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oxgirl

Autism Test on Facebook

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We're so fed up, loads of our so-called friends, who are mainly family members, are doing this stoooopid autism test on Facebook and it's really upsetting Jay. It just trivializes the whole issue and he feels they're doing it for a bit of a joke but they don't realize how it affects him and his life. He said he was going to put a comment saying they don't know what it's like to actually have autism, but he didn't bother in the end, but we're just seething about it. How can people be so insensitive. For goodness sake, they all know about his autism and yet they're blithely going along doing this for a bit of a laugh so they can say, oh, they have a bit of autism too, ha ha. Thing is, they're living life to the full, full of socializing and friends and work and making their way out there in the world totally oblivious to the fact that Jay has none of that and probably never will and they think it's a big joke. :crying:

 

~ Mel ~

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We're so fed up, loads of our so-called friends, who are mainly family members, are doing this stoooopid autism test on Facebook and it's really upsetting Jay. It just trivializes the whole issue and he feels they're doing it for a bit of a joke but they don't realize how it affects him and his life. He said he was going to put a comment saying they don't know what it's like to actually have autism, but he didn't bother in the end, but we're just seething about it. How can people be so insensitive. For goodness sake, they all know about his autism and yet they're blithely going along doing this for a bit of a laugh so they can say, oh, they have a bit of autism too, ha ha. Thing is, they're living life to the full, full of socializing and friends and work and making their way out there in the world totally oblivious to the fact that Jay has none of that and probably never will and they think it's a big joke. :crying:

 

~ Mel ~

 

Hi oxgirl -

Don't really do facebook, but having had a bit of a sniff around it sounds like this is the same AQ test you'll find all over the internet, which many people feel perfectly comfortable to use as a 'home diagnosis' - often without feeling any sort of need for professional follow-up at all.

I can totally understand why Jay feels upset by it and why he feels it trivialises autism, and I totally agree. The defence seems to be that it's either 'just a bit of harmless fun', or alternatively that it's a 'very useful tool for those who feel different and want to understand why'... I don't see any way of consolidating those two points of view, and that in itself speaks volumes.

I think if they had a test online for people to see if they were 'borderline downs syndrome' it would be seen as a hugely offensive 'bad joke'. Another indicator, IMO, that autism - particularly 'AS' - will be the next big 'non-disability', used so casually and so widely that it effectively becomes meaningless.

Sorry if that sounds a bit 'miserable old git' - I do generally have a VGSOH and can laugh at pretty much anything, including some aspects of disability. This one though, is a joke that has worn very, very thin over the past five or six years, with the punchline becoming increasingly disturbing.

 

L&P

 

BD

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I have actually done that one myself out of curiosity - mine and my hubbies results were pretty much as expected - opposite ends of the scale - so many people are doing it now and I kind of agree with BD if it were any other disability then it would be frowned upon. If it is upsetting Jay though you can block the application then he wont see if people use it anymore.

 

Lynne

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I DID put a comment on one friend's, saying it just trivilises ASD. They came back that it raises awareness and so is a good thing. :wallbash:

 

I'm torn betwen blocking it so I don't get annoyed, and keeping it so I can make comments to each of my idiotic "friends" who do it.

 

I wonder if I should put a Blindness Quotient test up - after all we're all a `little bit on the "blind" spectrum, and it would be fun nd noit at all patronising to see how like real blind people we are :whistle:

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Maybe try sending each person who does the test the video that was linked on here a few days ago with one of the forum members expressing beautifully how AS makes him feel. I've put that on my Facebook page and have had an amazing response with lots of groups of my friends sharing it and discussing it.

 

http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/Index.php?/topic/25395-you-tube-video-made-by-me-an-asd-person/page__p__296855__fromsearch__1#entry296855

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in my eyes if people are that keen to know and understand what it is and how it affects me then they can come and ask me, if they want to do a cruddy FB test then let them do it, after all, their choice, no matter if the test is right or wrong.

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4 of my friends have got wind of this stupid test - it's actually pissing me right off.

 

One of them passed it on to their friends and they are all making jokes about being 'special' etc.

 

The smart thing to do is rise above it and ignore idiotic tests like that - but it still ruddy hurts to see people making fun of something that all of you on here know is hard to live with.

 

I posted the video on my profile - asking people to watch it to understand my anger(i also put a strongly worded status update hahaha), and asked them to be more understanding.

 

It's all we can do I guess.

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I do agree it simplifies it, but the important thing to note is that they're probably not taking it too seriously, it's just as a bit of fun like all Facebook quizzes.

 

My family all did the Wired AQ test after seeing it on TV before, and the results were pretty interesting - I got the highest score, since I'm the only one in the family diagnosed, but my dad's score was pretty close, and now that I think about it, he does seem pretty Aspie.

