AuDHDer takes the Monotropism test 

Oh yeah, the dreaded "people tell me that I..." Dear psychologists who create screening questionnaires, you seem to forget that one of the main features of autism is communication difficulties. Maybe in your experience, people do tell you stuff like that - but as for myself, I don't have any people who would tell me I'm being rude, for example. Maybe because I've been rude and they've stopped talking to me? 😀

My psychiatrist used the term "Working Diagnosis" as opposed to "Unofficial Diagnosis" for those lacking the Formal Diagnosis (spenny!) but treatment frameworks are based on and informed with the accommodations that such a diagnosis would necessitate.

I'm diagnosed AuDHD and I scored a 200 and my neurotypical sister scored a TWO. I was like omg I can't even imagine what being that polytropic would be like.

I think the one about stimming to relax is exactly what you described. “It’s more about reliving anxiety” is exactly what relaxing means, haha!

Cut to me screaming “THANK YOU!” at 20:03. People absolutely do not critique each other in this way! It’s literally part of “politeness” not to do something like that. I lowkey wish people would be more honest with me about myself so I don’t sit here looking shocked Pikachu when they pull away from me. 😅

8:42 omg! "my whole life is held together by trying to be aware of whats going on" this clicks with me so much and I think it might be the source of my constant anxiety

I would love to see a neurotypical person take this test and describe why they're choosing their answers the way you did, I'm still figuring out if I'm autistic and I resonate with a lot of your answers but I find it hard to understand how this is different from neurotypical thinking and struggle to wrap my head around the idea that not everyone thinks this way!

I got a 194, which will help keep the imposter syndrome away, at least for a few days.

Self-diagnosed AuDHD, and confirmed by numerous diagnosed friends of mine. I got 235, taken it a few times on different occasions, and my score varies at most by 2 points. I'm monotropic af.

Listening to you over analyze the questions was wildly entertaining. What made it entertaining was the fact that I did the exact same thing when I took that test. lol

195. Stuck in loops of thought? My sister criticised me years ago for "thinking too much" and "dwelling on things". Thanks for your workbook, I found it very useful in working my past life experiences out 😺

Would you consider doing a collab with "I'm Autistic, Now What?". I think you would have some really interesting discussions. She also did this test and I think she has a few videos on monotropism, or at least mentions it in several videos. Would be pretty fun to see you comparing notes! ^^

168 and officially diagnosed AuDHD. I think I may be more positively inclined towards a lot of the social questions because I’ve been incredibly lucky to have friends and even many colleagues with well-focused specialist-type brains like ours. Take the cooperation question: I HATE working on something interesting with someone who just wants to get it done with minimum effort. I find it frustrating beyond words … and I’m pretty good with words 😉 However, I LOVE the process of truly collaborating with someone equally invested. If we both have the goal of exploring the problem, and we both trust and respect each other, then a different point of view is a gift. My luck in finding people like this has absolutely changed my perspective.

Hyperfocus is not a luxury, it's stressful, because you have other demands but cant get away

I so much agree with the vast majority of your answers! Including your side-comments about "isn't that what everyone does?" I am still amazed when I find out that it's not the case (and I'm 67). By the way, your phrase "the fake autism that neurotypicals talk about" made me smile. I'm so stealing that for my own conversations...

I questioned the questions in just the same way! It was “what?” or “I don’t understand” or “doesn’t everyone do that?” 😂

Officially AuDHD and scored 178, but my executive function problem is so bad that much of the time I can't do things I really want to do, and I'm so numbed by nearly 7 decades of it that I don't get passionate about anything at the moment. Maybe if/when I can get ADHD medication (only diagnosed with ADHD 5 weeks ago) my score will be different.

195 here. I was diagnosed as being ADD, Dyslexic, and having Sensory Integration Disorder back in the 80s while in High School. I'm not sure where I'd fit these days. It was fun watching you take the test and seeing you ask the same questions I did, even when we got different answers. Thanks for doing this.

208. Like that was any kind of surprise. Just briefly stuck my head in here after spending the day doing in-depth research on the pets my daughter wants (which I actually tasked her to do, but well...). And now off for some charcoal drawing until they start wondering where I went off to (it's the cellar, don't tell them).

I appreciate you keeping in some bloopers at the end. Thanks for showing your realness Sam. :)

This is an interesting test. I like that there are clarifications below the questions, though some are still ambiguous. My score was 210.

It was fun to watch you to overthink all the questions, because same! Oh, I scored extremely high monotropic on almost every question. Fun video!

Gosh, this is so relatable. I dissected every question on all my ADHD questionnaires too. Though I think “task switching” does refer specifically to juggling multiple tasks, and your “it doesn’t distress me, but I don’t like it” I believe counts as mild distress. Similarly “it’s not difficult but I prefer not to” I believe would qualify as mild difficulty. I ran into that problem a lot with doctors for 20+ years, where I focused on the severity of their vocab choice instead of taking a more general kind of vibe. I had a lot of medical issues missed as a child, because they expected a child to say “it doesn’t hurt, but it itches” (general discomfort) whereas I just went “no, no pain” and waited to be asked about itching if that was relevant. I’ve also had doctors ask me _who_ or _where_ I was first prescribed a medicine, even though they really wanted me to tell them _why_ I was on it. I’ve had certain necessary medicines cut off as a result of that.

