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How would you rank?
Mild 36%  36%  [ 33 ]
Mid-Moderate 37%  37%  [ 34 ]
Moderate 20%  20%  [ 18 ]
Severe 7%  7%  [ 6 ]
Total votes : 91

jimmister
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29 Nov 2008, 7:30 pm

Mild, Moderate, or severe?

Here are my current traits:

Traits I have:
-Stims (occasionally)
-Meltdowns (still have those very, very, very rarely, but they aren't as bad as 4-5 years ago)
-Irregular speech pattern
-Monotone voice (according to mom, I have a very deep voice)
-Face blindness/forgetting names
-Interests in computers
-Social skill, lack of (Well, I'm practicing)

Traits I DON't have:
-Above Average IQ
-Obsessive Interests (except my raging hormones)
-Young appearance (I look like I'm a little younger, but not so much that I look below teenager-ish)

I would rank myself mid-moderate.



29 Nov 2008, 8:04 pm

Mid-moderate? Do you mean mean mild-moderate?


It's hard to tell where you are because this is the internet and it's hard to tell where everyone is on the spectrum. We just have to keep reading posts by them and decide for ourselves where they are at.


I am also the same where you are but I say I'm very mild or borderline. Mine rarely gets moderate. It only happens when depression goes on or stress.



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29 Nov 2008, 9:46 pm

Usually the spectrum is defined by functioning level. Can you live on your own? Do you have a job? How long have you had it? What sort of job is it? Did you graduate high school? College? Have you ever had a significant relationship? Did it last long? Did you get married?



jimmister
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29 Nov 2008, 10:19 pm

Mage wrote:
Usually the spectrum is defined by functioning level. Can you live on your own? Do you have a job? How long have you had it? What sort of job is it? Did you graduate high school? College? Have you ever had a significant relationship? Did it last long? Did you get married?
I am still too young for that stuff. I am only 17.



SeizeTheDay
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29 Nov 2008, 10:25 pm

AS pretty mild anyway. Its on the low end of the spectrum.


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2ukenkerl
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29 Nov 2008, 10:52 pm

Well, I would say I am mild.

Here are my current traits(using jimmister's assessment as a guide):

Traits I have:
-Stims (a little)
-Meltdowns (I guess the jury is still out, but it seems like it)
-Monotone voice (SOMETIMES) Monotone meaning a lack of inflection/emotion.
-Face blindness/forgetting names
-Interests in computers
-Social skill, lack of
-Above Average IQ
-Obsessive Interests
-Young appearance (I don't think so, but apparently most think I am like 10 years or more younger than I am)

Traits I DON't have:
-Irregular speech pattern

As for mage's query?

Can you live on your own? YEP
Do you have a job? YEP
How long have you had it? TOO LONG! I have worked for about 28 years in computers.
What sort of job is it? Computer consultant/programmer
Did you graduate high school? YEP
College? I didn't bother trying to graduate, but all the classes I took for MYSELF had high grades.
Have you ever had a significant relationship? NO
Did it last long? N/A
Did you get married? NO



BelindatheNobody
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29 Nov 2008, 11:29 pm

Well, jimmister, you sound "mild" to me, but I don't know you IRL so I can't really say. :shrug:

Now, me...:

Traits I have:
-Stims (Stims-a-plenty)
-Meltdowns (Very frequent.)
-Monotone voice (Sometimes) My voice goes all over the place. I mostly have no control over it.
-Face blindness/forgetting names (I have it pretty bad.)
-Interests in computers
-Social skill, lack of
-Obsessive Interests
-Irregular speech pattern)

Traits I don't have:
-Young appearance (I look older than I am)


Dunno about:
-Above Average IQ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Can you live on your own? No.
Do you have a job? No.
How long have you had it? ....
What sort of job is it? ....
Did you graduate high school? No.
College? No high school, no college.
Have you ever had a significant relationship? Does my internet relationship/boyfriend count?
Did it last long? It's been over 4-5 years now (I think), and still going...
Did you get married? Not yet.




I think I'm between moderate and severe...


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ReGiFroFoLa
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30 Nov 2008, 1:12 am

Is there really a scale of AS? 8O Hey, isn't AS itself on the scale already? On the scale of Austism spectrum disorder? I am a bit confused right now :hic:



pensieve
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30 Nov 2008, 3:15 am

ReGiFroFoLa wrote:
Is there really a scale of AS? 8O Hey, isn't AS itself on the scale already? On the scale of Austism spectrum disorder? I am a bit confused right now :hic:

Well, some people have mild to severe AS symptoms.

I don't know where I would fit.