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We're so fed up, loads of our so-called friends, who are mainly family members, are doing this stoooopid autism test on Facebook and it's really upsetting Jay. It just trivializes the whole issue and he feels they're doing it for a bit of a joke but they don't realize how it affects him and his life. He said he was going to put a comment saying they don't know what it's like to actually have autism, but he didn't bother in the end, but we're just seething about it. How can people be so insensitive. For goodness sake, they all know about his autism and yet they're blithely going along doing this for a bit of a laugh so they can say, oh, they have a bit of autism too, ha ha. Thing is, they're living life to the full, full of socializing and friends and work and making their way out there in the world totally oblivious to the fact that Jay has none of that and probably never will and they think it's a big joke. :crying:

 

~ Mel ~

Important to note no online test is VALID, if, you have a significant hearing loss. No online test will tell you anyway, if you feel you have a problem see a GP. If you want a hearing test do NOT Use online sites like the RNID, because many frequencies cannot be effectively measured, it is too dependent on what phone you have. We've seen people amplifying their phones to test their hearing erm... its a problem already then again it's what ENT depts are for.... Just because you may be unsociable doesn't mean you are autistic !

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I don't take personal offence from it although can evidently see the potential for people capitalising on using it as part of the materialistic world of social networking.

 

I decided to participate in it and got 35, but as an autism advocate am proud to show it anyway.

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The test on Facebook is the Simon Baron Cohen Test. The test can also be found here http://www.piepalace.ca/blog/asperger-test-aq-test/ and on various other Internet sites.

 

Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient

http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/research/project.asp?id=6

 

Simon Baron-Cohen, Sally Wheelwright, Akio Wakabayashi, Rosa Hoekstra, Nigel Goldenfeld, Bhismadev Chakrabarti, Mike Lombardo, Marc Woodbury-Smith, Rebecca Jones

 

The Adult AQ (Autism Spectrum Quotient) was developed by the ARC to test if adults with high-functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome are just an extreme on a dimension of autistic traits that runs right through the general population. Our studies have shown that people with a clinical diagnosis tend to score above 32 out of 50 on the AQ, first-degree relatives tend to score higher than average on the AQ, males in the general population tend to score higher than females, and scientists tend to score higher than non-scientists on the AQ. We have also found the AQ shows heritability (from twin studies) and cross-cultural stability, and that it predicts clinical diagnosis. We are currently investigating if the Adult AQ can be used as a screening instrument to detect undiagnosed cases of autism or Asperger Syndrome. The aim is not to uncover cases who do not need a diagnosis, and it is recognized that at best the AQ is a screening instrument - it is not itself diagnostic. We are also testing if genetic polymorphisms (SNPs), patterns of brain activity and brain structure, and patterns of hormonal profile, are associated with AQ. Finally, we are testing if AQ is a predictor of performance on various cognitive tests, such as social-attentional cueing.

 

Cat

 

 

 

You can access a range of these tests here http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/tests/aq_test.asp they have been doing the round for sometime now.

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Cat - it's not so much the test itself, as most people are already aware it's the Baron-Cohen test. It's the fact that people on Facebook are belittling something that we all go through whether it be as a parent or someone with an ASD. Nearly everyone on my friends list has now taken it it, and nearly all of them are making jokes about being on the spectrum. That's what all the fuss is about.

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Cat - it's not so much the test itself, as most people are already aware it's the Baron-Cohen test. It's the fact that people on Facebook are belittling something that we all go through whether it be as a parent or someone with an ASD. Nearly everyone on my friends list has now taken it it, and nearly all of them are making jokes about being on the spectrum. That's what all the fuss is about.

 

That is disability discrimination and ignorance. Haven't they heard of the autism act and how difficult it was to achieve that? (rhet).

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I agree, it's ignorance at it's worst - because they think it's not as valid a disability as perhaps someone with Down Syndrome or Cerebal Palsy, it's open to ridicule and blatant cruelty. The people who made fun of me (whom I have since defriended if that is a word), couldn't understand even after I spelt it out for them why I found it offensive, how it made me feel and why they need to educate themselves.

 

Nearly every single person told me I was being over sensitive, and used the words 'it's just a bit of fun'.

 

I don't think so.

 

I flagged the test and outlined the reasons why to Facebook - and so far they have not even acknowledged it.

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If it's the one I'm thinking of I didn't mind it so much.

 

I understand why some may see it as belittling, however there isn't much there that is implying anything negative about AS, it specifically states that people with AS are totally normal and functioning human beings.

 

It also gives a way of opening discussion with friends who maybe don't know you or someone you know is AS...specifically when my friends were taking the test their results showed they were NT's, my results showed me at the very other end of the scale, which to some is a small validation that I'm not just making it up. :shame:

 

My issue however comes down to some of the comments people have made.