Took the test! Scored 186.. this test was much more clear than others, I felt almost stress-free taking it😅

I'm so glad to see you doing this test as an AuDhDer! Because same, I've wondered how ADHD would affect the results. I haven't gotten through your video yet to see your answers so I'm excited to see how it goes!

I got 224. Diagnosed AuDHD last year. This has been a struggle my entire life and until recently I didn’t have the words to describe my struggles. Thanks for covering this topic.

I paused the video and took the questionnaire. I resumed the video to go along with you on your answers versus mine, they were very similar. I allowed additional pauses to ask my husband his thoughts on any questions that might benefit from an external perspective, and then after you had your final results, I did mine to compare them. I was very surprised. My score: 200. I am a 60 yr old female, have not been officially diagnosed, as of now, but exploring what has mystified and affected me my whole life. I am nervous to seek official diagnosis as in past have been given other diagnosis that didn’t either fit entirely or didn’t fit at all, so I am hoping to mitigate this before seeking diagnosis by building my profile from childhood to present. I hope it will help me find the answers that I need to find peace after a lifetime of not feeling in sync with the world around me. I am hopeful. Thanks for the wonderful video. ❤

Thanks Sam, enjoyed the video, I always find those kinds of questions difficult to interpret but at least the observation is stressed as an attribute rather than a failing,, thanks again

A lot of the questions are spectacularly vague for me. I got a score of 173. Which seems low. On the other hand, I don't get as focused now as I did when I was younger. No idea if that means anything. I don't think I have heard of this before, so glad to know it exists.

I did the questionnaire before watching the video and I found that some of the "clarifications" seemed to say the opposite to the actual question... I agree with you that a slightly agree / disagree option would be helpful. Also, I had the exact same reaction to the "days" part of question 36. I *wish* that it *was* just days! 😆 To answer your questions about a typical office environment, yes that's exactly what it's like and it's hell!

Also I love how the loop question loops back 😂

AuDHD here and I scored 179. I fell like my ADHD is what doesn’t make the score higher 😅

I'm pretty sure my psych diagnosed me with adhd after I tried to nail down the definition of 'often' before I did the questionnaire.

Yo Sammy I just wanted to say that your videos has helped me a lot as a new auDHD:er. You are awesome and I love your channel❤️

I scored 219. Slightly disappointed it wasn't higher. I'm diagnosed Autistic and suspected inattentive type ADHD. I question the questions in questionnaires very much like you. When I was going through the intense research phase of discovering I am autistic I was surprised and how uncannily similar my experiences are to many autistic content creators, including you, and your videos were very validating and helpful, so thank you!

Yes, more content on monotropism. I'm still a little shaky on what it means. I'd love one of your academic deep-dives on the topic.

I have more trouble filtering out noises when I am doing something I'm interested. If I am not doing anything special, I hear the sound and then make a conscious effort to block it out. But if I do something I need to do or am interested in, there is just no energy left do block it out. My score: 191

Thank you so much for everything you shared with us. While answering the questions, I observed that you experienced the same little confusion that I experienced at first. That's why I realized that I either overlooked this note at the beginning of the questions or did not pay enough attention. How to Take the Test: When reading the questions, imagine situations that are stressful, uncomfortable or when you are excited. Often when we are at home and relaxed and calm, it is hard to tell how we feel. If the question is confusing, look underneath it for an explanation of the question. Taking this explanation into consideration enabled me to answer the questions much more easily. That's why I would like to kindly share that it with you, asking for your forgiveness, in case it might help you answer more comfortably. One more time thank you so so much Sam. You are doing amazing. And please never change your mind and continue to your channel. You are helping to find my way since the first day when my journey started. I owe you sooo sooo much thing. With my all best and good and beautiful and warm wishes.

9:04 and 13:57 absolutely describes my "day job" that lasted almost 30 years. I 100% hated, loathed, and despised the work I did in my office day job (so much so that I avoid even mentioning my title out loud because of the PTSD it triggers), but I had to "earn a living" and support myself and my child, so yes, I totally got good at doing something I hated and had *zero* interest in, but it (mostly) paid the bills. I'm one of those people who was taught to "Do it right or don't do it at all," and I've always had a strong work ethic to do a good job even if I can't stand what I'm doing. I was there to do a job and do it well, and to be paid for it. But back then I didn't even know I was autistic, so you can imagine how torturous it was. Every day I went to work, I was literally kicking and screaming on the inside. When the "recent worldwide event" shut everything down (I have PTSD over that whole thing, too), it just so happened that the company I worked for was permanently closed for reasons having nothing to do with the "event", and it also turns out my husband makes enough that I don't have to go back to work. I 100% *could not* go back now, as I'm one of those whose autism gets stronger as they get older. It's been almost four years since I worked a day job, and the PTSD is still strong, often bringing on panic attacks and/or meltdowns at the mere thought. So yes, one can absolutely get good at something they have no interest in, and force themselves to do it because they have no other choice. But it can leave massive scars that take years to heal, if ever. (btw, I took an online monotropism test and scored nearly 100% -- but I, too, hate the way questions/statements are worded, because most of the time I'm not really sure what they're asking, as it could be interpreted multiple ways, or that word "often" throws a monkey wrench into the works)

That circular infinite logic around "I am motivated by interest" is so relatable haha. I can go around like that forever as well if i'm not careful. My BEST guess around that is that that issue itself is an indicator of interest based attention if you have no clue what a life without being interested in your own activities would even be like, but hell if I know.

