life would’ve been better.
    so if you’re young, and you think there’s a chance you have this ‘difference’ get informed about how to manage life as a person with asperger’s. and i don’t see it as a ‘disability’…it just explains why i’m weird.

    • I am 26yr man struggling to save my engagement! Please give coping tips?.?.?

  19. Hi, I’m 17 years old. I am really uneasy whether I have Asperger or not, because all my psychotherapists told me I am not. I informed me about many details about autism and read many scientific books and articles concerning the topic. I have taken several tests and any show I am either below or above the average, soon I want to have a scertain diagnosis. I have suffered under ADHS for a long, I have very few friends and I would only approach them when i would need them and would never let them visit. I do not talk much and am always anxious to talk with my classmates. Now that I have finished school I am scared of what is going to happen next. The idea of going to university, where I neither know how to act or have any support ears me. The school and the ativities gave me the structure I needed, but nothing of this exists in university. I am practically forced to socialize, but the other people are so annoying, whenever I was outside of school (at home,during breaks) I listen to music to help me concentrate. The rooms in university will be full of many students, noises will be everywhere I am afraid I won’t be able to concentrate during the sessions. I am so uneasy with my situation and I don’t know what to do!

    • Hey Johanna,
      It’s okay okay to be scared. It’s okay to feel anxious. Have you ever heard that bravery is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to work through your fears by facing them? University is scary. I won’t list all the things that are different about University or about being an adult on the spectrum because I don’t want to feed your fears by listing things you haven’t already thought of, but I highly recommend that you do a good research session. Search the terms “Autism Spectrum in College”, “Autism Spectrum in Adulthood”, “Americans with Disabilities Act for [State]” (if you live in the U. S., “Self Advocacy for Autistic Adults”, “Reasonable Accommodation fun r Autism Spectrum in College”, “Transitional Planning from High School to College for Autism/Aspergers”

      There are many more search terms you can use, but you will figure out the trend as you read. If you need help, reply to my comment.

      But remember:

      NOTHING IS SET IN STONE

      Nothing says you have to attend a University right away. You can either put off college until you have allowed yourself to psychologically develop a bit more (remember, we have a DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY, our brains don’t develop the same way or at the same pace as our peers), or you can go to a smaller community college that is able to keep a closer eye on students and are more prepared to give a bit more support than those Universities that are teeming with students.

      I went to college straight outta high school. I had the support of Upward Bound for my first/summer semester (which I attended part time) and had a 3.0 GPA. By the end of my third/spring semester, with no support system in place, no knowledge of Autism really and definitely not mature enough to handle self advocacy, my GPA dropped to 1.3.

      It’s now 9 years later and I am taking my First Class at a Community College on Monday. Public Speaking. I hope to get the worst out of the way and hope it will help me learn better communication skills at the same time.

      LMK if you need help. Sorry you didn’t get any replies sooner & hope you have been managing well this far.

      Your friend,
      Misty

  20. AQ 40 and Rdos says 140 out of 200 neurodiverse, 54 out of 200 neurotypical. I couldn’t reply to most questions based on attraction, romance and sexuality as I’m asexual and very very rarely feel attracted to people. And even if I do I still don’t want to have a relationship or do anything sexual with or to them. Anyway, I like my result because it looks like the head of a bird and I love birds.

    A psychologist I met last year and that I’m still seeing is the first one who suggested Aspergers. My former diagnoses include borderline personality disorder, mixed personality disorder, complex PTBS, severe emotional development disorder, anorexia nervosa and recurring depressions. I do suffer from depressions, the rest is unclear, might be wrong, might be correct. I’ll be tested for Aspergers in July and I can’t wait, I just really want to know where my problems come from and why I act a certain way in certain situations. I’ve started to act “a little weird” at about age 3, had verbal tics and got more and more serious over time, more anxious and then got bullied at school for reasons unknown to me. A teacher said it was because of my interests, no one really seemed to share them. I was an unhappy little girl, the situation at home wasn’t any better, I had no safe place. Especially when my dad was home.

    I really wonder if my problems are psychological only or if it’s a combination of Aspergers and psychological problems due to the way I was treated and abused as a child.

  21. Hey, I think I’m an Aspie, even though, I haven’t attend to a psychologist… Can a Aspie help me to see if I have this syndrome? I really need help. Nobody understands what I feel. I tried to explain to my mom but she thinks it’s not true, that I’m just trying to get her atenttion.

    • Dear Mariana,
      I am in a similar situation, as I am also thinking that I have the Asperger Syndrom, but not knowing it for sure. I am afraid to go to the psychologist to get the diagnosis, because an official diagnosis is not always helpful. Wheater or not I am an Aspie- I feel understanded and it helps me to accept myself more since I know about it. What I wanted to tell you (because I can not tell you if you have it or not because I am just at the beginnig to understand it) is to read the book “Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger Syndrome” by Rudy Simone. It is a great book, with a lot of tipps for you (and also for your parents – one example is not to just say “no you don’t” if the dautgther is wondering wheater she has asperger or not). And in the book, different women with Asperger are telling her stories. It helped me a lot and I also gave it to my parents to read it (even if I am 25 now, and not living with them anymore).
      Sorry if my english is bad, I am not a native speaker and didn’t use it for too long. I wish you all the best.