Traits I have:
-Stims
-Meltdowns (rare)
-Monotone voice, unless I am imitating someone's voice without actually being aware.
-Face blindness/forgetting names...I forget everything actually.
-Social skill, lack of
-Obsessive Interests
-Irregular speech pattern
-Young appearance (I'm 22 and look like I'm 12)
-Lack of eye contact
-Poor fine motor skills

Traits I don't have:
-Above average IQ

Can you live on your own? For 3 weeks I was fine but I don't have the finances to live on my own.
Do you have a job? Never.
How long have you had it? ....
What sort of job is it? ....
Did you graduate high school? Dropped out when I was 13, then went to a second chance college (TAFE) to do my HSC.
College? Just TAFE and I just finished yer 10/11/12, the other courses I did I never finished. I suppose my Venue and Events course counts as college?
Have you ever had a significant relationship? Yes. First one I had no feeling for. The second one was good for about 3 weeks, though it lasted 5 months.
Did it last long? 5 months, it took him ages to say we were dating though.
Did you get married? I will never marry him.



BPalmer
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30 Nov 2008, 3:20 am

[Accidental duplication]



Last edited by BPalmer on 30 Nov 2008, 1:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

BPalmer
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30 Nov 2008, 3:20 am

ReGiFroFoLa wrote:
Is there really a scale of AS?

Actually, there is...



Last edited by BPalmer on 30 Nov 2008, 3:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

Callista
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30 Nov 2008, 5:01 am

It's not a matter of the traits you have, but how much they hinder you. You will probably find that your AS is milder in some environments than others; in some it may hinder you as much that you could be defined as low-functioning in those environments. And of course, environment also includes your underlying stress level, your physical health, and the presence or absence of any other mental conditions.

Complicated, yeah? But you can't really label yourself like that because functioning really varies.


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lexis
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30 Nov 2008, 10:03 am

Edit: I, for some peculiar reason, decided to interpret the poll as: where would you rank (me). 0_0

*deletes first part of text*

Me. I couldn't say. The spectrum is not static, I used to be classic as a very young child, up to age of 5. I was almost neurotypical from 8-12/14, but at age 16 I rapidly regressed. Now I'm still high functioning with many problems. Opinions?:

Obsessive interests
I haven't been mute since I was 5 but some days I find it very difficult to speak- I can manage but it takes a lot of concentration, and I've noticed that lately I have been falling back onto colloquialisms and delayed echolalia- like I'm a tape recorder or something and I'm put on playback in each future situation. In unexpected situations, whether they be positive or negative I have found myself literally only being able to say one or two words directly relating to the situation.

Extreme auditory overload- I find almost every noise unpleasent apart from some music and a few isolated noises, this has made me wary of going out seeong as I live on a main road and I find the noise very confusing.

Need for routine- this has gotten as bad as it was when I was a small child lately.

Moderate sensory overload relating to touch- little difference in severity over the years.

Mild aversion to bright light and complex, moving patterns. Although sometimes I get mesmorized.

Moderately bad social skills.

Mild-moderately bad theory of mind, used to have virtuallty no theory of mind until I was about 8.

Stims- moderate. I pace for hours, count, repeat words over and over again, flap,rock, tap, stamp, pick and bite my skin until it bleeds etc. But you should see somebody I know. I can't ever call my stims severe or a real problem after seeing her.

Slightly above average IQ. But I don't think that matters.

Face blindness, forgetting names- yes.

Naturally aloof unless I need something from someone. I never socialise for fun or no reason.

Meltdowns- all the time.

Shutdowns- I used to constantly, the point where it would mimic an lfa for that short period of time. Now it happens occasionaly and I'm pretty out of it during those times. I also had absence seizures which can appear similar from the outside.

Anxiety= severe. Very bad.

Live on my own? Technically yes, but I've gotten so bad of late even my family feels sorry for me and I'm staying with them for about a week so I can get myself well again. I've been thrown out of numerous places because I find it very difficult to look after myself, and impossible in the past. I'm hanging on with support from various organisations, but they only support me because of my age- I have no support regarding my asd.

People say my voice is monotone but I don't notice it is myself.

But I suppose it's more complicated. Depends on a lot of things. I think stress may have caused me to regress two years ago and as an adult I'm starting to feel the impact on my life. I have heard that severe stress can trigger regression that can last for years.



Last edited by lexis on 30 Nov 2008, 11:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

poopylungstuffing
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30 Nov 2008, 10:30 am

I thought we were supposed to vote on what we thought we were, and I voted mid-mild for myself...

Traits I have:
-Stims yes
-Meltdowns yes
-Monotone voice..... Not monotone..but I have an odd way of speaking.
-Face blindness/forgetting names...yes
-Interests in computers....not so much, but I am not the computer an awful lot..don't think it is spectrum-related
-Social skill, lack of ....sorta
-Above Average IQ ...yes
-Obsessive Interests ...yes
-Young appearance ...yes
-Irregular speech pattern ...I think so...i speak in a sing-song voice...