21:16 Thank you for putting that so eloquently. Whenever I've heard people say that autistic people like to gather as many facts/as much information about a topic as possible, I experience some imposter syndrome because I don't commonly present like that. Hearing you describe a different type of experience is so incredibly validating to me and my autistic experience-especially since it happens to describe how I normally present!

206🎉 What stands out the most to me is the way Sam processes the questions and debates the answer based on the situation/context- that's me! It's been incredibly important for me to see representation of someone I can relate to like this and it makes me so happy. Your channel (and workbook!) has been invaluable for my journey over the last two years.Thanks for being so very relatable! ❤

😂 It´s so funny seeing you taking this questionaire… so auDHD… recognize myself in the remarks you make about the questions… I hate these kind of questionaires as I never feel that the questions are pricise enought 😂 … so many of these questions would not have caused a neurotypical person to start wondering about all the possible interpretations of the phrasing of each question… ❤ I say this because I can never understand how a NT person can know which one of the 5 possible interpretation I see in each question is the actual question… 😂

168, though I was unsure how to answer a number of the questions as they're pretty vague. Almost every answer would be 'it depends'. It's annoying that they don't tell you what neurotypicals generally score. While I wait for assessment that number's going to add more doubt. I certainly identified with the thought loops questions.

I took an assessment and am just waiting on my wife to finish the questionaire before watching this.... I took one before and knew I would score high; if I am not Autistic, then I fall in the 3rd percentile; if I am, then I am 47th percentile. edit: one of the amusing things about this whole topic is that I was diagnosed ADHD and self-diagnosed recently autistic; but the monotropic thought style is something I identified in myself decades ago; and have talked with people several times about aspects of it. I have often said that being interrupted from a task I am hyperfocused on is on par with being punched. edit2: on eye contact: I just say that yes I have issues with it; because its not hard for me but I am very aware that eye contact is something that I picked up very late (in my 20s) and intentionally worked on. At 45 eye contact is pretty easy and I even like it.... but it never stopped being an intentional thing that I consciously think about doing and it never became natural.

187! And Sam, I so appreciated the commentary as you thought through your answers. I paused to answer myself before watching your go, and you were extremely relatable.

I felt the struggle with the questions. How I am supposed to answer correctly if the question is not 100% precise?! Also, 180, just like you :O (self diagnosed AuDHD)

Just pausing the vid for a second to say... I love your glasses!!! ... whew, ok, now I can watch the rest :)

11:47 yes, that is what work is like for most people in most office or service businesses. Probably some labor/factory/trades businesses, too. In some positions for most businesses and basically all positions for some businesses, it’s not so much “work is interrupted all the time” as it is “constant interruptions with the occasional work getting done between them”. Some flavors of ADHD thrive with the constant interruptions , but i hear regularly from folks on the autism spectrum who struggle to avoid being fired, let alone to do good work.

Perhaps I am so old as a senior that I was unable to track a numerical score. I certainly can’t say that I scored a two as one commenter said of a neurotypical person. But I agreed with many conclusions and scores as Sam did so this would seem to agree with people calling me autistic and often adhd. But that’s why I am subscribed to this channel.

So I am an AuDHDer, and scored 204, my wife who is broadly similar but seems to have a stronger Autism part scored 203, whereas most people see my ADHD element - you have to live with me to see the Autism, food, routines, capacity to see the world in a way others dont, and the ability to bend data in ways others are yet to invent. Thank you so much for this test - we are both laughing about it, and have now sent it to one of our daughters (the strangest one of the two), she has a very high IQ, and has refused to date be assessed - she is considered hyper bright, and can learn almost anything, provide she can self teach herself, and is interested in it. I can do it, but not as well as she can.

Self-diagnosed AuDHD. I scored 188. My "it depends" is work or private life. In my work life, when things are hectic. I have little problems with switching to a different task at the drop of a hat or being interrupted. My (assumed) ADHD enjoys the rush. But then comes crashing down sometime. In my private life, I to tend to struggle with transitions. Hmm, actually also at work if there is no exciting rush. Oh well.

Whooooopsie, officially diagnosed ASD and scored a 231 😅 I would be fascinated to sit down and talk thru this with someone whose brain does not work that way!

you sound just like me in dissecting these questions and also interested in everything. You sound so much like me, with slight differences due to environment/age/etc on so many levels.

