laurenm wrote:
I’m a 24 year old adult female. I’ve been diagnosed with autism several times but I’m not sure what level I am. I know it doesn’t matter but I’m wondering what my functioning level would be to someone who doesn’t know me. Based on this information below what level would you say? Also if you can add any advice on how to become higher functioning that would be helpful.
I don't know how the levels are defined in practice. The descriptions in the DSM seem extremely vague and subjective. Hopefully the specialists have managed to develop some reasonable set of standards that they use.
So the following is just my best guess, in terms of what would make sense to me if I were in charge of defining the levels:
laurenm wrote:
-I can write well and I can speak in full sentences. Although I have trouble with people I don’t know and the social aspects of conversations.
-I am fully toilet trained, I can shower and dress myself.
-I had an iep in school and was classified as “multiple/severe disabilities” I went to a special ed school for a little due to my inability to stay in class and outbursts/ panic attacks.
-I have a job. I also am part of job training program for autistic adults. I work 15 hours a week (3 days) and now have a job coach only come once a week.
How long have you had this job? If you can write well, speak in full sentences, AND hold down a job, I would guess that that would exclude you from the "severe" category. However ....
laurenm wrote:
-I get disability for my autism.
-I was approved to have someone from the developmental disability team help me 40 hours a week in my home and community.
If you were deemed eligible for that much support, it must not be mild either.
laurenm wrote:
- I can travel independently if I know where I’m going. (Though I don’t drive).
-I live independently though I have constant help from parents and team.
-I have an average IQ but scored borderline delayed in visual spatial and moderately delayed in adaptive functioning. My biggest weakness was expressive & receptive communication scores that were scored in the <.1 percentile. My strength was quantitative reasoning where I scored high average. My ADOS score “far exceeded the autism cut off score.”
- I have few friends and have never had a boyfriend though I have the desire for both.
-I stim at home but most of the time I can control it if I go out.
-I’ve had a therapist tell me that it was obvious to people that I was autistic, but I had another one say it was an invisible disability.
-the most socially inappropriate thing I do is cry if I’m overwhelmed in public but I don’t have any of the behaviors that some severely autistic people have. (screaming, biting themselves, banging their head).
-I avoid crowds, talking to people, and anxiety provoking situations.
-I experience fatigue, anxiety, and major sensory issues with lights, sounds, smells, and touch.
Would you say this is mild or moderate autism?
Moderate.
I have had my job for 6 months but have had my job coach only one day a week for 2 months now. I started working there 8 hours a week, then went to 12, and now I’m at 15. I mostly fold towels and restock the toilet paper and supplies in the bathrooms but I do it independently even with out my job coach. My boss hired me knowing I was autistic but she told my mom and dad I have taught her so much and she is very glad she hired me. So my boss probably thinks I’m high functioning.
08 Jul 2019, 9:57 pm
