AQ10 vs AQ

I think the insect thing is a question on the EQ.  That's the empathy quotient test.

I didn't mean to confuse. I was curious as to how the scores were used and given the choice of questions in the AQ10 seem for me to be ones that I would personally score low on it would mean some not being diagnosed.

never heard of this insect cruelty thing. its not something I have ever heard of as being associated

I think the common theme ref "insect cruelty" (!) is that people on the spectrum often do have that fascination (I still remember it now) about "what will happen" if I do this, and wanting to experiment and find out answers to things, almost in a cold scientific way.  I suspect that perhaps NT children just do things to insects/creatures for a laugh, in temper or to show off?

Yes, the questions are misleading, ambiguous, and vague. I don't think I cut up worms as a child, but I did tread on ants and wood-lice, but only just, so that they were half alive and half dead. I found this phenomenon fascinating, and did not have the empathy to stop and think about the ant's suffering. Would this mean I should  answer with a 'yes' to the question? I put 'no' when I did the test because I did  not specifically cut up worms. But neurotypical kids also sometimes do horrid things to animals, so this in itself does not point to autism.

The question about attending the theatre versus a museum or library is also misleading. What if a person with AS has a theatre obsession? They might love the theatre, but not for the same reasons that a neurotypical person would come up with. Many of the questions are stereotyped, and these tests can therefore never be accurate. My worry is that people who score low on these tests, particularly women, might conclude that they should not get assessed, while it is possible for someone to score high on the tests and not in fact have autism. The tests are not used for diagnosis, and quite rightly so, but caution should be used when interpreting the results for screening purposes.

I'm not 100% clear on your question.  The AQ10 is only meant to be a screening tool and I would imagine it is very rarely used at that.  Most GPs are likely never to have heard of it, so most probably adults who suspect they need assessment would bring it along if they got a score of 6 or above to prove the need.

In the autism world, we all know that tests are not necessarily accurate as the questions are misleading (or easily misinterpreted by us) and our literalness can mean the wrong answer is given.

For instance, in the AAA (which I believe incorporates the EQ and the AQ) I almost ticked "no" to the question "Did you cut up worms as a child?".  But I had drowned worms and cut the legs off spiders so I should have scored "yes" (which I did in time when I clarified it with the test administrator) because it was about empathy and the types of things an autistic child would do.  But my instinct is always to be specifically correct and factual.

There is something on another thread about the incorrect assertion that people with autism lack imaginations as we clearly don't.  There are many incorrect assumptions about us out there.