Lider du av Aspergers syndrom?

Aspergers syndrom er en nær-autistisk tilstand, og flere som har kontaktet oss har antydet en klar bekymring om at de har dette syndromet. Det er for å hjelpe disse at vi har tatt med denne testen. Du bør ikke stole blindt på et resultat her, men testen kan antakelig gi deg et brukbart og foreløpig svar.

Testen er hentet fra "The globe and mail." Lørdag 19. oktober 2002, og virker meget seriøs. Det kan være vanskelig å MÅTTE velge "enig" eller "uenig" på alle spørsmålene, og man kan nok gjerne ønske seg mulighet for "vet ikke" eller "både og". Men regn med at de som har utviklet testet har tatt hensyn til akkurat det.

What's your AQ?

Where are you on the autism spectrum? Cambridge psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen and others designed this test, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2001. Choose your response to each question: Definitely agree, slightly agree, slightly disagree or definitely disagree.

  1. I prefer to do things with others rather than on my own.
  2. I prefer to do things the same way over and over again.
  3. If I try to imagine something, I find it very easy to create a picture in my mind.
  4. I frequently get so strongly absorbed in one thing that I lose sight of other things.
  5. I often notice small sounds when others do not.
  6. I usually notice car number plates or similar strings of information.
  7. Other people frequently tell me that what I've said is impolite, even though I think it is polite
  8. When I'm reading a story, I can easily imagine what the characters might look like.
  9. I am fascinated by dates.
  10. In a social group, I can easily keep track of several different people's conversations.
  11. I find social situations easy.
  12. I tend to notice details that others do not.
  13. I would rather go to a library than a party.
  14. I find making up stories easy.
  15. I find myself drawn more strongly to people than to things.
  16. I tend to have very strong interests, which I get upset about if I can't pursue.
  17. I enjoy social chitchat.
  18. When I talk, it isn't always easy for others to get a word in edgeways.
  19. I am fascinated by numbers.
  20. When I'm reading a story, I find it difficult to work out the characters' intentions.
  21. I don't particularly enjoy reading fiction.
  22. I find it hard to make new friends.
  23. I notice patterns in things all the time.
  24. I would rather go to the theatre than a museum.
  25. It does not upset me if my daily routine is disturbed.
  26. I frequently find that I don't know how to keep a conversation going.
  27. I find it easy to "read between the lines" when someone is talking to me.
  28. I usually concentrate more on the whole picture rather than the small details.
  29. I am not very good at remembering phone numbers.
  30. I don't usually notice small changes in a situation, or a person's appearance.
  31. I know how to tell if someone listening to me is getting bored.
  32. I find it easy to do more than one thing at once.
  33. When I talk on the phone, I'm not sure when it's my turn to speak.
  34. I enjoy doing thing spontaneously.
  35. I am often the last to understand the point of a joke.
  36. I find it easy to work out what someone is thinking or feeling just by looking at their face.
  37. If there is an interruption, I can switch back to what I was doing very quickly.
  38. I am good at social chitchat.
  39. People often tell me that I keep going on and on about the same thing.
  40. When I was young, I used to enjoy playing games involving pretending with other children.
  41. I like to collect information about categories of things (types of cars, types of birds, types of trains, types of plants, etc.).
  42. I find it difficult to imagine what it would be like to be someone else.
  43. I like to plan any activities I participate in carefully.
  44. I enjoy social occasions.
  45. I find it difficult to work out people's intentions.
  46. New situations make me anxious.
  47. I enjoy meeting new people.
  48. I am a good diplomat.
  49. I am not very good at remembering other people's date of birth.
  50. I find it very easy to play games with children that involve pretending.

Scoring. Score one point for every "definitely agree" or "slightly agree" response to the following: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 33, 35, 39, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46. Score one point for every "definitely disagree" or "slightly disagree" response to the following: 1, 3, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 36, 37, 38, 40, 44, 47, 48, 49, 50.

Interpretation. The test assesses five different areas. Autistic-like responses will show poor social skill, attention switching, communication and imagination, and an exaggerated attention to detail. Scores over 32 are generally taken to indicate Asperger's Syndrome or high-functioning autism, with more than 34 an "extreme" score. A "normal" score, based on control groups, is about 16 (or 15 for women and between 17 and 18 for men). A group of mathematics-contest winners scored an average of 24.5. A group of scientists scored an average of 18.5 (19 for men, 17 for women), with computer scientists at about 21, physicists at 19 and those in biology or medicine at about 15.