How Would You Define Severe or Mild Aspergers?

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Maybe. I'm gifted as well, and I know at least one other autistic person who was also gifted who voluntarily institutionalized herself. I could probably think of others if I try, who are not and haven't been able to work up to the position you're in, or even much of a position at all.

Doesn't mean you should be excluded by the definitions flying around, though.

A lot of NTs don't want kids either. I am not interesting in having children because I don't like them that much or at least would not like having them around 24/7 with no private time, but otherwise I'd like to have a relationship and I am usually considered mild since I don't have too strong sensory issues and I pass for plain nerdy most of the time.

What if a severe aspie wants kids? Does that mean they are mild now? What if a mild aspie doesn't want kids? Are they severe now?

There are even NTs out there who don't want kids, what does that make them? Mild NT
A severe NT would want kids.

After seeing you at the groups, I would not even guess you were severe. You seemed mild but then again I only saw you for an hour and half on a Friday and for a three hours on a Sunday. Not really enough time to see how you actually function out in the real world.

I think mild and sever aspergers syndrome means nothing to people with AS. It is just a convenience for the doctors to classify you based on what they think you need in terms of support. I was told my AS is mild because "I have had a relationship and have had a job". This was unsatisfying to me. It took no account of how I react to my life events. I know what I am suppose to do in this world and I try to do it. But it is not easy to do.

idk.... only know that they are gathering around me stating that I am an amazingly statistical anomaly. One of them told me that the combination of my severe systems and super high IQ is allowing me to get by socially okay but more importantly to Language the challenges in a way that NTs can take the ASD perspective. I had to copyright all my drawings and work recently to prevent them from being presented by random NT doctors. I want to do the presenting because they are not yet fully grasping the work (changing words that are important for example) and there are a lot of questions and the context from NTs still so it is not yet fully flushed IMHO. That said the talks are for conferences starting this fall and tours right now. Autism Speaks wants to partner with OHSU and do a PNW conference and then possibly expand global. I haven't decided if I will do that or stay doing more local advocacy work. I will play that out with time... Whatever it is that I got, I am is getting a lot of attention from multiple sources right now.

So the question is..... Severe or mild? I don't think I fit in any category as my success seems to override my symptoms but my symptoms cannot be called "mild".



This gets to my point in this thread . We don't know what those terms mean exactly or how they play out in different people. I had one psychologist explain to me that my IQ is ---so high-- that it allows me to be socially okay via these extremely detailed systems despite my severe symptoms. IOW: I get around them from being able to think really quickly. I also am brighter than most NTs too so do not fear them and walk around with a great deal of confidence in their midst. None of these facts take away from how hard I have to work to do the same thing that they do. I apparently have a really big capacity for work.

I don't know where I fall on the "mild" or "severe" discussion. However, this quote is the exact reason I sought diagnosis. I've settled with the fact that I may never know what a reciprocal relationship or friendship is like, but one thing I was able to figure out is the rules required to succeed in the job place. To your point though, the more I fit in and as a result progressed in my job, the more exhausted I was from just keeping up with all the rules. It got to the point were I just went through these actions during the day and got my real work done at night from the comfort of my own home. I'm not sure that I could have continued for long that way. This is on top of the anxiety and depression that most of us have and the confusion in social situations when the rules don't match.

Maybe this shows lack of correlation between success and severity? You can be severe yet experience quite a bit of success in life.

Yeah... Obviously can happen BUT is not normal at all. Normally people with severe symptoms are in group homes or not otherwise providing for themselves/on the street. At least that is what was said to me RE my symptoms and why I am such an interesting study.

This is why I suggest that perhaps when trying to come up with "general" definintions or terms that we through out the outlyers such as me.

Some of the more severe ones might be lacking one or two crucial ingredients, i.e., an IQ in the top one percent or an interest in solving issues that need solving. These might be the reasons you are successful while others falter.

I think, maybe the 'mild' and 'severe' labels are just a method of measuring how far from 'normal' one is. It doesn't inherently suggest or predict ones ability to succeed in life. The terms also do nothing to define any abilities that maybe be way over developed, which, is obviously an important piece of that overall picture.

Science needs to classify things. Science is inherently OCD. aqnd thats ok - I can work with its strengths and its faults...

@ kfisherx I think you have succeeded in life because you have pursued opportunities that played to your strengths and weren't so demanding on your weaknesses. The technology and computing industry generally has provided much more opportunity for people like you to succeed because the high IQ part is so important and so rare, but also because as a new industry it has allowed people to shine who didn't get on in the education system. Rather than treating yourself as an anomaly, I think you should work out why those opportunities have suited you so well and make sure others like you orient themselves towards the same kinds of opportunities.