I got 207 with a lot of things actually in contrast with Sam's process and results (that's the beauty of autism isn't it?). Task switching, transitions, and interruptions have always been a lifelong struggle (maintaining a job), I definitely go run alone in the mountains, play music or video games to deal with my anxiety, I see that hyperfocusing on something is an antidote to cope with necessary daily stuff where I never feel safe hyperfocusing. Isn't it pretty ironic that my traits are so obvious, yet when I request accommodations it's been an ordeal to prove the struggle is real with extensive research backing up.

AuDHDer Rating Scale Subscore = 162 That explains that I don't get that monotropism thing as that is explained. I feel myself monotropic at lots of different topics at the same time 😇 like PC jumping from one monotropism to another one 200 times in a minute... So it's monotropism meaning 1 thing at a time, but that things constantly switch.

I got SO stressed listening to you try to take this questionnaire, I had to stop. 😂 I get so frustrated with the vagueness of these survey-esque questions SO MUCH, I couldn’t handle it!

My score was 198. That said, many of the questions where people would be self-conscious or concerned with how others view them don't really apply to me. A long time ago one of my self-preservation strategies ended up being a complete disregard and lack of care about what others think. I care about people, and want them to be happy and thrive... And I love when they share an interest I have and thus we can gush over it together. But when it comes to worrying about what they think about me... I don't care, and I don't concern myself with being accepted by anyone other than my spouse. I know my spouse (and many of our other autistic friends - most of my friends are autistic, because that's who I get along with best) gets concerned about what people think of them, and sometimes of me... But I have no problem being rude directly and intentionally to someone's face. That questions about saying what I mean... Yup, that nails me perfectly. No one ever has to wonder or question what I think of feel about them because I am very straightforward about all of that, and I don't care about hurting feeling and being nice. That said, I am not cruel, or seek to be mean... I just don't see a point in trying to say something nice that isn't true... They might ask, "Do these pants make my ass look big?" And my answer would be something like, "Nope. Your ass is big in any pants, but those pants stop it from looking droopy." My friends have all learned that if they want an honest opinion without frills and platitudes, they can ask me, and I will tell them. People that aren't able to handle the truth when they want to ask questions, tend to drift away and not ask me anything. Which is fine, as I don't generally enjoy spending time with people that feel they need validation by fishing for compliments from people. Sorry for the ramble... Opinionated AuDHDer here.

That's so interesting! I got 175 and am autistic without ADHD (as I believe so far). Some of the questions are really hard to answer, as you say. Like this question about the anxiety about things that may come out of a decision. I mean, it's part of the decision making to incorporate the outcomes of the decision, right? So I won't feel anxiety afterwards, I've just taken a calculated risk.

I got 179 and I was diagnosed autistic at a young age. I think some of the things that I have learned to do with time, like eye contact and talking to other people, weren't potentially properly examined in this questionnaire. I don't exactly have special interests anymore but I definitely have passions! Maybe that's just my secret code word for special interests in my head or something. I definitely agreed to the 'does interests against social expectations' one. For the interrupting thing, at my first job, a guy named Tom had to teach me to say 'hi, how are you going?' or something along those lines before going into whatever question I had for him. It's definitely a thing, people being annoyed when being interrupted! 😂 The only active stimming I find 'relaxing' is similar to you, the hyperactive type of regulating. I like dancing around the house to music, sometimes in an aggressive way. Or eating food. Great video Sam :)

I love your commentary of these questions - makes me feel less weird that I pick apart questionnaires too 😅

203 - officially diagnosed as autistic three years ago. I'm really taken with this theory as it seems to pull together many of the seemingly disparate "traits" ascribed to autism (and ADHD?) and provides a unified cause for them rather than just bundling them together without explanation. At last I have a theory that explains why I find myself incapable of shutting up about obscure progressive rock bands regardless of my victim's overall interest level, the sense of joy and comfort I get from designing the perfect spreadsheet and my frequent inability to navigate my body through doorframes in buildings that I've lived and/or worked in for several years.

225 as a high masker. Tough stuff. :(

6:04 This is where I have to say....I DEFINITELY feel this way 😅 I don't like being forced to disengage with a passion project, or something I enjoy. 😔

Monotropism to me is even if it's limited based on the relationship between the autism and adhd you would still have a monotropic way of thinking. If you react with a negative emotion to an interruption then your focus is limited to the task at hand and only want to engage with only that at the moment of interruption, that is a monotropic way of thinking. An example for me, I'm a custodian in a school and I love my routine and that is all I care about when I start my day. I get interrupted to go and set up for an event that I was not aware of, first thing is negative emotion and then I need a few minutes to readjust to this new task. That's enough to throw me off for the rest of my day. I have audhd as well, you do have the ability to do certain tasks in what I call safe mode where the task does not require a lot of thought so you are not being monotropic in that instance because you are using less brain power with no need for focus on that task, like laundry or dishes. It messes with my flow when I'm engaged with my hobby that gets a lot of focus, I cut and polish gemstones and listen to music and sing and am oblivious to everything but those few things only. A knock on my door or my phone ringing are the only 2 things that will break my concentration and that really really just sucks for me because it's extremely hard for me. So I'm careful to plan or try to so I can just go go go. Those are my thoughts on it, hopefully it makes sense. Also adhd can unintentionally change from one task and then something catches your eye and instantly forget all about the previous task sometimes for minutes and sometimes way longer and the your like oh yeah!! Anyway thanks for the great content and I shared with my granddaughters kindergarten teachers that she will need a transition from one activity to the next with say a 5 minute or 2 minute reminder that a new activity will start soon that will allow their brain to ease the amount of focus and should become easier for the transition as time goes by. Also said they should not be deterred from stimming although they can offer other options if it's a quiet time or during teaching like a fidget toy if she rocking back and forth in a disrupted way, I don't want her pushed in a way that would cause her to mask. Done for real this time!!🤔🤔🤭🤭 Thank you!!👻🤪🌶🤘😎♾️