I also have unusual gait..I am a toe-walker....
and troubles with gross motor skills and depth peception.
I can't drive a car..I have really bad executive dysfunctions, and I am extremely disorganised.
I have certain sensory issues..like with flourescent lights, clothing textures and noise frequencies.

As for mage's query?

Can you live on your own? I have done it, but not completely
Do you have a job? yes...with dificulty....I am currently semi-self-employed...I have a hard time getting normal jobs
How long have you had it? about 6 years
What sort of job is it? online herbal business etc...
Did you graduate high school?almost
College? Had a hard time..tried...did not get very far
Have you ever had a significant relationship? it's the one social thing I am fairly good at
Did it last long? I have been in a few relationships that lasted several years
Did you get married? NO



Fiz
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30 Nov 2008, 10:58 am

I am definitely mild. Like 2ukenkerl, I am going to use jimmister's assessment as a guide and them mage's.

These are my traits (jimmister style):

-Stims (a very little)
-Meltdowns (Very occasionally)
-Forgetting names (sometimes), usually with people I see less often
-I can work with computers but am not necessarily interested in them
-Social skill, lack of (to a point).
-Above Average IQ
-Obsessive Interests - lots of them
-Young appearance - everyone tells me I look younger than I am
-Irregular speech pattern (occasionally), I can be rubbish at finishing sentences as well as starting another random one while I'm trying to finish a sentence

Traits I DON't have:
-Monotone voice. Monotone meaning a lack of inflection/emotion.
-Face blindness. I can recognise people by their faces, I just don't use them as a tool to find people attractive.

My traits (Mage style):

Can you live on your own? Yes
Do you have a job? Yes
How long have you had it? I have had this current job for 1 year and 5 months and have been promoted once.
What sort of job is it? Quality Control Officer for a Biotechnology firm.
Did you graduate high school? Yes
College? Yes, I even did University.
Have you ever had a significant relationship? I am in one now and have been for the past 2 years and 3 months.
Did it last long? Still in it, have actually moved in with him.
Did you get married? No and we have agreed that we never will.


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ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo
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30 Nov 2008, 11:24 am

I agree with Callista's post. The severity fluxuates. Lack of supportive people can be enough to cause the severity to increase for me.
More variables for me are things that don't make sense, inconsistencies, or several conflicting opinions. It creates what I call "gridlock" in my brain. My processing slows down.
Sometimes it takes me a while to fully understand something, othertimes I understand very quickly and accurately, depending on what it consists of or what it involves. It's really easy for me to make up games and memorize information that way. It's much harder for me to grasp what is going on with other people and I am very inept and give others the impression I am slow, I am sure.
It's not that I really am slow, it's just that my processing abilities fluctuate and sometimes it takes me longer to absorb information to the point I can figure it out. Sometimes I am stubborn and don't want to listen to others, get their feedback. Instead, I am determined to find out for myself, through introspection, and am convinced that is the only way I can possibly know, no one else can tell me. I think this is what is meant by "autistic superego", lol.
As for IQ I am soooooo tired of IQ posts....! !! ! :!:
In fact I am so sick of seeing them I am to the point where I honestly don't care two figtrees what anyone's IQ is (including my own) and am just fed up with the entire notion of IQ. I am beginning to despise the concept and am noticing how it can really limit people.
So, I will not say what my IQ is. Okay, just to be contrary, I am going to say my IQ is 50. There.
I admit it. *shrugs*. Oh well.
That's some serious admitage there...
Moving onto traits...hmmm...one thing I think I did outgrow, somehow, in my developmental stages, is my stimming. I do stim from time to time now, but nothing like I used to. It's gotten much less for some reason, as my age in years increased.
Also, even though I have AS, I have actually outgrown some "parts" of it, and have "caught up" academically. Once in college, I was free from many of the distractions that made my AS more severe in High School. The college classes were much quieter, shorter in daily durations (the classes were shorter and I could choose when I took them...this made a big difference in my ability to maintain a higher GPA), and I got the impression they were much less personal, much more objective. My confidence increased during this time. I did worry constantly about one thing, though. Whenever a term paper was due I obsessed over what the professor or whomever was teaching the class (sometimes it was a grad student) thought of me and giving me a grade based on that instead of how good the paper was. I knew I lacked good communicative/social skills and thought it would impact the scores I recieved on my term papers. Many times during these "worry" periods, I longed to be better at math and a math major because it's based more on logic and accuracy, not so much on trying to woo people with outstanding social skills so they get a warm fuzzy feeling while reading my paper and thinking about what a fabulously warm fuzzy person I am spontaneously yet simutaneously, due to my outstanding acheivements in the "winning friends and influencing peoples" department.
Now~ this will sound weird. One thing that makes my AS worse: WIND!! ! I live in a windy locale and the wind actually short circuits my CNS in such a profound way it's like total blankness or something. Non functional. Being out in the wind causes me physical discomfort. So, windy days...another factor in severity.
WIND is my personal kryptonite.