  22. Okay, so I cover/plug with my fingers my ears whenever there is loud noise, like a garbage truck going by, child/baby screaming, sirens, car alarm, jackhammer, revving engine, wheels screeching or something loudely screeching or slamming. But this only has to do with preventing hearing loss–and I have much better hearing than other people my age and even younger, all because of this. However, I frequently cover my ears or mute the remote when a stupid commercial comes on where I can’t stand the voice-over or speaker (like the Liberty Mutual commercials, which are SO effing stupid). Behaviors like this should be differentiated from behaviors where someone plugs their ears to the sounds of birds chirping, or pages ruffling, or normal-volume voices of people in a supermarket, occasional airplane, etc. The test I just took doesn’t do that; it’s too broad.

  23. Hi community, im a twin and i believe me and my twin brother might have Asberger’s? I was wondering if anyone else has these traits and if they may pertain to autism? (i am 20) I have a strong opinion (and get really loud and angered) when speaking about politics and sex. I have difficulty maintaining relationships because of my inability to accept people’s past (sexually) and I often feel like my way of thinking makes me very different from society and my friends because of my strong opinions and rigid values. If someone could let me know if these relate to their situation or if they may be qualities of someone with aspbergers id appreciate it :) thanks, Leah L.

  24. My husband found this page about 3 years ago. I took many test and scored 185,
    took to my GP he has been my dr. for 18 years great dr. got me on some meds.
    but at 58 it is a little late to fix so just do the best, Thanks to my wonderful husband of 30 years he finds me amusing now that we understand me but I have become more of a shut in and that’s ok. It seems when I go out and engage in conversation mostly with so called Normal women it is a disaster. so I am lucky I have a nice home and hobbies to keep me out of socialite.
    I enjoy knowing I am aspie and wish I knew sooner, but I have had a great life.
    and hope it stays the same until i die. In closing I don’t have much use for the outside world like living in my shell and thinking and reading and quilting.
    My two favorite words are No or Yes I use No the most. I don’t care if people like me because I am sure I won’t like them. I find dealing with women the most difficult of all so I avoid them as much as possible.

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  26. Taken 5 tests, all in the Asperger’s spectrum. I don’t like answering the door and I refuse to have friends in my house because it upsets me. I wont go to supermarkets usually, and even then I have to take my earplugs so I can listen to my music when the sounds all get too much. I once forgot them and panicked so much that I didn’t have a ‘safe retreat’ I refused to go in to the shop. This morning I realised I had an unexpected meeting today and almost started crying as I felt like it had been sprung on me. I run away when my neighbours are outside as I don’t want them to speak to me, although I have been caught and/or had to collect parcels from them (very distressing!) Took me three years to learn to drive as I used to get so distressed at the (to me) unclear instructions on what to do id start crying or shout at them. Also I have a fit if someone sits in the desk I like to sit in at work (we can sit anywhere and I HATE it!!!) Awaiting diagnosis and it cant come fast enough- Im more than happy to wear an ‘autistic’ bracelet if people will stop annoying me!

  27. I’m a 28 yr old female. I scored 120/200 neurodiverse and 106/200 neurotypical. What exactly would that mean if the result is accurate? I came out 7.5/10 on intellectual traits and 2.4/10 on communication traits. Everything else was in the average range.

  28. I’m 50 years old now, about 60/40 aspie/neurotypical.
    the good news is that being an adaptable aspie is a huge strength…dont let neurotypicals bully you into believing otherwise.
    Our ways of thinking are superior, we just lack what may be termed social skills.
    Look through 500 years of history and you’ll see the greatest thinkers and elite artists are aspie.
    For my part I played the system and made enough cash to retire (very comfortably) at age 35.
    Be yourself, so you may not fit in with the herd…welll thats a goid thing in lots of ways.
    You have innate ability of a superior mind and differing ways of thinking about things. These are remarkable strengths. Use them and thrive !

  29. hey young aspies do not despair – you will get better as time goes on because you will learn how to do well in life – aspies never quit or give up – keep on asping !!!

  30. Thanks for posting this, Leigh. If anyone wants to see a chart of a person who doesn’t have Asperger’s but has other disorders, here’s mine:
    http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=28bcigl&s=8#.VDiPABZzCM4

    Neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 93 of 200
    Neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 142 of 200
    You are very likely neurotypical

    I’m a 27-year-old woman without Asperger’s, but with diagnoses of social phobia and generalized anxiety and symptoms of OCD. So, I wouldn’t call myself neurotypical, even if I score high on emotions and perceptions. I’m also clumsy and have a terrible sense of direction, enough that I think I’d be diagnosed with a disorder if I was a child today. I developed depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and symptoms of OCD as a teenager, and eventually had a complete breakdown at 19. I don’t know how Asperger’s truly feels, but it’s torment to WANT to connect with people and be close with them and to also be unable to do it because of fear and to want to be alone because being around most people tires me even though I like them.