That was an interesting quiz. As an AuDHD, I scored 215. I agree with you that I would think some of these things should apply to everyone.

192.... no official diagnosis.... but I score nice and highly on everything 😂 I really liked this questionnaire compared to others. Often I would not be sure of what the question means, or I'd think "well not really" but then I'd read the clarification text and be "oh, strongly agree" 😂 Thanks for this video, I like taking these quizzes

Did for myself score:224 Partner answered on my behalf score:207

Interesting. I generally thought I was answering questions that suggest autism more strongly than Sam, but I just got a score or 174, which is a bit lower than the threshold. Though there are so many questions I’m undecided how to best answer. Yeah, I think “people tell me” is a concept that depends on traveling in social circles where people are prone to hauling you up short for perceived social failings. Mostly I can just tell that people are getting frustrated with me, or I said something inappropriate, but no one says anything most of the time. Anything related to anxiety I tended to score high, which makes sense for me. Even though Sam is apparently less anxious than I am, I for one really appreciated her answer on stimming; I do it when anxious, and it’s often ticlike. That it’s rarely pleasurable has some to do with a lot of depressive tendencies - I don’t really get happy. I also can sit really still at many times, which doesn’t even track with ADHD, except I’ve come to realize that I’ve spent much of my life in a low-level freeze state. The stims break through when the twitchy anxiety overcomes the fear/overwhelm/psychomotor retardation. To some degree, my score reflects the terrible state of my ability to focus at age 63. Partly because I’m off ADHD meds and back on an SSRI, I can’t manage to hyperfocus anymore, except maybe for my runaway thoughts and mouth, and admittedly reading and typing comments like this, where I can totally lose track of time. Overall, right now my sense of myself is that GAD and ADHD are most prominent, and overshadowing autism, though it has not always felt thus. Final note: YES! Ruminate on past events for “days”? I can go years.

I have had monotropism explained to me by "I'm autistic, now what?" before but it's so interesting that I will gladly listen to other people explaining it again with their words. give me all the angles. I've done the online questionair... and I'm pretty monotropic (194). but officially comletely undiagnosed. the "wait, other people don't do that." or "hang on... other people do that?" is so strong... how does anyone enjoy or properly focus on something they are not intersted in? even in school my method to be good at whatever was to force myself to be interested. and since I tried to be as good as possible in every clas.... I burned myself out. I really would have needed someone to forbid me to spend more than a certain ammount of time/energy on on more than 2 or 3 core classes. I really would have needed to be forbidden to do that.

You might take this as a compliment, maybe not but your hair is giving Rachel season 8 vibes of friends. Very pretty 💞 that captured my attention the first couple minutes of the video 😂

201 I dont have a diagnosis (because life) so just self diagnosed. I was afraid I wouldnt score high enough... the relief is palpable 😅😢

196 with diagnosed AuDHD. First couple questions were a bit weird but the last two thirds were spot on and resonated greatly with me. Probably in hindsight I could've answered a couple questions more definite, like the looping thoughts one, my thing that keeps coming up for me is that I don't want to bother others, hence why I avoid most social interactions. I don't know how to approach social situations where I have "no reason" to interact, like casual stuff what you'd do with friends. If it comes from the outside, then it's no problem and I love being approached, because that solves the entire problem of the question of me potentially bothering someone, additionally when I have a reason to approach a person, then I struggle basically not at all. But without a good reason? Then I tend to just avoid it, because in my head I'm telling myself, I don't want to be perceived as bothersome, even though I know I'm most likely not bothering anyone. This leads to me being extremely polite (in general, I can be very direct, which many perceive as insulting at times) but also very lonely, because making new friends is pretty hard for me, as going somewhere just casually starting a conversation is a bigger investment than getting my leg cut off (metaphorical speaking, no I don't want to lose my leg). (me typing this to sort my own thoughts, then considering deleting it and then posting anyways 🤷‍♂)

I scored 195 in that test. I have ADHD officially diagnosed at age 34 and no diagnosis for autism so far, but that's one more test that confirms this for me that I am in fact autistic. Every test I took did confirmed this for me. Kind of makes me happy to know I have my tribe scattered all over the world. 😄

Is it bad that I answered 'agree' to almost every question? Edit: I got 209. Is that good or bad? Note: I only have a working diagnosis of Autism and ADHD at this point in time.