League_girl, I'm not against what you put. I'm just comparing myself with what you put, and using myself as an example of a very mild Aspie.

I've got mild Asperger's. I can control my actions more than a severely Autistic person can, as in being self-aware enough to know what I'm doing, although I sometimes make a mistake, like getting so frustrated to the point where I do things like storming away angrily, ect. But nothing too embarrassing, like crying or melting down or whatever, I don't do that. I only have outbursts or meltdowns or whatever they're called when I'm in my house away from the public, but I do feel ashamed and/or embarrassed afterwards.


I do have friends (although the friends I have aren't my age, they are older, but who cares?), and sometimes I do make ''social mistakes'', but I am quite good at hiding my AS when talking to friends like at work, although probably some minor traits do show but not enough to make people suspicious or anything.


I can control my obsessions to a certain extent. The trouble is, I get obsessed with certain people, and when you're obsessed with people you need to be careful, because when I was a young teenager (about 14) I used to find myself stalking someone I was obsessed with, even though I knew it was weird and/or wrong, I still done it and tried not to care. Then I got into trouble and it was a terrible time of my life. Now I'm obsessed with new men, and I try to keep it under control more, by not making it obvious to them that I fancy them, and so on. I try not to talk about them too much to friends, because when I was at school I lost a lot of school friends because of talking about my obsessions too excessively, which wasn't good. So now I've made a fresh start with new friends, and most of them don't even know that I'm obsessed with anyone or anything, and the ones who do know don't know that it's an obsession, they just think it's an ordinary crush. Well, it is an ordinary crush really, but I just can't help fantasising over them.


I have a high anxiety disorder, which I reckon might be separate from the AS (since it is VERY intense, even for an Aspie), but if I didn't have the anxiety issues, I think I would be able to cope with life more than I do. But I've found that I do adapt easily, even though I think I don't. I may get upset and anxious at things really easily, but in the end I have found myself adapting without realising it, instead of melting down for weeks. The longest my outbursts/panic attacks/meltdowns/whatever have lasted was 2 hours. I get over them quick, but it's the others around me who takes longer to get over my rages....


I really don't like change when I know it's coming, but (like I said above) after the change has happened, I ''don't care'' any more. It's like my uncle's going to put a new bathroom in for us, and it's going to be a lot of noise, mess, and disruption to my routine and space, even though I would like a new bathroom. This hasn't got much to do with not liking change, but it will change my routine and space temporarily, and I'm sort of dreading it when he comes and does it (I don't mean it personally to him, because it's sweet of him to want to do our bathroom). But once he's gotten all the tiles out and everything, I then know that there is no turning back, so I will just automatically adapt to the temporary disruption, then I will be able to look forward to the new bathroom more.
With the meltdowns, I still can't get my head round what the difference is between a meltdown, an outburst, a panic attack, and a nervous breakdown, so I don't know what to call my rages. They are one of those four. My rages usually start off with intense whining about something what is making me anxious, annoyed, upset or angry, then it turns into an argument, then a full-blown outburst has begun, which consists of me stamping about, slamming doors, excessively crying, throwing myself on a sofa, intentionally hitting my head, shouting and screaming, and blaming all of everyone else's problems on myself because I start thinking that I'm deserved to be hated. I don't think they're meltdowns, since they are very verbal. They sound like nervous breakdowns to me, especially with the crying and feeling worthless.

But anyway, that's me said. With the sensory issues, I only exhibit sensory issues in my ears, and this is a big problem for me. It always has been, and this has made me lose friends at school too. It's a long story as to why, but I will cut a long story short - I was because I was always really afraid of being near the bell when it was to ring, and they all thought I was stupid. But the fear was so intense, even if I knew what time it was going to go, I still just could not go near one, and I didn't like to stand there with my fingers in my ears all the time because that encourages bullies, and I was quite lucky with school because I survived school without getting bullied.
But I still have dreams about bells now.

This is exactly what I am attempting to do. Whatever it is that I do, I am doing it succesfully for the kiddo I mentor. Also did it for my own Aspie kid who is also succesful. I joked with one of the shrinks that the book I really need to write is "Logical Parenting". LOL!

Kfisherx, I have no idea whether you are severe or mild, but from everything I have read on here about your accomplishments (especially raising 2 children) I just think you are an amazing person. I hope that you will be able to use your gifts to help others. I am the parent of an almost 6 yr old boy with PDD-NOS, and he continues to improve, but I still worry for him since he has no desire to have friendships.

I think quantifying measures are very context based then.

Mild or Severely MANIFEST

Mild or Severely EXPERIENCED

Mild or Severely AFFECTED