For example a friend of mine (not a close friend, FYI) claimed she was 'a little aspergers' and that everyone was a little aspergers - this is common ignorance, although some NT's may find social situations hard, for example, it's a far cry from the problems an aspie will face. A friend of hers also then commented with the term "assburger" :angry:

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I find this quite aggravating, as well.

 

It's not so much people doing the test, but the fact they're using it to say, "Hey, look at me, I'm a little bit autistic! Explains a lot! Ha ha ha!" when in actual fact they're not autistic at all. Sort of like when you're asked about autism and you struggle to think of a way to adequately explain it, but anything you do mention the other person jumps on and says, "Oh yeah, I do that, too!" I'm not trying to suggest that autistic traits are exclusive to autistic people, or that no one else on earth is autistic other than those already diagnosed, but some of these people I know well enough to know that they're not autistic and often enough that they don't have the trait they claim to have. This sounds like a strange judgement to make, but my cousin and at least one mutual friend (who I met through my cousin) tend to adopt each other's 'issues'. So, having never displayed or mentioned hearing loss, my cousin suddenly starts to claim she is partially deaf (btw, on this particular day it was mentioned when talking to someone through glass, when I couldn't hear either and I have hypersensitive hearing, and when talking to someone with laryngitis, who I also couldn't hear (obviously, she had no voice!). I mentioned this to the mutual friend who was really annoyed because it turned out that she also claims to be partially deaf (however, in relation to this I mentioned that I have hypersensitive hearing, but also problems with aural processing which has made people think I am hard of hearing before, and she said, "Oh, I think that might be the problem with me, actually, then!" but then reverted back to saying she's 'partially deaf'; I'm pretty sure you can't mistake having amazing hearing for having really poor hearing). They've both taken to turning their heads to make you speak in their other ear, each time making a big deal about it to make sure everyone knows why they turn their heads. The same cousin is a social butterfly, constantly making new friends and meeting up with new people without issue, is full of confidence and loves to be the centre of attention and has always used buses to get around (whereas I am autistic, I struggle to use buses, I dislike being around people and especially crowds, I struggle to maintain friendships let alone make lots of new ones on a regular basis - for this reason I tend to travel with an mp3 player but I can't get buses alone at all, and need to be met at stations when I travel by trains). She started to say things like, "I have to have my iPod with me when I go on buses, otherwise I freak out because of the people." And, when walking in a crowded area with me and another person who was at the time suffering from social anxiety she said, "Wow, I just realised. We're all anti-social!" Er, no we're not. You least of all! Gah!

 

I have lots more examples of that sort of thing. I used to believe everything everyone told me, but liars have to have good memories, especially if you're lying to an autistic! :lol: So I have, instead, become a little overly analytical of what people tell me. But mostly that cousin, I will admit...

 

Funnily enough, my diagnosis included the AQ, but you have to do the EQ as well and have an actual assessment on top of that. A lot of people who do it could potentially rig it, because it's quite obvious which answers are the 'autistic answers'. When I did it I had my mum there to confirm that I wasn't being selective with my answers, and whenever I was unsure of an answer or could equally have chosen two answers, I'd lean towards the non-autistic answer to err on the side of caution (unless my mum strongly disagreed with the answer and felt it was the 'more autistic' one). Obviously, on top of that I had an official assessment. So to have people just flippantly clicking a few buttons online (and if they're doing the test in the first place in this manner I would assume it's mostly just because they'd like to broadcast their 'weirdness' to everyone else, which seems cynical, but I've read around forums since I was 16 and have always been surprised to find how 'odd' (or even 'messed up') people love to be/appear, and how much they compete with each other for the 'honour') does belittle the official process a bit.

 

I don't think I'd mind as much if someone did it out of curiosity but acknowledged the result didn't mean much (it didn't even mean much to me, my autism isn't defined by that one test, or proven by that one test). My best friend did it to see how she compared to me, but was very open about expecting to score outside of the 'autistic range', and even if she had got into the thirties she would have acknowledged that the fact she likes museums (and some other examples) didn't actually mean she's autistic. My brother also did it to help with some research online, and because he was curious to see how he'd score, especially as he used to appear quite autistic as a child, and he has acknowledged that he has some traits that could be down to genetics, but that he's not actually autistic, and he was quite... 'affectionately amused' shall I say?... at how high his empathy score was compared to how low mine was. Even if the above mentioned friend had done it quietly and then mentioned it to me, I wouldn't have minded so much. But she actually borrowed books on autism, read about it and said, "I don't match this at all," (which surprised me because I didn't realise that her interest was actually motivated by her wanting to see if she's autistic) but then posted that on FB and sort of hinted that it might actually have some significance.

