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ADULT VERSION
Australian Scale for Asperger Syndrome
Garnett and Attwood, 1995 (original authors)
DRAFT VERSION 5-25-2003
Modified and Copyright © Roger N. Meyer, 2003/2005®
[Note: This unapproved adult Asperger Syndrome Rating Scale is based on the Attwood Australian scale found in Tony Attwood (1998) Asperger Syndrome on pages 17-19. Language and concepts were taken from the Australian scale, and credit is due its authors for such items. This version upgrades items in the 1995 scale into adult age and task-specific questions. The number of questions is more than double those in the Australian scale, reflecting the complexity of adult issues. Readers should use the 6-point Likert scale in the Attwood book for rating the response to each question, and be guided by instructions found on page 20 and following pages. If the Attwood book is not available to you, write your answer as a number from one to six beneath each question. When a question has multiple parts, assign a single numerical score to reflect your response to the entire question, even though it may contain some contradictory elements. Additional instructions for this scale appear at the end of this document. Author note: The term "person" has been substituted for "child". The politically incorrect terms "he", "him", or "his" refers to persons of both sexes.]
This scale has not been perfected or finalized. It is a draft, working tool. Its author has used responses to its questions as a guide in composing legal briefs and case management narratives explaining a given individual's impairment compared to non-autistic spectrum adults for the purpose of disability entitlement program eligibility. This scale has been designed to provide lay evaluators, adjudicators and case managers with a rough measure of a rated adult individual's social and communication functioning without the cognitive interpretive support of others.
Since Asperger Syndrome manifests itself primarily as a different cognitive and social communication condition, this scale focuses on the individual's cognitive and social communication deficits. This is not a precise instrument, nor should its multi-part questions, answerable by a single scale rating below any given question, be considered a scientific measurement tool.
Supplemental, scientifically developed and validated instruments, professionally administered, can be used to more precisely gauge the extent of an adult individual's full-range dependency upon others such as the Supports Intensity Scale® (SIS 2004) which can be ordered from the American Association on Mental Retardation at http://www.aamr.org or the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, Second Edition ( VABS-II, 2005, AGS Publishing, Inc., http://www.agsnet.com/).
In answering the questions, the rater should work through the questions quickly and in the order provided. While it may be tempting to linger on items or return to them, the value to this scale lies in providing a "first impression" response to the question. Research has consistently demonstrated that first impression responses are more accurate than those made as a result of rumination or picking the question apart.
Note on Confidentiality and Privacy
If you are not the person being "scaled," that person has provided permission to Roger N. Meyer to disclose his/her disability to you. That permission is found on a separate HIPAA-compliant authorization and release form and is found as an entry under the "purpose" section of the authorization and release.
A. Social and Emotional Abilities
1. Does the person lack understanding of how to play adult games with others? For example,
is he unaware of the unwritten social rules of leisure and recreation?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
2. During unstructured time such as work breaks and informal social events, does he avoid
social contact? For example, eats alone, reads or continues to work during breaks.
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
3. Is the person unaware of social conventions or codes of conduct including unwritten rules at
work? Does he make inappropriate comments or actions? For example, is he unaware of
the offending or other unintended effect of his comments?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
4. Does the person lack empathy, i.e., an intuitive understanding of another person's feelings?
For example, is he not likely to offer an apology or acknowledge his responsibility for a
relationship that has failed?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
5. Does the person expect other people to know his thoughts, experiences and opinions? For
example, he doesn't realize that you couldn't know about something because you were not
there at the time. Does he presume to know what you are thinking when you are in the
same physical place but your attention has not been directed to him?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
6. Does the person worry excessively or fret about things that change or that don't go as
expected? Does the person demand frequent reassurance that matters are OK?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
7. Does the person express concern about loneliness or a tendency to self-isolate? Is he
frustrated or anxious about not having any friends or only a few friends? Does he say that
he does not know how to make friends?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
8. Does the person express emotions bluntly? Does he "blurt out" his emotional expressions
in ways out of scale to the situation, or before or after emotional expression is expected?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
9. Does the person mean to express one emotion but actually express another?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
10. Does the person have an unusual attitude towards competition? For example, is he aversive
to competitive activities such as sports, games or workplace performance contests? Does
he act competitively in activities that call for collaboration and cooperation?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
11. Does the person demonstrate indifference to normal or expected peer pressure? Is he
generally unaware of widespread crazes or fashions of the moment?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
12. Does the person vocalize exceptionally strong approval or disapproval of benign acts and
the choice behaviors of others? Does he attempt to impose his choice as "the only choice"
in situations allowing optional choices by others? For example, food preferences, cultural
activities, techniques of task performance, and social entertainment.
