Your severity and functioning-level by these criteria?

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Social stuff has never really been a problem for me. I have conversations... well, okay, I talk at people until I think they want to say something, and then I let them have a turn... but I don't have friends. I guess what I have is severe social impairment without any associated stress, but I'm not altogether sure exactly how well I do socially; I don't really have the insight to know that.

I stuck down "severe and MF". I should eventually be "severe and HF", as I gain the ability to work a regular job, control meltdown/shutdown, and gain more functional routines. My sensory sensitivity will probably never change, as it hasn't changed in my life yet; and I don't have much motivation to be more social. My special interests--plural--occupy literally all my waking time when I'm not zoned out.

It's possible, I think, to be quite independent and capable even if you've got quite strong traits.

Three ways to compensate for deficits:
1. Learn enough in that area so that the deficit comes up to low-average or better.
2. Use another, better, skill to do the same things that you would normally use the deficient skill to do.
3. Learn enough about obtaining and using assistance that you can have that specific thing done for you without losing self-determination.

Only one of those three actually requires you to "lose" the trait to any extent at all.

I have always known my condition was mild since I was 15. But I have troubles with reading body language though. I don't know how well I display it. I also fit in the HF too. I have less than 5 friends though but I have plenty online. I am shy so people need to come to me. I feel uncomfortable approaching people on my own

I think it be hard to not have acquaintances. When you work somewhere, they are there, when you volunteer, they are there, when you have neighbors, they are there. When you go to autism groups, they are there I have lot of acquaintances.

Without being formally diagnosed, I'd say I'm Mild AS, High Functioning, but I do have a few traits in Moderate AS, Moderate Functioning.

Well the problem is that it is hard to stick me in a box, I think that I have mild to moderate AS and I am high functioning. The problem is that aspies do not come in well defined sizes like jeans, jackets and shoes.

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Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.

Was surprised to discover that according to these criteria belong somewhere between moderate and severe. Usually consider myself high-functioning with mild AS. Have highlighted the criteria that fits.


Moderate, for example:
1. marked inability to read or display body language, but you get basic things right usually (happiness, sadness, anger)
2. you understand few typical conversations
3. you need many routines to survive the day and obviously some more routines than non-autistic people
4. a special interests that you have to think about most of the time
5. you have sensory issues and you can't avoid some of them and/or they stress you noticeably

Severe AS, for example:
1. marked inability to read or display body language and you don't get basic things usually
2. you understand almost no typical conversations
3. you need detailed routines to survive the day
4. a special interest that you have to think about all the time,
5. you have sensory issues and they cause you stress all the time

Functioning-level:

MF means you for example have...
1. few (<5) friends and/or you can rarely befriend new people by yourself, you can't have acquaintances
2. a sheltered job or the ability to work in a regular job but you tend to lose it
3. the ability to have simple or very few advanced conversations and you fail often
4. the ability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest but major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) happen often
5. the inability to cope with daily sensory issues in non-necessary situations (free-time, anything that has nothing to do with jobs, shopping for necessities) and you need to flee/change these situations

LF means you for example have...
1. no friends and/or an inability to befriend people by yourself
2. no job and the inability to work in a regular and a sheltered job
3. the inability to have simple or advanced conversations
4. the inability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest and major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) would almost always happen
5. the inability to cope with daily sensory issues in necessary situations (job, shopping for necessities, home) and you need to flee/change these situations

I voted "Mild AS, medium functioning", based on your criteria. However, I'm not officially diagnosed, so I guess I shouldn't have voted at all. Sorry. This is part of the reason I don't go around telling people that I think I am AS--I come across as NT most of the time. Actually, I think probably come across as a lazy NT who is too stuck up to speak to people. Saying I think I'm on the spectrum would probably just look like I'm making excuses.


When I read your criteria for Mild AS, high functioning, that just sounds like a normal person. Of course, I realize there is always more to it than that.

No, no, everybody who's AS, meaning all those who're diagnosed or self-diagnosed with AS can vote. Maybe I should edit that into the 1st post for clarification.

It's just other ASDs and related conditions (full spectrum of classical autism, PDD-NOS, atypical autism, NVLD) that I usually include but didn't this time.