    My mental state has changed a lot since then, but taking the quiz a few years ago would have given me very different results. I think there’s overlap between certain traits of Asperger’s and certain traits of anxiety disorders and OCD, especially since they often appear together in families. I got assessed for Asperger’s as a child, but I didn’t fit enough of the symptoms. If anyone here knows they’re different but doesn’t know what, try getting assessed for related mental disorders.

  31. I found these tests very interesting to take-generally am convinced that I’m aspie although self-diagnosed, and my main reason for suddenly being interested in finding out more was with the hypersensitivity that’s a trait-I get very sensitive to sound, to the point where it’s caused me to have arguments, throw tantrums(I guess :/ ) and have to isolate myself. My AQ score was 40, just did the rdos and it came out 169 aspie, 41 neuro-typical, the raads-r came back with a total score of 199(with everything above average for a female aspie, let alone normal), and yet I scored better than normal for the face-voice test! Although I know the rdos test is pretty badly rooted it did surprise me when the question about recognising people’s faces came up, because I am the worst person in this regard-am always getting faces mixed up, mistakenly calling out to people and if I haven’t seen someone for over a year there’s a good chance I won’t even notice them.

    My biggest problem is that I feel like if I don’t get all the confirmation I need that I am like this, I won’t try to handle the negatives and they’ll catch up to me again, because I’ve recently been in some pretty bad arguments/tantrums/depressed moments and sometimes it’s just loud music driving me nuts that starts the whole thing. I am in a position where pursuing my interests is something which is having really negative effects and yet feel as if letting my ambitions for some of my interests go will mean losing my identity, and after having had friends comment to me that I was aspie as a joke many times in the past my piano teacher saying he thought I needed to talk with a therapist or someone pretty much made me realise I need to sort my life out. Do you have any advice?

    • Hi. I also think I have Asperger. Same thing happened with my piano teacher. What I can say is that I found people to be unfair. They are the ones with problems. For instance, I avoid criticizing people and i would have MANY things to say, so they always seem to find time to criticize me. It’s not always easy, but I found a way to be happy. Instead of thinking about a glass that’s half full or half empty, I imagine I drink the water. I think about movement, in essence. Example: my toothbrush feels very good when I hold it with my fingers. They are very cute and move slightly when I brush my teeth, and my teeth are very happy because the yellow stuff is going away. Actually writing these things made a lot happier right now. I feel like I felt when I was a child. Tomorrow I think I will press some keys on my piano and fell the same way. I make songs and it helps a lot in my profession. People that use their imagination to create new stuff are the best people in the world. Their creations extend and enrich our lives. Maybe Asperger is the best thing ever, if it means you have an imagination and if you have it, you can use it. I hope I find people like me.

      • I’m not saying I’m included in the category “the best people in the world”. I just meant I like people that like imagining things.

    • This is the exact same thing happening to me. I feel fairly confused when I take the face/voice tests, but the answers are generally pretty obvious out of the options. If it were not multiple choice, I would probably not do so well. I think I’ll take it again in a few months and cover up the answers and think “if I had to put an emotion to this, what would it be?” and THEN see how well I do based on a sort of self scoring….

      • I agree – the multiple guess face/voice tests had many obvious “it isn’t this one” answers. Without the multiple choices I think I wouldn’t have been able to answer half as many as I did.

  32. Hi,
    I’m 47 and trying to live with Aspergers. My life is a fixed activity, I try to make changes but they scare me so much I go to pieces and retreat to my established day to day activity. I’d give anything not to be affected with this. I’ve done tests a plenty, enough to know I’m out there. I’ve never had such a great partner and daughter yet never felt so lonely and isolated. I can’t focus on anything and haven’t had a job for over 7 years. I can’t use the phone anymore and hide away if a visitor comes to the house. You couldn’t make this up, it’s a joke. I’m a joke.