I scored 200. I have been told by so many people that I shouldn’t dwell on things so much. I am also very bad at judging how much time has passed, especially when I’m focused on something I enjoy.

17:30 It’s easy to keep up with what everyone is saying when what they are saying is nothing; neurotypical banter. I think that is one our toughest hurdles as autists is that the typical world has no room for substance. I rarely get to engage in conversation, because I actually have something to say. 19:05 There is thinking, which we autists do, and there is reacting, which allistics do. Mental rumination requires the initial critical thought. 19:15 The question is trying to describe catastrophizing (at which I excel), which is just my brain constantly running simulations about the world around me and the possibilities.

Question 1 - I would say that after a period of instability, I need a predictable environment and it can contain noise but part of what I would consider "instability" is multiple sources of noise that are unpredictable or especially noises coming from different sources and communicating different things to me like multiple voices speaking at once or an environment in which multiple forms of noisy work are being done because in the second case I feel the need to constantly identify the source of each noise and in the first case my brain automatically tries to listen to every voice at once and, at best, I can maybe absorb a phrase here and there. The predictable environment I need can not contain such noises. Question 2 - Yes, but see question 1 response for my interpretation of a quiet and predictable environment. Question 3 - *STRONGLY* agree Question 4 - Yes Question 5 - Very much so Question 6 - Depends on the person, someone I've known a long time who I trust and feel especially comfortable around - it barely makes me uncomfortable at all, anyone else, being punished for being unusual as a child as if that's misbehavior has made me feel obligated to at least glace at the eyes upon introduction and then at least try to look at their face during conversation but I dislike it. Question 7 - Yup Question 8 - Yup Question 9 - Yes Question 10 - Yes Question 11 - It's hard to say. I'm interested in providing for myself so if that counts as being interested in my work even if I'm not interested in the work it's self but just interested in being able to complete the task well then no but if that doesn't count then yes. Question 12 - Yes Question 13 - Yes. This has been a consistent problem in my work life. Question 14 - Yes Question 15 - Depends on the social situation, one on one or in a small group with only people I know I'm comfortable but with strangers and especially in large groups it's overwhelming. Question 16 - Definitely disagree, it bothers me. Question 17 - Genuinely helpful suggestions? Like things that would make a physical task physically easier or just someone else's preferred method which may not engage my mind with the task as well even if it's a more efficient way of completing the task? I can't complete the task more efficiently with a method that leaves me more open to distraction, I say let me do it my way. I'll listen to suggestions but I'll do it the way that works best for me even if others cant understand why it works best for me. Question 18 - I mean, if I feel like I haven't completed the initial activity or if I'm tired then yeah but I don't think that's what they're asking. I think that I'll have to disagree on that one. Wait, if we're talking about being deeply focused on something... well, yeah, I can't just jump into focusing on another subject... I can jump into something passive like watching tv but not another deep focus task. Question 19 - Yes... I feel like this is a rephrase of an earlier question. Question 20 - *YES* Question 21 - *YES* Question 22 - *YES* Question 23 - I can do physical work of little to no interest to me if it's important but tasks which require mental engagement which hold little interest to me are extremely hard to focus on even if they are important so I'm going to call it a big *YES.* Question 24 - I don't think I really stim... at least not much. Mind you, I can recall things like playing simple rhythms on my thighs with my open hands for extended periods of time as a child and this is the type of unusual behavior my dad would have viewed as misbehavior that would reflect negatively on his ability to control his children and that's the kind of thing I would have been likely to get a beating for (or at least a sincere threat of a beating) so I don't know if that's something I have suppressed... I mask a lot and obsessively. Sometimes I can't be sure if something is OCD or masking. Question 25 - Yup Question 26 - I have trouble filtering out sounds no matter what. Sometimes I can lose myself in though and ignore everything happening around me but if I'm trying to engage with anything outside my mind, I can't filter out anything. It's not really a filter, I can seal it all out or I can let it all in. Question 27 - Yes Question 28 - I've learned to check if people look bored... I often end my monologues with "sorry, I'll shut up now"... I tend to feel like I have to finish the thought first though. Question 29 - I wouldn't say often, more like sometimes. This is part of the reason I tend not to talk much with people who aren't my personal friends. I wish people would tell me when they find me rude or overly abrupt. Question 30 - I take comfort in knowing exactly how clean things are... to the extent that I can't live with anyone because, for example, I might walk out of the room and they might pick something up off the floor and put it on the counter without cleaning it first and if they know this bothers me they'll most likely just lie and say they cleaned it before putting it on the counter and even the thought that they *might* do that will drive me to distraction from everything I need or want to focus on. Part of the reason I think this way has to do with understanding the subjective nature of perceptions of cleanliness. For example: I think most people, after using the toilet, will wash their hands by opening the faucet with their hands, washing them then touching the same faucet handles they just opened with their dirty hands to close them with their clean hands, thus making their hands dirty again. My solution: get a faucet with lever handles I can open and adjust with my elbows, thus keeping them clean for when I need to close them. Try convincing anyone that this matters though. Question 31 - No. That would be the polar opposite of me. Question 32 - Not if I'm very thirsty or very hungry but maybe a little. Question 33 - Disagree Question 34 - I've never really thought about that... probably yes but I don't know if any more than is normal for neurotypical people. Question 35 - I mean... it's hard to make a decision that will drastically affect the rest of my life or the life of someone I care about, especially with less information on the effects of the decision than I'd like to have. Is that unusual? Is that not what they mean? This doesn't happen to me with trivial decisions. Question 36 - Well, if the incident affects me (or might affect me) significantly then yes. Like if I'm not sure if or how much my reputation with someone at work was affected by a social misstep. Also if I did something I don't think was right, like I still think about a time when I deliberately hurt someone's feelings to fit in when I was in grade school. Question 37 - Yeah, sometimes. I mean if I'm expecting an event that will likely have a major impact on my life. Doesn't everyone do this though? Maybe they mean in situations that are unlikely to have a meaningful and lasting impact in which case I'd say no. Question 38 - Not in response to simply being focused on an activity. If I know I'm expected to complete a task well and quickly and my employment depends on it then I get anxious and this tends to happen but not if I'm allowed to go at my own pace, then my mind works very procedurally and I analyze the task and break it down into steps and make sure I have everything I need in advance. On the other hand, the fact that I've learned to do this probably stems from failing to plan for tasks in advance when I was growing up and trying to compensate for that difficulty. Question 39 - Well they probably would if I were more social, I get fixated a lot but mostly at home by myself. Question 40 - I mean, I don't always care to solve every problem but if I'm invested in the problem then sort of... neither agree nor disagree. Question 41 - I do feel annoyed that so many people seem to refuse to acknowledge the possibility that something that is meaningless to them could be deeply meaningful to me even if I can't rationally explain why. I don't think that would be characterized as self conscious but the fact that such people often have an ability to profoundly affect my life and wellbeing is, I would say, as close to being self conscious as I usually get. I am usually conscious of how others perceive me but it's not that I feel a desire for the acceptance of people who won't even try to understand me. When I'm deeply absorbed in a task, I'm usually alone at home so I don't know how that would affect my consciousness of how others perceive me. I don't think it would make a difference. Question 42 - I feel like this is repeating a question again. Not often, it has to be a major decision. Question 43 - Yup Question 44 - Yeah. I can find a fact mildly interesting without being fascinated but if I'm very interested in a general topic like the mechanical workings of a motor or how humans evolved... well, don't get me started on engines I like or the diversity of prehistoric humans. Question 45 - yup, I can't recall a time when I wasn't fascinated by cars and I suppressed my interest in evolution due to young earth creationist parents but it was always there. Question 46 - Disagree. I wouldn't necessarily say it happens often but it does happen... and I don't necessarily always notice that I'm doing it. Question 47 - Agree

