When you are wondering if someone you love may have Asperger syndrome (AS) it is helpful to look at a list of symptoms. That is why this article has been written with an Aspergers checklist that you can use as part of your preliminary investigations into AS.
There are distinguishing factors and characteristics that set children apart when they suffer from one of the known autism spectrum disorders, specifically in this case Asperger’s Syndrome. Keep in mind too that Aspies can vary greatly in the extent and nature of the problems, characteristics or symptoms that they display. This fact alone means that treating AS needs to be targeted as much as possible for each unique person.
Aspies are generally impacted in any of these four different areas of life:
- Social interaction
- Communication skills
- Physically
- Repetitive or restrictive patterns
Those with Asperger syndrome may be characterized by some of the following, which have been broken down into the four areas mentioned above:
Social interaction
- Difficulty interacting with others – social skills
- Difficulty making friends
- Find it hard to get close to others
- Difficulty understanding jokes and metaphors
- Concept of fiction is not easily understood
- Difficulty looking others directly in the eye
- Inappropriate staring
- May appear bored in social situations
- Tendency to misinterpret or misunderstand gestures and facial expressions
- May seem to lack empathy for others
Communication skills
- Communicating with others may be impaired
- Tendency to speak with a monotone inflection
- May speak too formally for the situation
- Slang language may not be a part of usual speech
- Fixed pitch when talking
- May run off on tangents
- Tendency to sound incoherent in conversations
- Difficulty in picking up on changes in conversation topic
- Tendency to speak incessantly about one particular subject
- May not allow opportunity for the other person (or people) to say anything
- May never really come to a conclusion in any conversation
Physically
- Tendency to be clumsy
- Oversensitivity to stimuli through the five senses – including light, taste, textures, smells and sound
- Unusual facial expressions
- Unusual posture
- Different gait when walking
Repetitive or restrictive patterns
- Overly reliant on fixed routines
- Difficulty handling changes to the daily routine
- May become overly attached to specific objects
- Interests may be limited
- Tendency to become obsessive over details
- May throw temper tantrums
- May become preoccupied with a certain activity
The Aspergers checklist above lists some of the symptoms that Aspies may exhibit. It is important to understand that each case is unique and the specific asperger symptoms experienced by each person with AS will also be unique.
As an Aspie grows from childhood into adulthood the symptoms and severity of them may change. Each stage in life will hold its own set up challenges that will need to be dealt with and addressed in order for the Aspie child, teenager or adult to be able to relate to others and fit in as well as possible to society.
Resources:
Listen and Learn Center – Asperger’s Syndrome Symptoms
http://www.listenandlearn.com.au/disorders_aspergers.asp
Asperger’s in Children
http://www.nativeremedies.com/ailment/aspergers-syndrome-asperger-disorder.html
Web MD – Asperger’s Syndrome Symptoms
http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/tc/aspergers-syndrome-symptoms
Angel Fire – Asperger Syndrome
http://www.angelfire.com/clone/asperger/index.html
Aspergoid features
http://www.paulcooijmans.com/personalitytests/asperger.html
Hello,
I’m fairly new to the world of Autism and Asperger’s. Recently, a friend posted an article about how Autism show differently in women, etc. I read the article and was intrigued because my nephew is autistic and I was reading the article for my sister, actually. I was curious if any of it could apply to her. In researching for HER, I found out about myself. I just finished taking this test, scored a 38 and cried. I feel RELIEVED. All of my life, I could never figure out why I was different, weird, or NEVER fit in. It was agnozing. I tried and tried and never ever quite made it. My social anxiety is unreal. All of my relationships have failed in life; friends, family, and romantic. I have finally met an amazing man and he has been doing research on Asperger’s right alongside me. It’s amazing. I can’t believe that there is actually an explanation for me! FINALLY. I can relax in knowledge…I know I don’t have a diagnosis from a doctor yet and I plan to see one as I have had a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder and always believed it to be inaccurate so I’d like to go back and see someone else with other information about how I feel Asperger’s relates to me.
