My oldest son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome (also called Asperger’s Disorder) when he was very young (one of the youngest to be positively diagnosed in the state of Utah). For those of you who don’t know, Asperger’s is erroneously classified as “mild autism.”
AS is one of five neurobiological pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) that is characterized by deficiencies in social and communication skills. It is considered to be part of the autistic spectrum and is differentiated from other PDDs and from high functioning autism (HFA) in that early development is normal and there is no language delay. It is possible for people with AS to have learning disabilities concurrently with Asperger syndrome. In these cases, differential diagnosis is essential to identify subsequent support requirements. Conversely, IQ tests may show normal or superior intelligence,[1][2] and standard language development compared with the delays typical of classic autism. The diagnosis of AS is complicated by the lack of adoption of a standardized diagnostic screen, and, instead, the use of several different screening instruments and sets of diagnostic criteria. The exact cause of AS is unknown and the prevalence is not firmly established, due partly to the use of differing sets of diagnostic criteria.1
Psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen and his colleagues at Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre have created the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, or AQ, as a measure of the extent of autistic traits in adults.
Wired.com has an unscientific test which can help you determine if you have any autistic traits. I scored 27. What did you score?
I scored 13 on this test. It was interesting! Thanks!
is it just me or is the test broken? when i hit submit it goes to the code of the page.