In this post, BioMechanical Dude wrote:
is there a test to determine [whether I'm on the autism spectrum] or something?
It might depend on whether you would have passed the Sally-Anne test in grade school. This test, developed by the cousin of the actor who played Borat, is intended to determine whether a child has a functioning theory of other minds. First a skit is presented to the child:
Sally removes a ball from her basket, shows it to Anne, and returns the ball to her basket.
Sally sets down the basket and leaves the area.
Anne removes the ball from Sally's basket and puts it in Anne's box.
Sally returns.
Then a couple control questions and the experimental question:
Where is the ball now?
Where was the ball when Sally left?
Where will Sally look for the ball?
A child is deemed to have "passed" if the child answers box, basket, basket, because that's the last place Sally saw it. A child is deemed to have "failed" if the child answers box, basket, box, because this is supposed to mean that the child isn't keeping track of Sally's mental state. Neurotypical children start "passing" in kindergarten or thereabouts; autistic children are said to be older when they first pass.
However, some advocates for autism rights dispute the test's validity, pointing out that it presupposes a lot of cultural information about the relationship between the characters. For example, someone could rationally answer box, basket, box, on the theory that it's actually Anne's ball and Sally was returning it, or that Anne has shown herself in the past to be a heel (rule breaker). I first discovered this angle on a blog titled "Field Notes on Allistics". (In the autism rights movement, "allism" refers to a neurological condition depicted as the polar opposite of autism, with the implication that society values allism despite the disabilities that can result from it.)
Eventually I plan to rewrite Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears as parodies of the Sally-Anne test. Here's what I have so far. (When I was first studying this test, I got sidetracked by Draw-A-Person.)
[End Sally-Anne rant]
There are other tests that may diagnose autism in teens and adults. Ask your psychologist which test is right for you.