I’ve read many of the comments here and you have no idea how much I can relate to EACH one of you! Finally, I don’t feel like I’m alone in this world. I am about to turn 40 years old. I wish my family had had this information when I was young. It would have been so helpful for me as a child, teen, and young adult.
Thank you so much for the hard work you’ve put into this website. You have truly helped ME!
Syd Barrett sent me here. Well, in a way. I’ve been obsessed with Pink Floyd’s founding member for a few months now and recently read an article that theorised that he might have Asperger’s Syndrome, although this has never been proven (and has been hotly debated). As I read it, many of his traits started sounding VERY familiar, almost like I was reading a story about myself (minus the use of illicit drugs). So, I poked around online and started reading other stories. Then I found this site. I took the test and scored 27 on the first try. Two months later I scored 35. Another month or so later (today) I scored 35 again. I want to go and have the tests done to find out if it truly is AS. It would be such a relief to finally know why I have been different all of my life. As a child and teenager, I was outgoing as much as people around me would allow. No one seemed to ever want any of my society and I was basically friendless for most of my school years, aside from my best friend that lived across the street. We were weird together and it was fun. My peers always said, “Just act like us and you’ll be ‘cool’.” Not so easy as it sounds. They all seemed daft and childish to me, so I mimicked my perception of their behaviour with disastrous results. I was only further isolated. This led to suicidal thoughts. Thankfully, I pushed those away and joined a local youth group at my aunt’s church. They were very kind and didn’t seem to mind my oddities.
I’ve had lifelong fascination with things that girls don’t usually like. Heavy machinery (construction, strip-mining, locomotives), geometric patterns, astronomy and fantasy stories have always been intensely interesting to me, even now at 43 years of age. My artistic abilities were natural and I’ve taught myself everything. I’m not selfISH, per se, but rather self-absorbed. I noticed that when in crowded situations that I would “tune out” to everything around me and literally be alone in a crowded room, thinking to myself, pressing the hem of my clothing under my fingernails (“stimming” I suppose. I’ve never been able to break myself of that.), and making a study of objects in the room that no one ever noticed. I’ve found that typing is a form of stimming, as the words seem to fly out of my fingers in a way that my mouth can never accomplish. How I type this is NOT how I speak. Five words strung together would be an accomplishment.
Anyway, I’m very happy to have found this site and have added it to my list of resources. I hope to have a visit with a psychologist sometime in the near future and address my concerns with him/her. Thank you for providing the test. It has been most helpful and I’m sure would be of interest to a doctor.
Took this test mostly out of curiosity as I scored a 31 on the test. Throughout my life I have been considered unusual and someone who marched to the beat of a different drummer. I remember someone telling me, “wouldn’t it be a boring world if everyone thought the same or was the same.”
Different, strange, unusual, a person who was overly sensitive and somewhat highly strung these were labels put on me as a child in school. In school I was the victim of bullying and sometimes it was bad. People came and went in my life, so with the exception of my family and a few close friends, I never felt close to anyone and never trusted people for the most part.
On my monthly report cards in elementary school, not much was said about how I was doing in school (whether I was slow, average or smart) but how one situation I acted this way when I should have reacted differently. I remember in 4th grade getting very upset when I sat on some glue and it nearly ruined the outfit I was wearing. My grandmother had to take it to the dry cleaners to clean it and there was no guarantee that it would get the glue stain out. Thankfully it was okay.
I was so upset I was in tears and cried for the remainder of the day. I couldn’t stop crying about it I was so upset. The teacher couldn’t understand this and basically put in my report card that I had overreacted to the situation. Everyone had a good laugh at my expense.
My mother at this point had had it and basically wrote the teacher saying something to the effect on (this isn’t the exact wording but something to this effect. “Well wouldn’t you be upset if the kids put glue on your chair and you sat down on it and then it ruined your outfit and then they started laughing at you.. No doubt you would be furious about this and most likely would punish the students who did this and who laughed at you. Please tell me how Lucy is doing in math, reading and science instead of personally attacking her and criticizing her all the time.”