    • Hi Ian, You’re not a joke. First and foremost, lighten up on yourself. You are who you are. There is nothing wrong with being you. Nothing. Do what you enjoy doing whatever that is. Try and spend some time around animals or nature. Even having fish for pets is helpful. Also try some form of relaxation… Mozart… Enya and other types of music can be helpful. Sometimes Triple JJJ works for me. Write! Paint! I actually take some Valerian (natural relaxant) at night to help me unwind and often listen to meditation music or guided meditation for sleep and wellbeing. Embrace your weirdness! I do from time to time. I retreat again… then I embrace the weirdness all over again… hehe. I’m in my late 50s and it’s only just dawning on me that I don’t fit in. We each come into the world with unique gifts. Do what you love doing and are passionate about. Find some way of having a little ceremony around things… I now put people’s names and ‘other stuff’ on bits of paper and scrunch it up… un-scrunch it then burn it over the sink! It helps to release some of the pent-up feelings that can overwhelm us. You might find a better way of doing things. Even a happiness ceremony… hahaha. Any way, all the best Ian. Stop fighting the weirdness. The weirdness is. Very profound… hehe. :D

    • Contrary to popular belief, Im not CRAZY. I’m Aspie of 210 full sunshine all scores way above the averages. I no longer am able to hide IT. “IT” has once again broken the yearly record of friend to enemy conversion, and its only July… Day ??? iDK anymore, it’s all a blurr. I’m so stuck.

  33. I am wondering if anyone has more graphs of NTs? Mine looks a lot like Jo’s actually, but like you mentioned I feel almost like I cheated because so many of my answers were question marks. I just feel there is a lot of gray area/unclarity in how to interpret some of the questions. Maybe my indecisiveness in everything is due to being an Aspie, not a middle child like I’ve chalked it up to all these years? (compromise… maybe it’s more having to fit in…)

  34. I suspect my son is an Aspie, but I don’t know if I should tell him or when or what to say. He tells me that he realizes he’s very different from others. Sometimes, I think he’s just an intellectual. He’s always thinking very deeply about things and trying to come up with answers. This site has helped me to understand him better and maybe with time, I’ll be able to say more to him.

    • Hi, get him referred for an assessment. do not tell him anything that he might have Aspergers, you are not the professional.
      I got diagnosed at CLASS clinic and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Now I know that I am not to blame for the way I have led my life so far.
      But please do not make him think he has it without having a professional assessment.

      • David, I think that depends on the person. I work in the mental health field and breaking the news of your child needs an ASD assessment has been my expertise. I sure wish someone in my life would have offered to me that they thought I had Aspergers, instead of waiting for me to put pieces together myself after years of Corridor Autism Resource Expo I was just a misfit and a loser with no real reason… Then saying “oh we knew that”

      • David, I think that depends on the person. I work in the mental health field and breaking the news of your child needs an ASD assessment has been my expertise. I sure wish someone in my life would have offered to me that they thought I had Aspergers, instead of waiting for me to put pieces together myself after years of never firing in and not understanding… Then saying “oh we knew that”

  35. PS I just want to add to that, reading what I have written back through, it is shame that, being most probably borderline, or having some but not all the traits of Asperger’s, I lack the precision, and attention to detail, that a stronger Asperger profile might give me. I noticed errors in my comment, which doesn’t back up my claim to have a flare for writing!! Those reading here, will just have to trust me that it is what I have been told.

  36. I have some comments on the tests themselves which may be of general interest. I couldn’t see anywhere else to comment on the tests for the benefit of the researchers, and I could not find the relevant paper. My most important point is at the bottom of this comment.

    I am undiagnosed, but think I am possibly borderline or have mild Asperger’s. This is based on memories of my life experiences, how I behave, and the profiles I have come across of females with Asperger’s. I started investigating the possibility after becoming friends with a male who had been recently diagnosed with Asperger’s. It dawned on me through our conversations that I had similarities to him, but I found I had even more similarities to the on-line female profiles I have come across on the internet.

    As regards the tests: the on-line tests I have done suggest that I may be right about being borderline: the AQ ranges from 28-31, depending how I feel when I fill it in; the Rdos (which obviously takes gender into account, unlike the AQ) gives me an Aspie score of 138/200 and a neurotypical score of 80/200. I found the Ritvo diagnostic scale difficult to complete, because the requirement was either to say you had a behaviour etc or had never had it. No room for confusion there. It was also difficult to remember behaviour in childhood. However I tended to put “never” when unsure, and therefore expected a neurotypical score, so was surprised that (though the score was low compared to others) I nevertheless had three areas highlighted and the suggestion of undergoing an assessment (I didn’t note the score).

    My main comment however regards the Cambridge assessments of faces and voices. I had done the test where you can just see the eyes before and was surprised that I wasn’t as good at it as I thought I was, again scoring borderline. In this test, for faces (again surprisingly, as I thought it was way too easy) I scored 72% in line with those who suspect Asperger’s. However I scored higher than average for voices – 84%, higher than the average neurotypical, which pushed my overall score up to 78%, also higher than the average neurotypical.

    My query is that, on the whole, I wasn’t going by tone of voice, which didn’t give me a lot of information, but by the words that were used. I have a bit of a flare for writing, so I am wondering whether my score might be due to being good with language. Thus, this could be a flaw in the test, that the language used largely gives the answer away without having need to interpret tone of voice. Of course that depends on whether it is testing ability to understand language or ability to interpret tone of voice but I assumed it was the latter.