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
13. Is the person unaware of others' different styles of learning? If he is aware, is he intolerant of
styles other than his own?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
14. Does the person not easily modify his behavior while in the presence of persons of different
rank or strangers? For example, choice of attire, posture and gestures, addressing the
other(s)by their first name(s), making inappropriate demands on the time of others, and not
being aware of the differing deference conduct of others. If he is aware, is he critical of
that conduct? Does he expect everyone to accept him just as he is?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
15. Does the person have difficulty accepting criticism, correction, and direction? Does he have
a problem offering the same to others?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
16. Does the person have difficulty managing conflict, disagreement, and negotiation? Does the
person have trouble with social problem-solving behavior? Does he confront others over
differences, pout, or withdraw from the situation in an untimely way rather than remain in
uncomfortable or difficult situations?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
17. Does the person understand the reason for physical boundaries, personal space, and others'
needs for privacy?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
18. Does the person report life-long issues with explosive anger, rage, and lingering resentment
over ancient sleights?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
19. Does the person seem to function in ways suggesting a constant low level of depression?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
B. Communication Skills
20. Does the person take words, phrases, or directions literally? Does he not understand
figures of speech and common clichés without explanation? Does he not understand
sarcasm? Does he have trouble understanding humor? Does he have an unusual sense of
humor? Does he not understand the function of banter and small talk?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
21. Does the person have an unusual tone of voice (monotone, sing-song an "affected" foreign
accent, unusual inflections, prosody, and other oddities of fluid speech? Does he speak
with an unusually loud or soft volume level? Does he not use changes of tone, inflection or
volume levels appropriate for different levels of conversational formality, location, and
topic choice?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
22. When talking, does the person appear uninterested in your side of the conversation? Does
he speak in a monologue, exert inappropriate control over the flow or subject matter of
conversation, otherwise not consistently engage in a fluid, reciprocal exchange? Is he
uncomfortable with pauses or silence in paired or group conversation? Does he fail to
observe turn taking rules? Does he interrupt others despite repeated correction? Does he
have trouble closing a conversation? Does he miss gestural, postural and facial cues of
boredom, agreement, dissatisfaction, impatience and intention to end conversations?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
23. Is the person prone to "go off on tangents" and otherwise become distracted by a minor
topic? For example, if there is an agreed-upon agenda, does he have trouble sticking to it ?
Does he return to something already discussed "for one last word"?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
24. While directly engaged in conversation, does the person use less eye contact than you would
expect? Does he appear to either stare away from you or have a vacant expression when
listening or talking? If looking at you, does he stare? Do his facial gestures, body posture
and stance project messages different than his words?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
25. Is the person's speech over-precise, pedantic, or "professor-ish"? Does he tend to challenge
or correct the word choices of others?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
26. Once started, does the person demonstrate an encyclopedic knowledge of a topic? Do you
have the sense that regardless of your interest, he starts conversations just to talk about his
own? Regardless of what is being discussed, does he repeatedly return to his topic?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
27. Does the person have difficulty summarizing or "getting to the gist" when reporting
conversations or describing events? Does he "ramble" without focus?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
28. Does the person say that others characterize him negatively as "a know-it-all"?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
29. Does the person have problems repairing a conversation? For example, when he is
confused or has lost the train of thought, has he earlier failed to check in to track whether
he is "on the same page"? Once confused, does he not ask for clarification or redirection?
Does he abruptly switch to a different topic without using transition phrases?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
30. Does the person engage in audible self-talk during a conversation? When asked questions,
does he offer responses that seem repetitive, scripted or askew given the context and the
topic of conversation? Does he take an unusually long time responding in conversational
give and take?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
C. Cognitive and Executive Function Skills
31. Does the person have specific learning disabilities? Examples are problems with math
functions and/or written math problems, a history of precocious reading combined with
comprehension issues, slow reading speed, dyslexia, bad handwriting, speech delay and
pragmatic language problems, short-term working memory deficits leading to frequent
checking and reconfirmation behavior, little understanding of the functions of a given
behavior, difficulty in perceiving differences between experiences and adjusting
responses in accord with new information, repetitive and dysfunctional study habits and
learning behaviors with obvious difficulty stopping or changing them.