The next report card nothing was said. Blank piece of paper.
When it comes to reading people, I usually can if I’m not talking to them. If I’m talking to them, sometimes I don’t always read their cues or if I do, sometimes I’m incorrect. Case and point would be recently when I was talking with someone who had broken their foot and was anxious about going thru physical therapy. I told them my story in graphic detail (I broke my wrist and the physical therapy was sometimes painful). Later, someone told me that I was upsetting them by telling them my story but I didn’t see anger or apprehension in their face (I saw no emotion at all in the person’s face at all or any indication that this story was upsetting to them). After that they avoided me.
I’ve worked since I was 18 years old and generally get along with people although many people don’t understand my quirks.
Sometimes I have read people’s cues that they are bored or uninterested in what I have to say (sometimes I’m very detailed), but I don’t care and pretend like I don’t see this. It’s always like how dare they be that way to me as I’m an important person who has something to say.
I enjoyed going out. However, if I’m in a crowded dance floor, crowded restaurant or I’m in an area where there are lots of people, sometimes I need a break and I go off to an area that isn’t crowded for about 5 or 10 minutes. I come back in refreshed. Sometimes I don’t have to do this but if I do, it’s only once or twice. Over stimulation I guess. If I’m not able to do this, I get anxious or slightly irritated. People that know me understand this and realize that I’m not upset with them or being anti-social, I just need to get away for a few minutes. Sometimes I’ve had to explain this to someone who didn’t know me and they have understood this.
About a year and a half to two years ago, I went to a restaurant where there was dancing. I had a rough day at work and really didn’t want to go but went. The music was very loud and I was started to get irritated, so I went into another room where it was quiet and sat there. Someone in the group that I was with thought that I was being anti-social and rude and went into the room and demanded that I be happy and enjoyed myself. The more this guy talked to me the angrier I became and finally told him in a very angry stern manner to leave me alone. He left me alone but couldn’t understand why I was angry. Had he asked me if I was okay, I would have explained to him why I did this and wouldn’t have been upset.
I was so upset at this point that I felt like leaving. I was almost to the point of tears. I sat calmly for a couple of minutes and then rejoined the group. I was still upset over the comments that this man made to me but was able to function enough to enjoy the rest of the evening.
Hi Lucy
Thank you for stopping by my website and sharing your comment with us. I appreciate how you have opened up and shared personal aspects of your life. 🙂
I hope you enjoyed what you read here and that you will continue to check out the articles in the future.
God bless you.
Justine
Hi Justine. I’m 44 and I scored 43 on your test. I have known all my life that I am different, somehow. Never quite fitting in, socially awkward and easily bullied. A soft target if you will, short and bespectacled; running away and hiding is something I can relate to all too well. I joined the Defence Force at age 18 in an attempt to forge some kind of social existence. I failed…
I am currently having fortnightly ECT, having being diagnosed with major depression since my medical discharge ten years ago. After being in constant battle with the conflicting voices in my head, I have attempted to turn these into characters within my fictional stories. This helped for a while and I self published my first novel, but now I find that the ECT is of severe detriment to my memory. Keeping track of story lines that I have created, is as much of a logistical nightmare as actually leaving the house for any social event. I have to check rooms and the driveway just to know who’s in my house at any given time. I crave a correct diagnosis so that I can finally receive proper treatment. I am here for a reason, but the daily battle is becoming too much to bear. I cannot continue slipping further into the emotional abyss that has become my life. I discuss my secret pain with no-one, so I am open to any suggestions that yourself or your readers may have. Thank you.
Hi Wayne
I truly appreciate you opening up and leaving your comment.
As I read through what you wrote I could feel your pain and struggles.
Have you mentioned to your doctor or therapist your concern that you may be on the autism spectrum? This may be the best place to begin.
Also, as I have mentioned in other replies I do wish that there was a quick and easy answer to the struggles that we face on this earth. But honestly I do not know of any.
