Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP).

[Daydreamer]

I am curious if anyone here feels as though this term fits them.

Personally, although I am not autistic, I do exhibit some traits commonly associated with the condition. Mainly how I get overstimulated by sensory information, sometimes flap my hands or pace when stressed, can be a bit literal-minded at times which sometimes leads to me missing sarcasm, and every so often I don't realise that I'm accidentally yelling or even whispering. I have to wonder how many people would fall under the Broad Autism Phenotype, and in comparison how many others show little to no signs.

One time my friends and I took the RAADS-R test, it was interesting to note that one of them scored in the 80's range whereas the other was much lower (in the 30's). Usually I get a result in the 110-137 range, the last time I took it I got 123.

Although I have had problems in the past regarding socialising, I am much better at picking up on queues now. Haven't mastered picking up on sarcasm completely yet, although I'm quite good at using it myself. Sometimes I notice it, other times not so much.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15248372.2016.1200046

 

[Fino]

OMG I got 201! I even erred on the side of typical if I had any debate about it in my head. JEYSUS! Is it possible...

Am I...

*whispers*autistic?

 

[SusanLR]

OMG I got 201! I even erred on the side of typical if I had any debate about it in my head. JEYSUS! Is it possible...

Am I...

*whispers*autistic?

My RAADS-R is 199. So don't feel bad.

 

[Fino]

My RAADS-R is 199. So don't feel bad.

Thank you! I was kinda like, "does this mean I'm like...reaaally autistic or something? I don't feel really autistic..."

I took it again where I tried to get a lower score, not exactly by lying, but maybe kinda by favoring... I still got 161! Social relatedness really shoots it to the stars! And I blame all other people for that!

 

[Monachopia]

Hmm.. Those quizzes are only an indicator, however, it does seem that NTs do typically score much lower on them.
My psychiatrist diagnosed me with an autism spectrum disorder, but didn't really specify a label or anything, since he can't know really. On RAADS-R I score 137/200 (autistic) and 75/200 (neurotypical). My symptoms are not obvious though, I don't stim or flap my hands. I don't really have meltdowns either. I don't have a problem with sarcasm 99% of the time, I can recognise people's faces and can recognise emotions. If I'm not stressed I can almost fake being "normal". On the outside I appear like a shy/introverted NT which is why the diagnosis was missed for so long.

The BAP definition seems to fit better as I have less obvious traits such as: "obsession with details, social awkwardness, and (some) rigid behaviors". As far as I can remember I couldn't relate to other children, didn't know how to talk to them, didn't join in and generally got lost in my own world more often than not. At 32 I am still learning how to talk to people and half the time still don't know how! I'm also quite sensitive to light and noise. I'm more analytical of people and their problems and not emotion based. I get overwhelmed when too much information (either sensory or verbal) is presented to me and I go into a "shut down" mode. I suspect my father is on the spectrum and my sister strongly exhibits traits similar to mine, so there's a case to be made for genetics.

So I guess the study is right in saying that it's a spectrum (we all knew that) and that some traits are stronger in some individuals than others... from sounds of it you might be slightly on it and there's nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[Daydreamer]

Hmm.. Those quizzes are only an indicator, however, it does seem that NTs do typically score much lower on them.
My psychiatrist diagnosed me with an autism spectrum disorder, but didn't really specify a label or anything, since he can't know really. On RAADS-R I score 137/200 (autistic) and 75/200 (neurotypical). My symptoms are not obvious though, I don't stim or flap my hands.

Sometimes I rock back and forth or flap my hands, but I have to be quite uncomfortable to start doing that. I find it interesting to note that until a friend of mine told me, I was unaware that I did this in public, and afterwards I was surprised that no one had really brought it up before. The rocking started when I was ten years old, sometimes in times of stress I'd go into a toilet stall and rock back and forth. When I do this in public it isn't full-on rocking, but more so slight swaying.

I don't really have meltdowns either.

I'm not sure if what I experience is considered a meltdown or not. Based on what I've read, I seem to leave the situation just before that happens. Sometimes I get overwhelmed and have to take some time alone, usually in a toilet stall, where I close my eyes whilst my head is facing down and stick my fingers in my ears. Then I give it a few seconds before taking my fingers out of my ears and opening my eyes, it feels as though I've just come up from underwater and my mind is much calmer and clearer. Sometimes I'll rock and/or flap or put both of my hands on the toilet cubicle wall and push until I feel calm again, depending on how overwhelmed I feel.

However, if I stay in that situation (the one which caused me to go to the toilet cubicle) for too long then I experience something that's rather odd. My senses seem to shut down partially, although I can hear the noise around me it's almost as if I can't fully process it. The closest thing I can think to compare it to is suddenly hearing white noise, this blur of sounds is rather disorientating. If someone talks to me during this time, then it doesn't process...I know that they are speaking to me but I can't work out anything else. The whole thing just feels surreal, this would probably come under derealisation. In order to snap out of it, I like to focus on something simple in my surroundings like a wall and I might place my hand on the wall and feel it in order to ground myself back to my reality. After that my mind clears and it's almost as if a fog has been lifted. Each small detail starts to become real again gradually, first the wall and then the rest of the surroundings.

I don't have a problem with sarcasm 99% of the time

My sarcasm detection skills vary a lot, there have been times where people have been sarcastic to me multiple times and I haven't caught on until they told me, but there are also moments where I pick up on it almost instantly. Usually I'm better at being sarcastic than picking up on it.

I can recognise people's faces and can recognise emotions.

This used to be an area I struggled with, but after looking into body language I've gotten fairly good at it so it's not really an issue for me anymore.

If I'm not stressed I can almost fake being "normal". On the outside I appear like a shy/introverted NT which is why the diagnosis was missed for so long.

I don't feel as though I'm pretending to be normal personally. Also, I used to be shy but I've gained confidence over the years.

 

[Fino]

Is it possible for someone to score very high on every kind of these tests, frequently have random people suspect they're autistic, clearly show a lot of the signs, be told by a therapist when they were a kid they're autistic and work with said therapist for years on issues related to it, but STILL not be autistic?

 

[SusanLR]

Is it possible for someone to score very high on every kind of these tests, frequently have random people suspect they're autistic, clearly show a lot of the signs, be told by a therapist when they were a kid they're autistic and work with said therapist for years on issues related to it, but STILL not be autistic?

I don't think so. It is a spectrum, so the amount of symptoms, test scores and issues related to it will vary from low to high. But, someone who met a lot of these is somewhere on the spectrum. IMO.

@Daydreamer
What you described not sure of being a meltdown, especially the surreal hearing part, I get frequently.
Even the vision can start to get that surreal sensation too of derealisation and I do the same as you.
Get to myself and focus on one little thing intently until other things start seeming real again.
It is a scary feeling to me. Thoughts like I must be going crazy come to mind.
I talked about this with my therapist and she said it is a type of dissociative disorder where the brain
does semi-shutdown in an attempt to protect itself from too much sensory overload.
Sounds, lights, even anxious thoughts. But, she assured me it will go away and always has.