  37. I answered inconsistently on too many control questions ?? What the .. I swear I answered each one truthfully ! I have been diagnosed with autism but I doubt I have it very strongly .. also, none of my friends or relatives thinks I am even slightly autistic. Now careworkers are determined to have me agree that I have it for their dianosis. I did many tests just to find out of they might be true. But this makes no sense to me !!

  38. For the past few years I’ve been wondering if I am Aspie, as it would explain a great deal about my experiences in life. Have just done the tests and the results are:

    AQ = 43
    RAADS-R = Total score 148 with all sectors in yellow
    Empathy Quotient = 22 (average score for females with ASD is 22.1)
    Two Factor Imaging Scale = 41.0 (suspected Aspie)
    Systemising Quotient = 91.0 (average scores for females with ASD 81)
    Reading the Mind in Films = 13.00 in 12.1 seconds. No idea what this score means
    Aspie quiz with the coloured chart = 122 of 200, and 77 out of 200 neurotypical. Conclusion “Very likely an Aspie”.

    So there we are. Looks fairly conclusive. I don’t really need an official diagnosis to tell me any of this, but it certainly helps to realise the causes for so many of my experiences through life. I am pleased to have an explanation,

  39. I’ve been on the lookout to understanding myself for 10 years. I’m 41 years old now. I took the RAADS-R test and scored 209.

    This explains my past and why they put me in a special school when I was younger. They said I had a learning disability. This is NOT true. I learn exceptionally well… when it’s something I am interested in.

    For years I thought I was the ONLY one with these symptoms, until 7 years ago I was browing around on YouTube and watched a few Aspie videos.

    I always knew I was different. Now I am proud to be in the spectrum and love other people like me. Not those other weirdos.

  40. I was unofficially diagnosed with some degree of Aspieness a few years ago. My son (living with my ex-wife) was having problems, as was she, and a health visitor thought my son might have it. But he wouldn’t accept he had any issues with anything at all, so we told him there were some tests he could do that would help other people help him get a job – these were, howewer, Aspergers tests – and I said I’d do them too. The results were that apparently he didn’t have it, but I did. I don’t know which tests they were but there were pages and pages of questions and they were sent away to be assessed.

    Finding this out about myself, and reading more about it, has explained a lot of things in my life – I can now see why I am how I am in all sorts of circumstances that other people may find odd or even uncomfortable sometimes.

    I’ve just taken the tests here and my results were AQ=44, Ritvo=131 (all yellow except sensory/motor). However RDOS only came out at 86/200, with NT of 102/200, which surprised me.

    I’ve been trying to understand the report from the Aspie Quiz and I’m struggling to make sense of it! My ‘choice’ values seem to be close to the ‘Aspie’ column most of the time so I’m not sure what the Aspie column and NT column are supposed to represent (no narrative or legend to explain it, which of course frustrates me!) and I’m not quite sure what the totals in the green boxes are supposed to mean (yes the rounded sum matches the column but where does the ‘out of’ value come from?). Can anyone explain it to me?

    Thanks!

  41. So sad when you have to sum up all your courage to try meet somebody new, like for example a tailor down the road to shorten your jeans. All that preparations, weeks of not daring to, than driving around the place, calling her on the phone, realizing the lady is already getting upset with me on the phone, just because I am asking where can I park since there is a huge sign on her gate “No parking in drive way”. She impatiently lets me know there is a button I need to press which will open the gate, in a tone that sounds to me like she thinks I am dumb. I want to give up, but kick myself and drive around the block and back. Climbing out of the car, stumbling over some ridiculous small flower pots in the entrance. Starting to stutter when she asks me to confirm if I really only want them to shorten the Jeans for 2 cm. So I say I mean 2 inch. I know it will be too short. But I can not stand the embarrassment, so I leave it at that. Such is the life of an Aspie.

    • So me. So, so, me. You are NOT alone…writing down what I am going to say when I have to make a phone call (which I avoid – I hate the phone), writing my own phone number down in case I’m asked because I know I’ll stumble and forget it because I’ll get confused…and so on and so on…all the preparation it takes to order food, to check out at the grocery. I SO GET THIS. It’s hard. And? It runs in my family, so in some ways, parts of us really, truly, understand each other. thank goodness for that part!

  42. I’m 12 and got a 35 on the aspergers test and my 15yr old brother has aspergers and I just don’t think my parents will be able to take it if I have it

  43. Hi
    I just completed the RDOS test and got the following:

    Your Aspie score: 162 of 200
    Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 48 of 200
    You are very likely an Aspie

    I like that I can see the graph too. My son has a ASD diagnosis and we have been talking about my hubby possibly being Autistic and we are getting genetically tested soon to see, I hadn’t actually considered that I might be too but it all makes a lot of sense now, especially when I look back in my life and how I responded to certain situations and life changes and how people treated me.

    I will be interested to see what happens with the genetic testing even more now!

    I feel a little shocked by the result, I had took the AQ test a while ago and got 37 which I didnt think was that high..