Oh dang, I got 209. Funnily enough I knew exactly what the “physically stuck” and “bad decisionmaking when focused” ones mean. I had many times where I was torn between 2 or 3 options of equally important importance, and would literally be stood on one spot with my head/arms/feet moving back and forth between those options while I don’t actually go anywhere. Not physical paralysis, but definitely choice paralysis leading to being stuck in one physical place. As to the second one, I don’t really have it because I’m always anxiously assessing preparedness and consequences anyway. BUT my dad, who I reckon I got my autism from, absolutely does THE most boneheaded and ridiculous things if he tries to multitask. Even just unwrapping a sweetie or taking a bite of his sandwich is enough to make him mix-up steps, drop or break things. Then he usually swears a bit, puts down whatever else he was doing, and focuses on the important task. Mishaps like pouring drinks all over his legs or a table! Or using the wrong brakes on the bike while talking, throwing him off it. He didn’t really like to drive with the radio on either, only making an exception for the football results, and now gets very overwhelmed with any unfamiliar roads which leads to switching into the wrong gears, indicating the wrong direction, etc. When he takes a second he’s usually very competent, but when he tries to act on instinct while his mind is elsewhere he always forgets some important step or does the wrong one. As to the “social chaos” one, yeah, I like that chaos about half the time. But I focused more on the rephrase about enjoying social situations reliably. Similarly, I got hung up on that “quiet and predictable environment” thing, but was able to make myself ignore the “quiet” bit to remind myself my comfort music or aural stims are generally the ADHD equivalent of perfect silence for focus in autism. Which comes back to what you said about stimming for focus and emotional regulation versus pure comfort and relaxation. I do have some of the latter, but ~80% of my stims are the former. Great video!

I scored 192. I have to say, i was super appreciative of the second description some of the questions had at the bottom. That was one of the problems I had with the RAADS-R - but then again, maybe that also confirms the autism lol.

interesting questionnaire, I am not a monotrope, (171-the bottom threshold as i understand the document is 178) but i am not ONLY autistic, I have Dissociative Identity Disorder with a very active "system", and C-ptsd which also have strong influences on what i do or don't do.

I'm a self diagnosed Audhder (I have no formal diagnosis). I got 206... I tend to get a much more borderline result in many other questionnaires, like AQ, that focus more on behavior than perception and inner workings. Monotropism is a good framework for me.