Obtaining a diagnosis is helpful for some as it gives a starting point of understanding and for possible treatment strategies. This may be the case for you.
Wayne, I do truly wish you all the very best in your search for answers. You are in my prayers.
Justine 🙂
Can I have this and not know it? For 20 years straight? I have been diagnosed with adjustment disorder, anxiety, depression, and mood disorder, but those were only diagnosed in a hospital setting. I was hospitalized several times, but is it possible to have autism and not know it? I always wonder if I have autism, when it comes to social settings, I become paralized. I cant even walk in heels because it feels like people are staring at me. I cant go to the dentist/doctor alone, I cant go in public alone and so on. I scored a 32 on your test. I’ve been trying to see a doctor, but I do not have insurance. What should I do? I feel as if I am wasting away. My memory gets out of hand, and I can’t remember to turn in basic assignments in school. The work is really easy, but I just cant remember much. Please help me with some answers.
Hi Jaz
As I have mentioned to others, there really is not a quick and easy answer to your questions.
It certainly is possible to be on the spectrum and to have other conditions as well, but on the other hand it is possible to have multiple conditions and to not be on the autism spectrum.
As this seems to be bothering you and impacting your daily life, I do recommend that you talk to someone. Perhaps begin with your family doctor.
Find out as much as you can and make a decision that will help you move forward in the most positive and healthy way possible.
I am praying for wisdom and guidance for you Jaz. 🙂
God bless you.
Justine
Thank you for this quiz. My son is autistic and my husband thinks I have Asperger’s. I scored a 35. It makes sense in many ways. I know I have a lot of qualities on the spectrum but I don’t know if I’d have enough for a formal diagnosis (I don’t want a formal diagnosis; I just want to know for myself). I don’t feel disabled like a lot of Aspies seem to- just highly inconvenienced by certain aspects of my being. I don’t like change. I can actually read people really well, just not when I’m interacting with them. As a casual observer I can understand facial expressions and body language fine. When I interact with people myself that seems to shut down. Like I’m so focused on what I’m doing that my brain can’t process social cues. I’m rude by most standards- overly honest and blunt. My husband says he has to do “damage control” with my in-laws after I interact with them. I have sensory issues, but not as bad as some. A lot of things repulse me, which can make physical intimacy difficult. I’m hyper-aware of touch. I’m often accused of being too literal. Oftentimes in conversation I know something could have a few different interpretations and I’m always anxious about picking the wrong one. I like things to be clarified.
Huh. I got a 44, and I have a lot of these traits. I’ve suspected for a while I might be somewhere on the autism spectrum, but never have been diagnosed, mostly because I haven’t seen a doctor since eighth grade and don’t stand out enough in school to have the counselors notice anything. This helped a lot, and knowing that this might be why I struggle to make friends and have meltdowns when my routine is interrupted helps make me feel a little better.
Thank you for posting this test and such interesting articles. I will need to get my life back on track and become employed again so I can seek professional help but for now the symptoms of aspergers really help me locate some answers that have been rather confusing until now. My life has more problems then aspergers at this time since I am 44 years old and have, due to my behavior and meltdown, lost my 15 year career and most likely my marriage, however I am still trying to save that at this time. One of the most difficult aspects of our life ( my wife and I) is my inability to show her the adequate amount of emotion to match the pain that she is on due to my years of infidelity. I don’t know if there is any connection of aspergers to sexual addiction but that would be interesting to research. I hate the word addiction though–I would rather call my deep compulsions with pornography and my out of control behavior with sexual acting out just my own horrible choices and sins. I know that my actions were not simply driven by lust because it was an extreme cycle of shame and inner emptiness that drove my search for a sexual high, which always led to a flat and depressive orgasm; which then created more shame. However, that heinous behavior that has caused my wife such deep pain still doesn’t explain my odd behaviors and my (in my opinion) lack of empathy. I hurt for my wife and I hurt for what I have done to her and myself. She will start to talk about strippers or prostitutes and ask me why and how that makes me feel, with such an intense and angry stare, and my insides freeze with what I call the dark, yucky feeling in my chest. I will tell her, and mean it, that it breaks my heart and I truly hate what I have done. I tell her how sorry I am, and understanding how much pain she is in, I deeply regret betraying her trust and ruining our life. There is much more to these conversations but the end result is that she thinks that I am a cold blooded, heartless man because I sometimes look confused and unsure of what to do or say. She wants me to shed tears like she sheds and many times that feels impossible. It makes me question myself by asking why I am unable to do that. I know in my heart that I hate what I’ve done and am very sorrowful over our life. I do cry and have shed tears over the result of my actions, but crying is not the norm. I usually cry alone.