    Thanks so much for this, though, a really great post.
    Sparks

    • I got a 37 as well! Anything above a 32 is a good indicator of aspergers. I found that on another site after getting my answer :3

  44. Thanks for the site, very good. My scores are Aspie test 129/200 NT 68/200 and AQ 41. I’m 57 years old , I don’t feel any need for a formal diagnosis. I only got these results in the last couple of days and Haven’t slept properly since. I think I need time to get used to it. Reading other Aspies stories is very good as you said, there is so much that I can identify with, especially social and communication wise. I’ve always been considered shy, “painfully shy” when young. I suppose I’m a little better now but still avoid social occasions, even if I know some people attending. I have big problems making and keeping friends but as I grow older this isn’t the horrible cause of anguish that it used to be, though I wish I could do better in this regard. I can bore for England when discussing my current interest (they often die quickly) and don’t realize I’ve done it again till too late.

  45. Reading this brings back the words of my ex, his frustrations, his reasons for the split….
    I fear diagnosis, does it have to be declared at work? I fear they will use it to fire me.

    • You don’t have to tell them. And they can’t legally fire you for having autism!

    • I’m not a lawyer and I’m also not familiar with outside of Northern hemisphere, but in Canada and the US, it is your prerogative whether or not to disclose, and once you’ve disclosed, I believe your boss is forbidden from using your disability as a reason to fire you. I’m not sure about the US, but in Canada, I’m pretty sure it’s also forbidden for your boss to use a reason related to the disability that isn’t an intrinsic part of the job as a reason to fire you (so, they can’t fire you for being unable to do heavy lifting if you’re a desk worker, for example, but they could fire you for being unable to deal with social stress in a customer-service position – and in some circumstances, they might be required to offer you work that suits your abilities if they have it, so instead of customer service they might offer to train you on data entry, but I’m not sure of the when and how of it, so you’d have to do some reading or talk to a lawyer). I’d suggest you contact a disability rights lawyer and/or do some reading on disability rights law in your country – in the US, that’s the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), among others, while in Canada, it’s the Human Rights Act, among others. Definitely, if you’re debating disclosure, it would help you to know your legal rights on the issue.

      If you disclose, it opens you to risk of ableist backlash – there are several case I’ve heard of where the PWD is certain that they were fired because of their disability, but it can’t be proven that’s why their performance reviews plummeted upon disclosure. So there is real risk there. That said, if you don’t disclose, you cannot get workplace accommodations and have no protection from work performance issues related to your disability. It’s really a personal call. I’m out with regard to my chronic illness at work (that’s a safety thing – certain tasks simply are not safe for me to perform, and the list varies in length depending on whether or not I’m having a flare-up), and I do not have a formal autism diagnosis yet (though I’m seeking help next week because everything has kind of come to a head and I can’t go it alone anymore at this point – long story) but the people at work figured out I’m autistic before I did and have already implemented the accommodations I need so if/when I get a formal diagnosis, I have no doubt that they’ll be accepting of me.

  46. I’m not an aspie, but I had ADD as a kid, have depression, and am being treated for a muddled up anxiety disorder that hasn’t had an official label assigned to it yet but includes strong elements of OCD and social anxiety. Which is why I said “not an aspie” rather than “neurotypical” – my brain is plenty atypical in it’s own way.

    Anyway, I bring this stuff up because the kinds of problems I have are easily confused with Aspergers… Perfectionism, obsessive behaviors, and inability to cope with uncertainty from the OCD. When I was a kid I had social awkwardness, and ability to focus only on stuff that interests me from the ADD. Fear of and stress in social situations from the social anxiety. Poor eye contact when I’m depressed. But despite the overlap, I definitely have those disorders and not Aspergers.

    I thought it would be valuable to mention that I’ve taken all the tests on here, and they assessed the situation accurately. Despite having several disorders with symptoms that overlap with Aspergers, I scored firmly in the neurotypical range for all of them. Most telling was the Cambridge voices and faces test – I got 96% on the faces and 100% on the voices.

  47. I am a fifteen-year-old girl, and I have suspected that I am an “aspie” for quite some time now. People say I’m being paranoid about it, or that I don’t have Asperger’s because I can make eye contact (I dislike it) and because I “act normal.” So I sat myself down and took a battery of online tests. I’m not certain what to do with them, as I fear others will accuse me of nudging the results towards “aspie” scores.
    Rdos Aspie score: 140 of 200
    Rdos neurotypical score: 55 of 200
    Cambridge Face-Voice battery: 76% in 5.2 seconds (I’ve always been a fast test-taker). I have to say that is much easier to choose between four bubble answers than it is in real life with infinite possibilities and background noise/the rest of the conversation to distract.
    Total Ritvo score: 153 (above suspected threshold)
    AQ test score: 34 (above suspected threshold)

    • People will always try to confort you and say “you are normal”. Go to a specialized terapist and do the test, if you are in need of answers. I talk a lot, make eye contact, act quite feminine, and yet, I get even higher levels than you in the tests. The thing is, I had 27 years to learn to act, and a lot of mirrors to practice (and books and films to learn from them). I had plenty of social groups, and ended up with lots of problems in some of them, but then, in the next one, I always did better, because I learnt. You may be an aspie, but you are also smart when you are one, so you “act normal” just because you learn. The best thing you can do is get a diagnosis, so you can start to understand your own brain, and why you act like you do. In my case, it was the best thing that happened in my life (I discovered I was an aspie when I was 25, in the middle of a depression, when I was feeling I just couldn’t go on anymore), and I finally acepted who I am after that.

