Define "moderate to borderline severe"

Post Reply New Topic

I understand the general idea of that awesome post Eloa. And that severity levels are currently not clearly defined.

Lumi, do you get sufficient support for your areas of difficulty?
I think that is what severity levels are for, so that sufficient support can be given where needed.
Do you feel like you can reach some goals you have and do things that please you?
That is important, I guess.

Yes, they are not clearly defined, but maybe it is not possible to define them absolute clearly?
Autistic people are so individual, and there are so many traits, we are far beyond some texts written by scientific people.
But good support for everyone who needs it is necessary - and a little understanding from the world outside.

My guess would be 'no' to the first question. My mom is trying to find a service that understands that I still need more OT and more need help learning to be more functional for my age.

No I don't. I am continually frustrated by not understanding how to do more on my own.

I met a kid like that. He was 15 years old and essentially nonverbal (he mostly communicated by pointing and grunting), with self care skills around a 3 year old level, but he was sociable and had only a bit of stimming and an obsessive interest in RVs.

Although I disagree with the idea that you can be severely autistic and high functioning. Some HFAs are more autistic than others, despite the same functioning level, but severe enough autism will tend to preclude being high functioning. For example, a person who is extremely socially aloof will have language delays as a result of aloofness, and severe resistance to change will interfere with learning new skills. Severe sensory processing issues can also cause significant delays - for example auditory processing issues can delay receptive and consequently expressive language development, and visual or proprioceptive issues can delay many functional skills.

You don't have to speak to someone every day to be friends with them.

Here's a dictionary definition: A person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations.

Your mother can count, even though you are related.

If you'd stop to have a chat to someone if you saw them on the street, then I would say they are your friend.

Then maybe you should see back some professional for a re-evaluation?
You are on disability, right?
Did they label your severity-label somehow?
With me they did, from level 5 (worst) I am level 4, but this is a general level of severity being handicapped (with me because of autism), but could also be because of some other disability (for this service).

Would you be happier not needing to do more on your own?
Are the demands too high?

I want to get reevaluated, but I don't have the money for it. Yes I am on disability. Label severity, well SSI did not. They just determined I was automatically approved. I don't think the demands are too high, though I need to learn how to reach those goals.

A child with severe autistic traits like social aloofness and language delay and very rigid and sensory issues can become high-functioning as adults, if they learn things in their own ways instead of forced to learn in other people's ways that don't work for them, like listening to people talk to learn speaking being an eggsample, that won't work for the child with speech processsing problems, and also, child with autistic deficits can also have autistic talents like visual-spatial ability and memory to help with learning all kinds of things, but another child with similarly or less severe autistic traits might not be as high functioning overall as adult, but may be higher functioning on individual measures like speech processing or relationships as eggsamples.