I researched NPD, BPD, ADHD, Passive Agression and Co-dependency and found elements of all of these problems in my behaviors, personality and actions. My problem is that I have trouble finding any of these problems that completely fit. Right when I’m thinking, Aha…that’s me, then I start to read other symptoms that are nothing like me. It is very discouraging because I want to know why my life has been so empty and aimless. I have never taken off and matured. Upon deep reflection I see the damage of my emotionally abusive parents and the problems of growing up with religious shame of growing up LDS. I realize that my mothers specific enmeshment created sexual confusion in my young life and my father is extremely passive aggressive but also extremely narcissistic, so he leaned to much on me and we were all afraid of her inconsistent moods. I then took my anger and projected that onto my wife and then you introduce masturbation and pornography as a coping mechanism from childhood and just watch that formula expound upon itself over decades and then I get a better picture of how my life melted down. Some of the underlying problems was my anxiety with communication and my issues with intimacy and touching. I remember my dad asking me as a child why I never smiled and seemed so distant. I would say I’m ok and then he would get off my back. I always had issues with the way clothing felt and had to have specific lengths of socks because of how they felt when they weren’t long enough. When I ate I was teased by my family because I had to separate my food and I hated it when they got mixed together. I would then eat each item separately, one at a time. My wife always catches me talking to her, but many times before she stops and brings it to my attention, she points out that I look at the wall instead of her. I will zone out and count the streams of light that come through the blinds, instead of listening or joining conversations. In such odd detail. I will categorize them by the length of light and which ones start from the bottom or the top. I did the same as a child when we drove in the car. I would count mike markers and sometimes do multiplication problems quickly before the next market came and get greatly irritated when I know they didn’t space them properly because I used the same equations at the same speed. I found myself doing these things when I wanted to avoid anxiety. I can zone out and feel so empty inside sometimes.
I have went on to long already but thank you for this sight, as it has helped give me so emote concrete answers that I can hopefully soon be able to follow up on professionally. Have you come across other problems such as sexual compulsion or narcissism to be associated with aspergers?
Hi James
Thanks for taking the time to clearly share your own situation and circumstances here.
There is no easy or quick answer to what you have expressed and asked about. I honestly have no specific experience with this.
What I suggest is that you begin by talking to your family doctor and ask them for further information or a referral.
I wish I could help more. I do appreciate you opening up and sharing. You are in my prayers.
Take care.
Justine
Hi Justine.
In the past few months two of my friends told me that they had been diagnosed with Asperger’s.
One was diagnosed recently at the age of 20 and it was especially surprising to me. He tried to explain to me that there is a difference between Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism Asperger’s, and I’m not quite sure what he meant by that.
I’ve researched the disorder a bit and have heard about it before and though most of my life I’ve been encouraged that I am really not that different from others, I’ve always gotten some feelings such as that there is something I missed in a conversation that was implied, or that I am and have always tried to hide something- something like the fact that I actually don’t quite belong where I am. Social situations are often stressful for me for many reasons, particularly when it comes to dealing with new situations or new people, and it usually takes me a frustratingly long time to warm up to people to a level (such as with my family) that I feel comfortable enough that I fit and that there are no barriers.