 

It's hard to struggle with things and then have people who don't have those struggles try to compare themselves with you. Moreso when those people are actually so successful in areas that you are not that you've wished you could be more like them. When I was younger I felt sort of freakish for not being able to make friends, and because people would judge me for having so few friends/no friends/not going out anywhere/not going out enough to places that they deemed 'fun', and would have loved to have been 'normal'.

 

I think it sort of ties into HFA/AS being seen as 'mild autism'. I work with a severely autistic boy, and compared to him and many others on the spectrum, yes my autism is mild, but that doesn't mean that my struggles are (also not that they're worse than everyone else's, but hopefully you understand my point). So for someone to then sort of suggest that they could potentially have mild autism because they don't really have any real struggles related to autism, but they do like museums and maths and are a bit awkward around new people... it irks.

 

It's autism. It's not a fashion accessory. If you're autistic you can't choose to 'adopt' it and 'drop' it as and when you like.

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What I find this test does for people who are effectively "NT" is somehow makes them think that they "experience" or "understand" what autism is. And I really don't know to what extent that is true or even possible.

 

I have had alot of comments from professionals, after I have raised something that is a real difficulty for my son, and they said "well we all have that to a certain extent". And whilst I do understand that, we are not talking about the same thing. Most NT's may have an "autistic moment" now and again. That is not the same thing as having a significant difficulty in most areas of language or social communication that definately has a huge impact all day, every day. That is what irritates me.

 

For example, I remember raising the fact that my son finds it impossible to leave a TV programme half way through and how we have to organise our mornings around that. The OT gave a comment that "no-one likes to leave a TV programme half way through". Well, yes to an extent that is true. But having to do so does not result in most people getting extremely upset for hours with it affecting them in school for a large part of the day.

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What I find this test does for people who are effectively "NT" is somehow makes them think that they "experience" or "understand" what autism is. And I really don't know to what extent that is true or even possible.

 

I have had alot of comments from professionals, after I have raised something that is a real difficulty for my son, and they said "well we all have that to a certain extent". And whilst I do understand that, we are not talking about the same thing. Most NT's may have an "autistic moment" now and again. That is not the same thing as having a significant difficulty in most areas of language or social communication that definately has a huge impact all day, every day. That is what irritates me.

 

For example, I remember raising the fact that my son finds it impossible to leave a TV programme half way through and how we have to organise our mornings around that. The OT gave a comment that "no-one likes to leave a TV programme half way through". Well, yes to an extent that is true. But having to do so does not result in most people getting extremely upset for hours with it affecting them in school for a large part of the day.

 

Luke Beardon came to speak at a conference that my husband and myself went to a month ago.

He was very outspoken on this issue.

He believes that to say we all have a bit of ASD is like saying a dog has a bit of cat because both have four legs and a tail. :)

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It's autism. It's not a fashion accessory. If you're autistic you can't choose to 'adopt' it and 'drop' it as and when you like.

Most NT's may have an "autistic moment" now and again. That is not the same thing as having a significant difficulty in most areas of language or social communication that definitely has a huge impact all day, every day.

I think this is the key issue many people miss when they use the I do that / everyone has Autism arguments. Autism is with me 24/7. I can't switch it off, I can't choose when it affects me, I can't have times away from it.

 

 

to say we all have a bit of ASD is like saying a dog has a bit of cat because both have four legs and a tail. :)

Ah, that's good. I am safely neither cat nor dog. I don't have four legs, and you can hardly see the tail stump since the operation... :devil::lol:

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Yeh, I agree with bloodheart really.

 

I took the AQ test long before it was on facebook and also sent it to a couple of friends, my husband and my parents - at the time I tested, I was surprised how high it was an wanted to see if other people got a "normal" rating...well, a majority did. I think it's an interesting test for people to take, to learn a little bit about themselves. No, it's not a diagnosis, but it's often one of the first steps in seeking one.

 

My son is autistic, I'm seeking diagnosis for myself. I don't really find the test offensive, the part that describes the score doesn't say anything negative about ASD and - more importantly - this test does actually spread awareness and possibly helps people, who think they might be on the spectrum, to eventually go out and seek diagnosis. If I hadn't have taken that first AQ test, I may not have gone on to read about Asperger's and realise that I was on the spectrum. Lots of people go undiagnosed for years and years and have really suffered as a result, (I'm one of them!). By lots of people posting the test, more people will see it, some people who actually have AS/ASD and have no idea - this may be the first step in them finding out.

 

The downside is some of the comments people might make in relation to the test - but, frankly, if I saw anyone making a negative comment about ASD on my facebook page, they would cease to be my friend in two seconds flat and that problem would be gone!

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