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
32. Does the person report having trouble with understanding and following directions? Does
he do things "his way" despite directions and instructions requiring a different approach
to task completion or performance?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
33. Does the person have problems multi-tasking? Must he complete a single activity before
"catching up" to perform others? Does he prefer step-by-step instruction? Does he become
agitated when given multiple tasks or directed to change his priorities? Can he not describe
his style of learning? Does he report frustration or stress when being instructed to learn in
ways that do not comport with his learning style?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
34. Does he report major study skills impediments in K-12, post-secondary education or
vocational and on-the-job training and instruction?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
35. Does the person become disoriented when presented first with the "big picture" of a job?
At that moment, does he not wish to understand the function of a given task in a greater
scheme? Does he prefer to master one step at a time and then come up with his own
characterization of the big picture that is different than that used by others?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
36. From reports of others or self-reports, would the person consider himself a "dreamer" or "off
in my own world" some or much of the time?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
37. Does the person have projects or interests that others do not understand regardless of his
efforts to explain them?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
38. Does the person have limited interests? Would the person characterize most of his interests
as "technical" rather than "artistic"?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
39. Does the person have time management difficulties?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
40. Does the person have difficulty with large projects, prioritizing and sequencing tasks, setting
and keeping to schedules, and knowing when "enough is enough"?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
41. Does the person have an exceptional long-term memory for events and facts?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
42. Does the person report no benefit from meditation, visualization, and similar means of
"imaginative" stress management?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
43. Does the person have intense reaction to change; and as much trouble with small changes
as big changes? Examples are changes in a route or delivery schedule, restaurant menu
changes or moving to a new location.
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
44. Does the person frequently engage in black and white thinking? Does he have trouble with
"gray areas" and with others "bending the rules"?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
45. Does the person have an unusual sense of justice, morality, and notions of proper behavior?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
46. Does the person "tell the truth, and the whole truth" regardless of the circumstances or
consequences? Does his frankness get him into trouble?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
47. Is the person drawn to rules and regulations, protocols, procedures, and writing or following
directives and standards? Does the person have a high interest in "quality work"?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
48. Is the person a perfectionist? Does he express pleasure with being extraordinarily precise
and detail oriented?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
49. Does the person find great comfort in performing rote, repetitive tasks that for a person of
their intelligence and educational level is puzzling to others?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
50. Does the person appear to maintain a high state of vigilance and suspicion?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
51. Is the person likely to be intense and alert with matters of interest, and nonchalant or
dismissive of matters he doesn't consider important?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
52. Does the person have money management difficulties?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
53. Does the person procrastinate, and is he concerned about it?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
54. Is the person subject to unexplainable bouts of impulsivity?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
55. For his/her age and stage of life, is the person uncharacteristically conservative and equally
hesitant about making small and major decisions?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
56. For work and other relationships, does the person have difficulty "reading another person's
mind"? Examples would be not anticipating and acting to address a work colleague's
functional and emotional needs. The same applies to a partner's unarticulated needs for
emotional, sexual satisfaction and social as well as physical companionship.
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
57. Does the person describe his behavior as being like a packrat, unable to part with things of
little or no intrinsic value? Is the opposite sometimes true? Does the person impulsively
give things away or discard items known by others to have a future value?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
58. Does the person have difficulty in organizing personal records, forget appointments and
important commitments or constantly misplace important documents or objects?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
D. Somatic, Motoric and Presentation Issues
59. Does the person describe himself as clumsy, uncoordinated or prone to accidents?
Examples are difficulty performing assembly work, sewing and household repairs,
and activities requiring bilateral coordination and sensory integration?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
60. Does the person not exercise regularly or maintain good physical condition?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
61. Does the person have bad feelings about his body and his appearance?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
62. Does the person have unusual posture or an unusual walking/running gait?
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never Always
63. Even when sitting or in situations that are low-stress, does the person engage in small
repetitive, self-stimulatory behaviors? Examples would be knuckle cracking, pencil
tapping, fidgeting, hand steepling, grimaces or tics, playing with keys or jewelry, tightening
of the jaw, eyebrow arching, scratching, nail-biting, and sighing or low-level vocalization.
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Never