CFS: how they assess concentration & memory

I thought members might be interested in this. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and these are some questions asked by the assessor at my assessment on Tuesday.

"Subtract 7 from 105". I answered 98. Then: "subtract 7 from 98". This continued five more times, with me subtracting 7 from the previous answer. I answered all these correctly.

"Spell 'World' backwards." I got this right. I said I used to be a journalist, hoping to make the point that getting this right ought to be easier for me than for some other CFS sufferers.

"I'm going to read out three words. Then I'm going to ask you some other questions. Then I'm going to ask you to repeat the three words: 'table', 'book' and 'paper'. I tried my best but I forgot one of the words.

There may have been a couple more questions but these are the ones I can remember. Now I'm wondering whether I scored too highly! The assessor was very friendly and I didn't try to exaggerate my symptoms. I'm worried that this was a big mistake. Given that the system is all about Tories screwing the disabled, it seems to me that it would not be immoral to over-egg things. But I didn't. And now I'm worried. I'm getting DLA at the higher rate for care and the lower rate for mobility (I think) and I think I may have just painted a big target on my back.

N.B. The assessor was a nurse. The last time I had a DWP medical, which was the WCA, it was conducted by a doctor because at that time the DWP had a rule that only doctors could examine people with a neurological problem. So this rule has obviously been scrapped. It must save a bit of money.

(My sister has helped me with this post.)

At my son's assessment for PIP they also asked him to subtract sevens from 100 and to test his memory they asked the name of his previous school. From this and the fact he has a GCSE in Maths the DM ascertained he has no memory or cognition difficulties, no difficulties managing a budget and no communication difficulties and can cook a simple meal in spite of the pages of evidence we sent in and the fact he has diagnoses of Autism, selective mutism, sensory integration disorder etc etc so their reasoning is bizarre to say the least.
In actual fact the ATOS report was favourable and reasonably fair but the DM made bizarre assumptions based on the two questions that my son was able to answer (he has an appointee who answered all the rest)

That's awful. Is he appealiing?

Yes have put in a Mandatory Reconsideration (he is unable to do this so as his appointee am able to do it for him) Their reasoning is bizarre at best tbh,DWP decided he couldn't handle his affairs so made me his appointee but the DM decided that he could manage all budgeting decisions even though he has an appointee because they had previously determined he couldn't.
DM decided that because he looked nourished and I confirmed he ate every day and he can play computer games that he can cook a meal even though I sent in OT reports confirming he is unable to cook and prepare food.
DM decided that based on the two questions he answered he has no communication difficulties even though I sent in Speech Therapy reports confirming his diagnoses and his inability to speak for the majority of the time and the assessor confirming apart from those two questions he was unable to answer any others.
We believed that the assessor was the person to worry about but in actual fact he wrote a fair report it was more that the DM disregarded pretty much everything the assessor wrote and seemingly had her own agenda.

Mutty wrote: DM decided that because he looked nourished and I confirmed he ate every day and he can play computer games that he can cook a meal even though I sent in OT reports confirming he is unable to cook and prepare food.

I had exactly the same thing, DM said I could cook and eat independently because according to the assessor I "looked adequately nourished". I'd explained my wife helps me with those tasks, and she was sat next to me in the assessment so it's not like they can claim she doesn't exist.