Mild AS

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There is disagreement over whether people can be mild AS or not.

Some believe you either have it or you don't.

What do you think and please, when answering mention if you are diagnosed AS or not.


Thanks

A poll like this will be somewhat pointless in this place, but still interesting.

I once thought either you are blind or you are not because I did not realize there are so many gradations of visual impairment.

There is mild everything. There is mild schizophrenia, mild cerebral palsy, mild dyslexia, mild dyspraxia, mild mental retardation, mild hearing loss.

The milder you are the less effected you are by it. I also wonder if the milder your condition it is, the easier it is to overcome your symptoms or the easier it is to cope with it. I am thinking the milder you are, less appearant your AS shows.

Heck I have noticed people who have severe autism, you can definitely tell they have something wrong with them vs someone with mild autism, they come off as normal and you might not even know they have something because that is how high functioning they are.

I am diagnosed. If I weren't, I wouldn't even know if I do or not. I have doubt my condition before and wondered if I could have been misdiagnosed but if I do have it, then it's very mild. My therapist claimed she could tell I have it. Other people just think I am black and white or very honest, direct, sometimes rude, but they don't know it's because I have AS. I don't know how often I offend. Most people don't even tell you.
My husband can tell I have it.

Same as in the other thread: AS is the mild form of the condition AUTISM. People with Mild AS have a mild condition of a mild condition. Very odd to me.

Of course one can be mild AS.

Everyone who has AS is supposed to be mild anyway, but autistic enough for it to be noticed by others. Perhaps everyone is on the autistic spectrum a little.

I have a friend who has mild homosexuality.

I want to blurt this out without offending, getting deleted or getting banned so here goes.


Oh, darn it, I'm an Aspie, I'd get banned..............................

I say it's not appropriate to distinguish in that way.

You either have AS or you don't. Being "mild" only means you don't have overt outward symptoms that others with AS have.

I have ALL the symptoms of AS, but most of the more visible ones are very subtle and I've learned to repress them. If you want to create a series of terms like AS Type I, AS Type II, etc. to distinguish level of impairment from AS, fine, but don't refer to some AS cases as "mild" because I think it dilutes how some perceive a person's handicap, which might be significant but not openly visible.

It's very comforting to see someone speak some sense here. Thank you. zer0netgain!

Just because you don't agree with something or it makes you uncomfortable, does not make it nonsensical. Live and learn.

Did you realise that the way you said that makes it appear you think everyone else 'here' doesn't speak sense? Oh, I just realised maybe you actually meant it that way?

Yes, I do think it's legitimate, not so much as a way of disowning my connection with more impaired individuals, but as a way of acknowledging they have greater struggles than I.

I don't have dyspraxia.
My sensory sensitivities are largely an asset to my life, rather than limiting.
My passions have enabled me to become very, very good at what I do.
My poor social skills have gotten me fired and shunned throughout my life.
My need for structure has given me the reputation for being controlling.
I definitely have an inability to keep my mouth shut sometimes and all the attendent complications.
I seem unable to restrain or defer the meltdowns, which has lead to some very real problems.
The shutdowns result in my being unreliable.
I am blunt, forthright, and can't fathom social heirarchy.
I live independently, able to care for myself and my home and family.

But I readily acknowledge that many on the spectrum face much greater challenges than I and I respect the hell out of their efforts knowing how difficult my own mild deficits make my life.

It also seems that we really only have two terms for everyone on the spectrum... AS and Autistic (by which seems to be meant non-verbal and unable to care for themselves). That makes AS a pretty coarse Dx, an awfully big umbrella.

Being able to claim both these things together is more a product of luck with one's environment than how strong or mild one's AS is. If your ability to provide roof and shelter to yourself is not affected by your inability to function satisfactorily in the politics present in any kind of paid work, it's more because you live in a place where an independent spirit can survive, which is not true about all societies, than because you're a """mild""" case of AS.

My sister-in-law can claim she's mildly affected because she was never bullied at work or fired - 'course her father is the owner of the multi-million dollar company she's always worked for since she finished high-school (where she was always severely bullied and outcast).

An AS guy I know can claim to be "mild" AS because he happens to have been born in a community where men are extremely scarce and so he never lacked a friend or a date and married a wonderful woman who is also very rich and they both don't work, he just pursues his special interest all day and it's all fine.

I will quote myself...again.

The same thing I said about intelligence can also be applied to the circumstances a person is in. Some life situations are more preferable for people with AS.