Also, a lifetime of observance, mimicry, and rehearsal helps me pass as more normal or ordinary. Some recovery after a half-hour of pretending normalcy in a friendly, crowded room is expected from an introvert, but the autistic garnish on the introvert sundae adds loads to recovery time.

Several of those answers were skewed because of trained and learned behavior. Asked differently, they'd have gotten significantly different responses.

No one has ever commented on my behavior, but for all I know people get together to shake their heads and mutter disparagingly of me.

It's the nonplussed expression, the momentary silent gap in conversation, and the side-eye stare that does it.

I got 35. Not entirely surprised, but I think it's more social anxiety than being somewhere on the spectrum. (Not that one can entirely disentangle the two.)

I like social chit chat a lot of times. I'm not the best at it because I ramble on, soemtimes start talking about something and realize it may not be the best thing to say and also have trouble ending a conversation. Oh and it's hard to read non verbal cues.

There are lots of autistic people who are extroverted but they still have the same issues.

Conversations with a group is really hard for me, I struggle to figure out when to say something or where the natural breaks in the conversation happen to say something. So I wait too late or talk over someone and it's stressful and adds extra anxiety. Also more than one person means extra non verbal cues and langauge to follow and possibly not having long enough to figure it out because I have to look at other people

My friends and family know not to ask me about next week, last minute plans work out best for me.

I'm fine with spontaneity, as long as I know it's going to happen.

with the test as it is, I could see someone who is very introverted getting a moderately high score.

I wondered as I was taking it if my introversion skewed the results.

I'm good at smalltalk because I was raised by my grandmother. Pretending to be a charming social butterfly was self-defense. I learned by watching Marilyn Monroe movies.

Also, a lifetime of observance, mimicry, and rehearsal helps me pass as more normal or ordinary. Some recovery after a half-hour of pretending normalcy in a friendly, crowded room is expected from an introvert, but the autistic garnish on the introvert sundae adds loads to recovery time.

Oh, exactly this, Beverly!

Several of those answers were skewed because of trained and learned behavior. Asked differently, they'd have gotten significantly different responses.

And this.

It's the nonplussed expression, the momentary silent gap in conversation, and the side-eye stare that does it.

And this.

See, this is why I love hanging out with you guys. You get me.

Group conversations are really tough. I get overwhelmed quickly, and my hearing literally starts to shut off. I didn't understand that before.

Honestly, I've learned so much about myself from hanging out with you guys. More than I ever learned from therapy or school.

Yeah several of the on the spectrum questions were identical to Meyers-Briggs questions that put me firmly in the I zone.

I got 23, but I'm not surprised at all. Most of my points come from social anxiety, but the rest are introversion, geekery and pure cussed bullheadedness.

That pretending with other kids question -- boy, I relate. I hated playing Barbies with other girls besides my sister. She may have scarred me with her fingernails, and I may have spit in her ear, but by God, she knew what the Bastille was and eagerly helped me make a Barbie guillotine.

I scored 29, but literally every question on there could have been answered with "it depends, what mood am I in and who else will be there?" I think I'm more just plain shy than anything else - if someone starts up a conversation with me, I'm more than happy to keep it going, but I hate introducing myself.

23. But really there were a number of questions that needed discussions - even when the answers were clear to me