I'm a Nearly Gifted AuDHD

[Pyreaux]

Urged by siblings I took an adult neurodivergence assessment test, I just today got the results and a diagnosis.

My intelligence test results showed an overall score FSIQ is high at 111, but it's not the recommended score, it hides the huge differences in my abilities. The most accurate measure of my raw intellect is on the General Ability Index, my GAI is 128.

My Verbal and Perceptual Reasoning scores were both in the Superior range (125). This means I'm excellent at understanding language, concepts, and solving complex visual and logical problems. 

My Working Memory Index is (80), which is in the low average-borderline range. Its how much information I can hold and manipulate in my mind right now (like calculating in my head or following multi-step directions). My capacity for this is significantly low. 

My Processing Speed (94) is more average but also significantly lower than my reasoning skills. This measures how quickly I can perform simple, repetitive tasks, like copying symbols or scanning for information.

GAI 128 is a Superior IQ but with Gifted potential, 120 is the Superior Range, 130 is Gifted. I have a "Spiky Profile" meaning there is the large gap (48 points) between my GAI score and my WMI score. So despite my GAI, this gap is the source of a functional impairment.

I'm not Gifted, I have "Twice-Exceptionality", which means I'm gifted (125 VCI/PRI) but I also have a significant learning difference or neurodevelopmental challenge (like ADHD, a WMI 80, and suspected ASD).

The clinician gave me the diagnosis of ADHD (F90.0) and Adjustment Disorder (F43.23) and "Rule Out ASD" because the DSM-5-TR has a strict, non-negotiable requirement for ASD that my assessment likely failed to meet. It is still entirely possible I have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but they just couldn't officially diagnose me. This is very common outcome for many high-masking, high-IQ adults seeking a late diagnosis.

The ADHD diagnosis is still a powerful disability, I have low Working Memory and Processing Speed which can be causing burnout if I'm using my processing power to "mask". My High RAADS-R (166) and my Spiky Cognitive Profile (GAI 128 vs. WMI 80) is the clinical evidence that makes me an autistic person but the diagnostic system is rigid. The DSM-5-TR requires that ASD symptoms be present and causing impairment in early development, early childhood.

The Problem. Highly intelligent children (like I was) become masters of masking (camouflaging) early. If I or anyone can't recall a specific, verifiable examples of my restricted interests, rigid routines, or social difficulties from before the age of 8, the clinician cannot, by definition, give the diagnosis.

My Superior scores in Verbal and Perceptual Reasoning (VCI/PRI 125) allows me to perform highly complex social scripting and intellectualize social rules, which might have convinced my clinician that my current social struggles (few friends, no love life) are due to Anxiety/Depression (what he thinks is an Adjustment Disorder, which the siblings disagree, because I was like this long before my life altering changes) rather than a ASD deficit.

The "Rule Out ASD" is a professional way of saying: "Future experts, check for ASD. All the current symptoms and self-report data strongly suggest ASD, but I lack the required historical, collateral evidence to satisfy the DSM-5's criteria for a formal diagnosis."

How High IQ could mask ASD: ASD core deficit is the lack of intuitive social understanding (reading non-verbal cues, tone, intent). But with Superior Verbal and Perceptual Reasoning (VCI/PRI 125) can allow me to intellectualize and script social interactions. I don't intuitively understand why people behave in a certain way; I logically deduce the expected social rules and then memorize and apply them.

An example of me masking during the tests: I'm supposedly a diagnosed inattentive ADHD yet in a high-stake, short-duration environments (like the CPT-3 test), my superior intellect allowed me to "force" a "perfect" performance through intense, exhausting hyper-focus. This makes me look attentive and regulated during the test. This is a classic demonstration of superior intellect compensating for an underlying deficit, which is the definition of masking in an assessment setting.

Next, if I want to get an ASD diagnosis now, I need to prepare a detailed written narrative of my specific sensory issues (e.g., sound/light/texture aversion), restricted interests (e.g., savant knowledge), and examples of social scripting/masking from early life if possible. If possible, try to arrange for a very close family member who knew me in childhood talk to the new clinician. Their testimony is often what validates the "early onset" requirement.

My opinion about a Lore Fixation:

As a child I'd memorized every scripture story I heard. But rarely knew the chronology. I prioritized the individual data points (the story as a self-contained unit) over the sequence or relational context (the flow of history). I memorize the substance (what the scripture says) but disregarded the arbitrary index (the chapter/verse number).

Depth of interest today (Deuteronomists, Enoch, Qumran) a shift from merely what the Bible says, to who wrote it, how it was compiled, and its apocryphal/historical context, a deep dive into the meta-rules and authorship of the system.

Mastery of Lore, grouped with my other interests (game lore, film lore) is a systemizing cognitive style that has been present since childhood. My need for intellectual mastery of closed systems, or lore, was prominent in my childhood interest in the Bible. I possessed an intense, encyclopedic knowledge and what the scriptures said. Critically, I still struggle with the arbitrary indices, rarely recalling verse numbers or the historical chronology. I have to take extensive notes with verses or go searching for sources of information I can recite of the top of my head.