Severe AS, for example:
1. marked inability to read or display body language and you don't get basic things usually
2. you understand almost no typical conversations
3. you need detailed routines to survive the day
4.a special interest that you have to think about all the time,
5.you have sensory issues and they cause you stress all the time


Functioning-level is often subjective too. This is how well you can manage your issues. For this particular poll please consider the following criteria:

MF means you for example have...
1. few (<5) friends and/or you can rarely befriend new people by yourself, you can't have acquaintances
2a sheltered job or the ability to work in a regular job but you tend to lose it. *
3. the ability to have simple or very few advanced conversations and you fail often
4.the ability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest but major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) happen often
5. the inability to cope with daily sensory issues in non-necessary situations (free-time, anything that has nothing to do with jobs, shopping for necessities) and you need to flee/change these situations


* - I can keep them as long as things don't change too much. My problem has been the interview.

Probably mild to moderate depending on the environment I'm in.

However some of the routines and thinking about interests with my one track mind can get pretty severe.

I've gone with moderate AS and hf, though I have a mix.

1. marked inability to read or display body language, but you get basic things right usually (happiness, sadness, anger) (moderate)
2. you understand most typical conversations (mild)
3. need few routines to survive the day or few more than non-autistic people (mild)
4. a special interests that you have to think about most of the time (moderate)
5. you have sensory issues and you can't avoid some of them and/or they stress you noticeably (moderate)

1. several (>5) friends and/or the ability to befriend new people by yourself, you can have acquaintances (high)
2. a regular job or the ability to work in a regular job without losing it (high)
3. the ability to have many advanced conversations and you fail rarely (high)
4. the ability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest but major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) happen often (moderate)
5. the ability to cope with daily sensory issues usually (high)

Why is the thing about how many friends you have in the functioning level? I think it should be in severity. There are high functioning geniuses who don't have five friends and who couldn't make them but who are highly successful.
P.S. I voted mild and high functioning. I'm the least autistic of the few aspies I know IMO.

With ME:

Mild AS, for example:
1. (almost) normal ability to read and display body language

I HAVE studied it. With regard to normal emotions, etc... I do ok. With things like "tells", I choose to ignore standard beliefs, because they are not true of me and many I know.

2. you understand most typical conversations

Yep

3. need few routines to survive the day or few more than non-autistic people

Yep

4. a special interest that you don't have to think about often

I WISH I thought about it often. I use to be more involved. Of course, I now work at something that used to be an obsession.

5. you have sensory issues, but you can easily avoid them and/or they don't stress you

Yep.

The others are, of course, not relevant.


HF means you for example have...
1. several (>5) friends and/or the ability to befriend new people by yourself, you can have acquaintances

Well, I certainly have LOTS of acquaintances that ACT friendly. I probably only have 1-2 people I might consider friends at a time, but who knows?

2. a regular job or the ability to work in a regular job without losing it

Yep

3. the ability to have many advanced conversations and you fail rarely

Yep. My job kind of requires it.

4. the ability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest and major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) are rare

Happily, YEP!

5. the ability to cope with daily sensory issues usually

Luckily such situations are usually avoided.

I have moderate AS, according to the criteria; I'd say that's about right. I think I'm in between high-functioning and moderately functioning. I picked high-functioning, though, just because I can get by much more easily than a lot of Aspies.
-OddDuckNash99-

1. almost normal ability to read body language, marked inability to display body language (so both mild and severe for this one)
2. I understand most typical conversations (mild)
3. need few routines to survive the day (mild)
4. a special interest that you have to think about all the time (severe)
5. you have sensory issues and you can't avoid some of them and/or they stress you noticeably (moderate)

1. no friends and/or an inability to befriend people by yourself (low)
2. a sheltered job or the ability to work in a regular job but you tend to lose it - I've worked in regular jobs but only for a few months, I now have a sheltered job (medium)
3. the inability to have simple or advanced conversations (low)
4. the ability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest - I don't really have routines, I'm able to stop doing my special interest but don't expect me to stop thinking about it! (high)
5. It depends - most of the time I'm able to cope with sensory issues, but at times I've been unable to cope in both necessary and non-necessary situations, meaning that I've been unable to leave the house for up to six months at a time (high > low)

On average I'd say I'm probably moderate AS and medium functioning.

I chose moderate/moderate..don't feel like elaborating on it though