In the past few years of my teenage life I’ve researched mental disorders in attempt to pinpoint what felt wrong to me. I diagnosed myself with mild depression and anxiety, both of which are the clearest though I still occasionally question, and settled pretty strongly on something like borderline ADHD, but it’s all very vague. My main problems seem to be social interactions, communication, and self-discipline.
My friend’s recent diagnosis turned my attention to Asperger’s as a not-so-far-fetched possibility (going to look into general HFA as well). I don’t want to jump to any conclusions of course, and I do plan to eventually try to smooth out all my problems with a professional but it has also been difficult for me to start effective therapy and I need to try and work out some of these things on my own in the meantime.
My question is, then, for the time being, do you think it’s possible that I have some form of more mild Asperger’s? Do my feelings mean anything or could it just be that I’m looking too hard for issues within myself? What do you think I could do about the problems I’ve noticed I have?
Thanks.
Hi
I appreciate your comment. Thanks for sharing it. 🙂
Honestly it is not possible to give you a diagnosis of any type through what you shared. What you need to do is seek out a professional in your area that works with those on the Autism Spectrum. Once you are in touch with such a person then you can begin the diagnosis process.
I wish you all the best with finding out answers. 🙂
Take care,
Justine
Justine,
I don’t think you understand just how dangerous websites like yours are when used by the wrong people. My wife has become easily influenced by everything medical on the net and recently told me that she believed I had Asperger’s Syndrome. She quoted your site amongst others. I crossed checked with your quiz and several quizzes available on the net and scored in the normal range. Unfortunately my wife is now obsessed by this and even wants to attend an Asperger’s partners support group. In the meantime she’s self-diagnosed a large number of health problems and filled our house with every possible drug and alternative medicine. The number of hours she spends on health forums is seriously hindering her ability to function.
I wanted you to know just how dangerous it is to use psychological tests and diagnoses in such a public forum. You should consider shutting down this site. You, like many bloggers are well meaning, but unfortunately because you don’t have to deal with people in person you fail to see the consequences of your action. Please direct your attention to more harmless pursuits.
Hi Mike
I appreciate your concerns and warning. Honestly, I just want to be able to encourage those searching for answers in this area. As long as there are people out there asking questions then I hope to be able to support them by directing them to their family doctor or to a professional website on autism spectrum disorders.
From these two places (either the family doctor or a website directed at providing resources on autism) I hope that my readers will begin to find answers.
This may not always be ideal, but I hope that it is a starting point.
Have you considered going together with your wife to your family doctor and discussing her concerns? I believe that she would benefit from this step as it sounds like she is struggling with some areas in her own life.
I truly, honestly only want to help in whatever small way I can. I hope you can see this. I hope too that you will invest whatever time is needed to help your wife through these struggles that she is currently having.
You, your wife and your family are in my prayers.
Justine
I am 66 and I got a 34 on your test. Two years ago I figured it out. As number six of seven children, too many of my older siblings detected my differences and decided it could not be tolerated. So they beat me when I didn’t walk the way other kids walked or laugh at the right time or insisted on doing things the right way. I didn’t want to fight, so I learned at an early age to run and hide. I’m okay, one on one, but I still avoid crowds and large gatherings. Because I got tired of being teased for doing things differently, I turned to the bible to find the absolute right way to do things and what didn’t matter. Still, I’ve never met anyone like me.
Hi
I appreciate your comments.
Personally I also love the Lord and reading His word. The Bible has brought me great comfort, strength and direction over the years. 🙂
It is difficult feeling different from others, even in your own family. I was not beaten physically, but was confused by what my siblings said to me. I just became confused as I did not understand what they meant when they directed jokes and other things that they thought were funny at me.
I too find it easier many times to ‘run away and hide’. I hear what you are saying about crowds and gatherings of lots of people. Whenever possible I avoid these too!
Thank you again for sharing. I feel that in reading other people’s comments we can see that we are indeed not alone. There are many others out there in the world who are experiencing similar feelings to us. That can be comforting. 🙂
God bless you,
Justine
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