[Calm]

1 hour ago, Pyreaux said:

The DSM-5-TR requires that ASD symptoms be present and causing impairment in early development, early childhood.

Yeah, this makes it harder for girls to get diagnosed.  If a child has social ability, it’s often discounted when autism may have actually contributed to those skills (being able to notice things that get missed by others).  Autism is more often expressed in socially acceptable ways in girls (being quiet is seen as normal or even approved of) as well as being balanced (by verbal skills, more focused on others rather than self for cues, etc)

Quote

My Working Memory Index is (80), which is in the low average-borderline range. It’s how much information I can hold and manipulate in my mind right now (like calculating in my head or following multi-step directions). My capacity for this is significantly low. 

As long as you know how to research, this can be compensated for…also using apps for reminders and checklists for routines (finding this last is essential for me now for all the medical stuff I need to get going in the morning).

Edited December 9, 2025 by Calm

[Emily]

17 hours ago, Pyreaux said:

As a child I'd memorized every scripture story I heard. But rarely knew the chronology. I prioritized the individual data points (the story as a self-contained unit) over the sequence or relational context (the flow of history). I memorize the substance (what the scripture says) but disregarded the arbitrary index (the chapter/verse number).

While the depth of your chronology disassociation may possibly be unusual, taking stories and scriptures out of historical context is common problem.  I was the opposite. Studying those chronological charts that were handed out in seminary, matching Bible chronology to Book of Mormon chronology and to historical chronology whenever data was available to make a match. It felt like I didn't understand what was going on if it didn't fit into a timeline. 

This is not really part of this discussion. I don't think my predilections are related to neuro-divergence. 

It's just so difficult to sit in on class discussions that make it obvious the participants don't understand that Josiah and his cronies, the ones who are patting themselves on the back about all the shrines they destroyed and priests they murdered, are the same "Jews in Jerusalem" that drove Lehi into the desert. Reports of God's supposed approval need to be read with a grain of salt until we get the records of the other guys.

I've got other examples, too much for here.

Just... Everyone... Don't read scriptures out of context, historical or otherwise. 😝

[Emily]

17 hours ago, Calm said:

It’s how much information I can hold and manipulate in my mind right now (like calculating in my head or following multi-step directions). My capacity for this is significantly low. 

I see this is the neuro divergent children in my family. It really is necessary to make specific lists, even flow charts, when giving instructions. You can't just say, "Go get ready for bed" or even "go brush your teeth, put on your pajamas, then get in bed".  You'll find them playing downstairs five minutes later still dressed, not in bed. When asking what they are doing ... the response is an offended, "I brushed my teeth!"

I have to remind myself not to assume disobedience or not listening -- they genuinely forget everything else I said. So I make charts to post on the wall of the bathroom, or have them chant the instructions several times before turning them loose. I always know when steps have become routine enough for "Get ready for bed" to be enough. They snap back. "I KNOW Grandma. You don't have to make me say it!" 

I suspect reliance on rigid routines is part of the inability to hold too many "steps" in mind at once. If a routine can become automatic, you don't need a lot of steps to get things done. 

Now I just need a way to get neuro-divergent adults to remember all the things they need to remember. Making them chant probably wouldn't go over well. 😐

 

 

[Calm]

24 minutes ago, Emily said:

I suspect reliance on rigid routines is part of the inability to hold too many "steps" in mind at once. If a routine can become automatic, you don't need a lot of steps to get things done. 

Also it takes a lot of mental space to make decisions, even trivial ones, for some people (including me at this point of my life).  This may be because when making a decision the mind tries to calculate all the possible cost-benefits or outcomes to find the best one and if detailed oriented, that can take time.   Multiple steps means a decision has to be made at each level.  Seeing something as a whole means only one decision is needed and if it’s routine enough, sometimes not even that.

Decision paralysis is more associated with ADHD than autism.

Edited December 9, 2025 by Calm

[the narrator]

I came to realize last year that I was autistic after looking at my daughter and realizing I shared a lot of traits with her--though mine aren't as pronounced. Then all of the pieces fit, and I had an explanation for almost everything that distinguished me from my brothers and friends from birth to now.

It also explains why Wittgensteinian philosophy resonated so much with me, as I can see now how both his earlier and later philosophies are essentially autistic examinations of the world and language. 

Edited December 10, 2025 by the narrator

[JVW]

On 12/8/2025 at 7:52 PM, Pyreaux said:

Urged by siblings I took an adult neurodivergence assessment test, I just today got the results and a diagnosis.

My intelligence test results showed an overall score FSIQ is high at 111, but it's not the recommended score, it hides the huge differences in my abilities. The most accurate measure of my raw intellect is on the General Ability Index, my GAI is 128.

