Is there a way to quantify these Gillberg diagnostic criteria ? For example, what does “motor clumsiness” mean ? Presumably, there are various degrees of clumsiness, from “assembles micro-miniature sculptures in his spare time, while balancing on one foot on a highwire”, to “can’t pick up a coffee cup without breaking it”. Similarly, “impositions of routines and interests” can vary from “enjoys fantasy novels” to “talks about elves all the time”, to “has a shrine to Tolkien in his room, carries a sword, stabs people with said sword because he thinks they’re orcs”. There’s quite a gamut there.
I can’t speak to Gillberg per se, but my understanding is that diagnostic criteria in psychology tend to be left vague in order to handle less typical presentations of a disorder; doctors are expected to be interpolating not just from the diagnostic criteria but also from the case studies they’ve read and their previous clinical experience. There’s a lot of “I know it when I see it” involved—which is one of the things contributing to the notorious inaccuracy of self-diagnosis.
I think I’d expect long-form tests like the Wired page linked in the OP to be more accurate than looking at the Gillberg criteria alone, but still flawed; it’s pretty easy to let your suspicions or state of mind influence your answers, especially if you have a rough idea of what the symptoms entail.
Is there a way to quantify these Gillberg diagnostic criteria ? For example, what does “motor clumsiness” mean ? Presumably, there are various degrees of clumsiness, from “assembles micro-miniature sculptures in his spare time, while balancing on one foot on a highwire”, to “can’t pick up a coffee cup without breaking it”. Similarly, “impositions of routines and interests” can vary from “enjoys fantasy novels” to “talks about elves all the time”, to “has a shrine to Tolkien in his room, carries a sword, stabs people with said sword because he thinks they’re orcs”. There’s quite a gamut there.
I can’t speak to Gillberg per se, but my understanding is that diagnostic criteria in psychology tend to be left vague in order to handle less typical presentations of a disorder; doctors are expected to be interpolating not just from the diagnostic criteria but also from the case studies they’ve read and their previous clinical experience. There’s a lot of “I know it when I see it” involved—which is one of the things contributing to the notorious inaccuracy of self-diagnosis.
I think I’d expect long-form tests like the Wired page linked in the OP to be more accurate than looking at the Gillberg criteria alone, but still flawed; it’s pretty easy to let your suspicions or state of mind influence your answers, especially if you have a rough idea of what the symptoms entail.