I thought it could be fun/interesting to go through an autism test question by question, and see what resonates with people, and how we approach thinking about the questions. So to start, here’s question 1 of the AQ-10.
1. I often notice small sounds when others do not.
- Definitely Agree
- Slightly Agree
- Slightly Disagree
- Definitely Disagree
Is this statement true for you? Can you think of any examples? Is it an easy or difficult question for you to answer?
You can find the full AQ-10 test here. Note this test is intended as a quick screener, and cannot diagnose or rule out any condition on its own.
[x] definitely agree (i think)
^ this! i’m always happy to learn about how others actually function.
Me:
At first, “i have an objection …” – but what is it?
– So, i definitely hear a lot of things which others seem to not notice. But how would i know if this happens often; what to relate that “often” to when people do not usually talk about such things. It just happened often enough when i started talking about it, that i learned to assume that most people don’t notice the fine detail.
Then the train of thought is kicked off. I think there is a difference between general sensitivity (sensing) and sensibility (perception) which are not always at a constant level. E.g. i would put it as sensitivity when i can hear the whistling of chargers and power adaptors, a ringing of keys in the pocket or the occasional high-pitched screech of a car’s brake. It’s due to sensibility when such sounds become disturbing or uncomfortable/painful (other peoples’ chewing noises, anyone?).
– I think this question is about sensitivity.
Single leaves falling from a nearby tree. The sound of fine rain. A woodworm making its way through the furniture. I don’t know if others notice that.
As a maker of drums, when a hair got caught under the skin and it makes a tiny snare … unbearable.
Further, the sensitivity is not just about noticing small noises but it’s related to an ability to distinguish components/patterns out of a mixture of sounds as well as distinguish small nuances of sounds. I notice the different perception only when i’m avidly describing why i’m so excited about something.
Vocalists who have several different singing voices which evoke different pictures of that person.
A masterful piece of electronic music where i count 10+ layers, and that minimalist pkk-pkk rhythm it started with still stands out.
I discovered they are using binaural beats on trance music dancefloors. There’s a slight difference in the bass tones when moving between the speakers. I guess it’s in the theta range, literally synchronising people’s brainwaves. …
Thanks - this is a great answer. With regards to your objections;
Those vague relative words - your 'often’s and ‘rarely’s - they’ll keep coming up as these questions continue. What to compare to? I try to compare to an imagined hypothetical ‘typical’ person, who has a broadly similar life to me. What does typical mean here? Is my idea of typical the same as the question setters’? Am I accurately imagining their hypothetical existence? Could the question setters have avoided this problem by wording the question differently? A big ‘i don’t know’ to all. It gets me to an answer and that’s all I need.
As for the second point, what the question is specifically about, for me it’s significant that they used the word ‘notice’. It’s not ‘do you often hear sounds’ or even ‘are you often aware of sounds’, it’s ‘do you often notice sounds’. And I think to notice something you have to assign some meaning to it. Whether that’s as a coherent thought, associating it with an object in the environment, having an emotional response, getting a physiological reaction. It needs to be in your awareness as a piece of information you can do something with. If you ask someone “do you hear that?”, and they furrow their brow for a moment, then go “oh yeah!”, then they could hear it the whole time, maybe were even bothered by it, but only in that moment noticed it.