My Verbal and Perceptual Reasoning scores were both in the Superior range (125). This means I'm excellent at understanding language, concepts, and solving complex visual and logical problems. 

My Working Memory Index is (80), which is in the low average-borderline range. Its how much information I can hold and manipulate in my mind right now (like calculating in my head or following multi-step directions). My capacity for this is significantly low. 

My Processing Speed (94) is more average but also significantly lower than my reasoning skills. This measures how quickly I can perform simple, repetitive tasks, like copying symbols or scanning for information.

GAI 128 is a Superior IQ but with Gifted potential, 120 is the Superior Range, 130 is Gifted. I have a "Spiky Profile" meaning there is the large gap (48 points) between my GAI score and my WMI score. So despite my GAI, this gap is the source of a functional impairment.

I'm not Gifted, I have "Twice-Exceptionality", which means I'm gifted (125 VCI/PRI) but I also have a significant learning difference or neurodevelopmental challenge (like ADHD, a WMI 80, and suspected ASD).

The clinician gave me the diagnosis of ADHD (F90.0) and Adjustment Disorder (F43.23) and "Rule Out ASD" because the DSM-5-TR has a strict, non-negotiable requirement for ASD that my assessment likely failed to meet. It is still entirely possible I have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but they just couldn't officially diagnose me. This is very common outcome for many high-masking, high-IQ adults seeking a late diagnosis.

The ADHD diagnosis is still a powerful disability, I have low Working Memory and Processing Speed which can be causing burnout if I'm using my processing power to "mask". My High RAADS-R (166) and my Spiky Cognitive Profile (GAI 128 vs. WMI 80) is the clinical evidence that makes me an autistic person but the diagnostic system is rigid. The DSM-5-TR requires that ASD symptoms be present and causing impairment in early development, early childhood.

The Problem. Highly intelligent children (like I was) become masters of masking (camouflaging) early. If I or anyone can't recall a specific, verifiable examples of my restricted interests, rigid routines, or social difficulties from before the age of 8, the clinician cannot, by definition, give the diagnosis.

My Superior scores in Verbal and Perceptual Reasoning (VCI/PRI 125) allows me to perform highly complex social scripting and intellectualize social rules, which might have convinced my clinician that my current social struggles (few friends, no love life) are due to Anxiety/Depression (what he thinks is an Adjustment Disorder, which the siblings disagree, because I was like this long before my life altering changes) rather than a ASD deficit.

The "Rule Out ASD" is a professional way of saying: "Future experts, check for ASD. All the current symptoms and self-report data strongly suggest ASD, but I lack the required historical, collateral evidence to satisfy the DSM-5's criteria for a formal diagnosis."

How High IQ could mask ASD: ASD core deficit is the lack of intuitive social understanding (reading non-verbal cues, tone, intent). But with Superior Verbal and Perceptual Reasoning (VCI/PRI 125) can allow me to intellectualize and script social interactions. I don't intuitively understand why people behave in a certain way; I logically deduce the expected social rules and then memorize and apply them.

An example of me masking during the tests: I'm supposedly a diagnosed inattentive ADHD yet in a high-stake, short-duration environments (like the CPT-3 test), my superior intellect allowed me to "force" a "perfect" performance through intense, exhausting hyper-focus. This makes me look attentive and regulated during the test. This is a classic demonstration of superior intellect compensating for an underlying deficit, which is the definition of masking in an assessment setting.

Next, if I want to get an ASD diagnosis now, I need to prepare a detailed written narrative of my specific sensory issues (e.g., sound/light/texture aversion), restricted interests (e.g., savant knowledge), and examples of social scripting/masking from early life if possible. If possible, try to arrange for a very close family member who knew me in childhood talk to the new clinician. Their testimony is often what validates the "early onset" requirement.

My opinion about a Lore Fixation:

As a child I'd memorized every scripture story I heard. But rarely knew the chronology. I prioritized the individual data points (the story as a self-contained unit) over the sequence or relational context (the flow of history). I memorize the substance (what the scripture says) but disregarded the arbitrary index (the chapter/verse number).

Depth of interest today (Deuteronomists, Enoch, Qumran) a shift from merely what the Bible says, to who wrote it, how it was compiled, and its apocryphal/historical context, a deep dive into the meta-rules and authorship of the system.

Mastery of Lore, grouped with my other interests (game lore, film lore) is a systemizing cognitive style that has been present since childhood. My need for intellectual mastery of closed systems, or lore, was prominent in my childhood interest in the Bible. I possessed an intense, encyclopedic knowledge and what the scriptures said. Critically, I still struggle with the arbitrary indices, rarely recalling verse numbers or the historical chronology. I have to take extensive notes with verses or go searching for sources of information I can recite of the top of my head.

It was fun to read about the parts that form the Pyreaux puzzle. You are one of my favorite contributors to forum conversations. I don't view any of what you wrote as a negative if the end result is the Pyreaux that I see online. Cheers brother!