  48. Whenever I saw Aspies on TV… I always loved them, and they were the ones I understood the most. I actually want adopt an Aspie child.
    Rdos: 165 AQ:37 Ritvo: 196 (This explained so much. I think I should get professionally diagnosed; i’m afraid my mother would think I’m making this all up.)

    My parents… everyone, really… find me hard. Some were afraid, some were intrigued. People say I’m too intense… I have public meltdowns, light hurts my eyes, I always find people just a bit too noisy, and my father and mother think I hate them just because I don’t like to make faces when I talk… and, most importantly, it was so painful to obsess over someone, talking to them again and again — watching them. Everything was just so hard. I never understood why people had to lie so much; why they had to cut each other off like that; and why they would talk to me if they never really cared.

    They told me I was just gifted. But that wasn’t it. My cousin’s gifted. But she handles people well. I actually studied her responses, and modeled a lot of my social skills after hers… been doing that my whole life.

    To know that i’m not just some unlucky sap — and that I really am different — takes a lot off my shoulders. Thank you. And sorry for the long comment.

  49. I did the Rdos test and my results were Aspie score of 183 of 200, NT 26 of 200.We are already trying to get me the diagnosis, but the doctor works with boys, and girls show differently than boys, not that he understands that. But, he’s starting to.
    This has stuff that shows the differences between men and women with Aspergers.

  50. Well… I’ve had the idea that I may be an “aspie” for some time now and being a 43 year old male I feel its been worth trying to self assess…

    My Rdos came out at 162 Aspie and 55 NT and my RAADS-R total is 161 with all in the yellow…

    I’m unlikely to try for a formal diagnosis since the doctors here are quite old fashioned and I don’t think I can cope with the struggle! It took me 3 years to get a hypothyroidism diagnosis and the thought of going through that for another diagnosis is terrifying!

    But now I feel I know for sure and can start to accept me and my traits for who/what they are…

    Thanks for the great resource and for easing my mind,

    Dan

    • Glad you’re finding the site useful. It’s good to know you’re able to work through things, even if you don’t feel able to pursue a diagnosis!

  51. I am a 15 year old girl, I recently read about AS for some random reason and recognized myself in pretty much everything, so I did a few online tests and they all said I have AS. When I did this test, I got 168 out of 200. How likely am I to have AS? I don’t want to talk to my parents about getting a professional diagnosis until I’m as good as sure about it myself…

    (I’m sorry about my grammar; English isn’t my native language)

    • The test results are interesting, but they should be taken lightly. There is no definitive test for AS. The diagnostic process involves a lengthy interview, exploring your experiences of, and your attitudes to, life. So, whether or not you have AS is more about how well you relate to it – how much of yourself you recognise descriptions of AS. Read more about it – particularly the experiences of others. Sign up to some of the online forums, or facebook groups, for people with AS. Talk to other apsies. See what comes out of it.

      Personally, I think if you recognise yourself in pretty much everything, you are probably AS. That’s how I knew I had it.

      Your grammar is fine! I understand you perfectly!

  52. Thankyou Leigh. I relate to a lot of traits that Autistic people thats why I took the test.. I completely shut down in social situations avoid places new and have coping mechanisms for dealing with life..doing everyday things is a huge struggle even going out of the house sometimes. Thats why I took the test but in some traits I am the opposite..like I have extreme empathy and can read peoples faces and moods like a book and I don’t need to go to college to read between the lines of what they’re saying understand their motives. I get this more than normal people if there is such a thing as normal. It seems a very broad diagnosis and I don’t understand how people with Autism can do things lke go out in public and sing and go out mix socially. I don’t get it. And I don’t see myself as autistic because I don’t have strong obsessions and fixatins with numbers. Can’t stand numbers. This test is a guide so I’m not going to label myself. I get why some people do that but I have not been diagnosed by a medical expert and its not for me. It would be useful to know what it is that I have and what can be done to make me function better though.

  53. I’m over 40 years old and have never been to a doctor about the way I am..I’ve always thought everyone is different. everyone has there problems and quirks and this is the way I am.. I don’t want to go to a quack and be labelled an asppie or autistic or phobic..or quiet and shy by others. I took the test out of curiosity and was 100% honest with every answer it was a bit of a shock when it came back with “you are very likely an Aspie”. I can’t make sense of this read out at the moment…

    Your Aspie score: 151 of 200
    Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 55 of 200
    You are very likely an Aspie

    What does it mean?