197 was my score today, had few questions that are not applicable for me in my current life situation. I do have an official diagnosis of Autism. I think I might answer differently another day but not on many questions, That usually depends on my understanding of the questions. Because yes picking apart the questions seems to be an inherent trait unless I know more about the thoughts behind the questions. Some made sense in one form and less with the other some felt like two different questions in one, still my agreement to both questions was the same would not have agreed on the questions being the same but that was not the question.

Rating Scale Subscore = 204... Not really a surprise... I'm a diagnosed ADHDer and a self-diagnosed autistic adult on my way to getting a formal diagnosis.

I scored 186/235 on the test. Really good test. When I did it, I was like “oh yay it’s describing me!” It certainly helps with doing away with the age old feeling of imposter syndrome. 😅

I'm diagnosed with autism and ADHD and scored 213. I had previously never heard of monotropism and honestly thought I would have scored much less! I always take these tests believing they'll indicate that I'm not autistic 😂. Very helpful video..monotropism makes quite a bit of sense 😊

When reading questionnaires like this, I often think they must be very subtle diagnostic instruments, because surely everyone’s going to answer in nearly the same way, aren’t they? And then you reminded me - maybe not! 😊 I did the MQ a little while back (and my score fell within the Autistic range of scores - I’m also an AuDHDer). But listening to the questions again, I’m as confused as you seemed to be by the vagueness of the wording. The version I did just had the original wording (which is presumably the wording that the scores are calibrated against). The clarifications in the version you used seemed very odd. 🤔

It would be so fascinating to see a neurotypical person talk through this test... Unfortunately I don't know any! Haha I'd love to hear more about monotropism in general :~)

Regarding question 16 on being interrupted in the middle of an activity: as somebody who was on an office job for almost 3 years with almost 20 people under my charge, YES, it is something that happens quite often, unfortunately. Strategising and planning for that team wasn't particularly difficult, because I enjoyed it; however, being constantly interrupted during the strategising/planning process by those very same people was irritating and quite jarring, to the point where it made my anxiety spike :(

"I sometimes accidentally say something others find offensive/ rude when I am focused on a task." When I'm being rude I know I'm being rude. I don't do things accidentally. I could be polite if I wanted to

My result was 171, but I think if I took the test a decade earlier (before I've figured some stuff about myself) the result would be quite different. Although I agree that some questions would benefit from some rewording because they seemed to be not specific enough/ not worded in the best possible way. I also have both ADHD and autism so some of my answers seemed to be opposite of the monotropic pattern.

224. I'm AuDHDer but the high score is still somehow a surprise to me. I do wonder how much my score may shift slight due to my mood/situation when I take the test.

I like the idea of monotropism but I think it needs to be paired with a sensory/conscious processing profile. I'd describe it autistic people are generally "concentrating" relative to allistic people and deviating from your resting concentration level takes effort. Both to focus in on something more or to broaden your focus/pay attention to more things but at a lower level of detail. A conscious processing profile would then describe what your brain is going to prioritise presenting to your conscious mind. Everyone has a conscious processing profile but the autistic persons brains tendency for concentrating its attention more makes their profiles more extreme, leading to general hypo and hyper sensitivities. Hence why I often will forget to eat drink or go to the loo as my brain don't prioritize presenting this info and so I'll miss it till its screaming at me at which point my focus can shift and I'll struggle to focus on anything else and why you might always feel thirsty and need the loo and at a guess if you get particularly focussed on something might not notice your thirsty on the odd occasion. Though I think your ADHD might make that vanishingly rare, unless your in a proper ADHD hyperfocus state too.

1000% interested jn more videos around monotropism!

Ive been meaning to take this and finally did before watching this video, I scored a 206. 😮

I vacillate between thinking I am probably autistic, and thinking that I am probably not. I score over the threshold on all tests, and for this my score was 202.

I took the test and most of my answers were on the extreme ends, my score was 203

My final score on the questionnaire is 202 It was after I started watching your videos in 2020 that I realized I was autistic. In Oct. of 2022 I was officially diagnosed as autistic. I wanted to get the diagnosis for my own curiosity, not because I felt I had to "legitimize" myself to others. I now also think that I might be "AuDHD". An example of my autistic side is that I can spend an entire day playing my favorite video game, while the ADHD side of me has to get up and walk around multiple times. Another example, when I was at the grocery store several weeks ago I bought a bag of potatoes, telling my daughter that I wanted to make potato salad with it, but after I got it home the potatoes ended up going bad because I never "got around to" making the potato salad. My first daughter was diagnosed with ADHD when she was in the 4th grade. I think she is also AuDHD because we share a lot of the same personality traits. For example, I get obsessed with rock stars while she gets obsessed with Disney stars (even though she will be 30 in September, but still had the intellect of a 12 y.o.)

I scored 181. Not bad for a woman nearly 60 years old who has successfully evaded finding a clinician proficient enough to recognize she is clearly on the spectrum. *insert eye roll here*

196 I have ADHD and go in for an assessment for Autism in a few weeks. Hopefully they use this questionnaire, so I know what to expect 😂