    • 151 out of 200 means that this particular test rates you as 75% aspie.
      55 out of 200 rates you as approximately 25% neurotypical (i.e. with typical neurology, or “normal”)
      The 4% difference is just a bit of an overlap (as we all have neurotypical and aspie traits); some people have greater overlap, others none at all.

      So, as far as this test goes, you come out strongly on the aspie site of average.

  54. I’m seen as female, is diagnosed with Autism and I got this result
    Your Aspie score: 176 of 200
    Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 18 of 200
    You are very likely an Aspie
    On the AQ I got 46

  55. Just took the AQ test.
    I am male. 34 years of age and a NT individual.
    My result is: 2.8 (AQ:14)

  56. I just took the AQ test. I am Female and 42 I am also a NT.
    I scored AQ:16 I got a score of 3.2.

    • Thanks for your link. You sound very like me in so many respects. I understand the struggle to get a diagnosis, and I sincerely wish you the best of luck and strength with that.

  57. Hey thanks for posting those links. I have just done the Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised and got nice yellow boxes for every score *laughs* (I’m going for a formal diagnosis next month)
    Is anyone else annoyed by some of the questions though? I feel that some of these quizzes have questions that are not precise enough or have answers that don’t fit in with the answer I want to give, so I go into a bit of a tailspin worrying about what to put. The worst one for me is the emotions on the face quiz because the things I think people are thinking are often not included in the answers! anyway, every test I have ever done seems to put me unambiguously into the ASD indicator stream, so I am a bit hopeful that the meeting next month will also yield a positive ASD result for me. It would be nice, after 48 years of being labelled mad or weird to just have a plain old ordinary developmental, neurological problem instead.

    • It’s such an aspie thing to be troubled by imperfection! Yes, I agree, some of the questions were a bit lacking, but I guess they have to narrow them down somehow. I wish you luck with your assessment next month. Let us know how you get on :o)

  58. It’s always really interesting to see other people’s Rdos graphs, I think.mine looks most similar to Angela’s here.

    I highly recommend this site for a big variety of screening tests based on solid research http://www.aspietests.org/ – the RAADS-R is extremely comprehensive

    The science behind some of the questions in the Rdos test is unfortunately extremely dubious, based on speculation about what Neanderthals would’ve enjoyed! It definitely does better at identifying nonstereotypical aspies than Baren-Cohen’s AQ test though, as it isn’t based on his flawed Extreme Male Brain theory. I don’t even score as Autistic on the AQ despite scoring highly on all other screening tests and having a formal diagnosis!

    • Thanks for this, Nat. I’ve edited the post above to reflect your contribution.

  59. I’m an undiagnosed female Aspie, and I’m stunned by how similar my Rdos test is to the other female Aspies here, especially Sparrow. In your experience, was it helpful to be officially diagnosed?
    Thank you for your posts.
    Efa

    • With all the doubt (and in some cases, ridicule) I received from friends, family and my GP, self-diagnosis was never enough for me. Formal diagnosis came as an enormous relief; I had been lacking in self-confidence, and had spent almost my entire life trying to “fit in” but failing, and not knowing why. So being diagnosed with Asperger’s both explained why I had always failed, and made it clear there was no point trying to hard. My life is now more relaxed (I reserve my energy for the things that really matter), my understanding allows me to better cope with other Asperger’s related issues (e.g. sensory difficulties), and I like myself a lot more.

  60. this was interesting, and surprised me. I don’t consider myself Aspie and have never been diagnosed, but it appears I straddle the Aspie/NT with only a slightly stronger bias towards NT.
    I quote: “Your Aspie score: 101 of 200. Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 106 of 200. You seem to have both Aspie and neurotypical traits”

    • How interesting! I hope the new perspective gives you insight into some of your less “normal” traits – if you have any! I hope it helps :o)

  61. My AQ was 45 – a no-hope Aspie :-)

    Have seen the rdos before but don’t recall taking the test.

    Will give it a try.

    Good post

  62. Thank you for the awesome visuals. What an excellent idea for a post. I took the Rdos as well, and somewhere have my graph, looking much like my Aspie siters and brothers above.

    The Rdos is my favorite becaue it is detailed and produces visual results. I applaud online screening tools for people to inform themselves. I have a horror or doctor’s appointments and they gave me the confidence to approach a specialist. And for others, I imagine they are quite enough to help them find their place.

    Great post!
    Lori

    • Thank you! I’d been thinking about it for ages. I remember seeing so much worry and angst from folk who – from their described experiences – were so obviously aspie, it seemed such a shame. I like the graph too (not least because of the colours ;o) and I agree that, on balance, these tests are a huge benefit to those uncertain about their “credibility” – as long as everyone remembers that we’re all different!

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