Are there moderate Autistics that need no support?

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Dylanperr
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14 May 2018, 10:13 pm

I want to know?



kraftiekortie
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14 May 2018, 10:17 pm

Probably not.

Don’t lose hope, though. You might become Level One later on in life.

Ezra went from Level 3 to Level 2.



B19
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14 May 2018, 10:39 pm

Whether on the spectrum and not, the vast majority of people need some source of emotional support in their lives, whether it comes from friends, co-workers, siblings, partners, WP, or from members of community groups like Meet Up. Life these days is too complex to deal with the inevitable stresses of it completely in isolation.

For AS people, of all kinds, the added stress of living in neurotypical societies which impose their ideas on us intensifies the need for emotional support from others who can understand from our perspective what the stresses are like to experience.

So my answer is that it is not about being moderately or extremely or minimally AS - it's about being a human being on the spectrum, at any level.



Dylanperr
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14 May 2018, 10:40 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
Probably not.

Don’t lose hope, though. You might become Level One later on in life.

Ezra went from Level 3 to Level 2.

Im Moderate and I like where I am at.



SplendidSnail
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14 May 2018, 10:46 pm

I really think we need to be careful using the term "Moderate", because it means different things to different people.

My diagnosis states "Level of impairment: Moderate (Level 1 - Needs Support)".

I know full well that, based on the terminology people use on this forum, my ASD would be considered mild, because people here are calling level 1 mild.

But just to be aware that "Moderate" seams to have more than one meaning. It would probably be more clear if we called it level 1, level 2, and level 3.


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EzraS
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14 May 2018, 11:17 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
Probably not.

Don’t lose hope, though. You might become Level One later on in life.

Ezra went from Level 3 to Level 2.


Dylan was diagnosed with severe autism at the age of 3 and later considered moderate like I was.



EzraS
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14 May 2018, 11:39 pm

SplendidSnail wrote:
I really think we need to be careful using the term "Moderate", because it means different things to different people.

My diagnosis states "Level of impairment: Moderate (Level 1 - Needs Support)".

I know full well that, based on the terminology people use on this forum, my ASD would be considered mild, because people here are calling level 1 mild.

But just to be aware that "Moderate" seams to have more than one meaning. It would probably be more clear if we called it level 1, level 2, and level 3.


I agree.



Dylanperr
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14 May 2018, 11:56 pm

Is there such thing as level 1 moderate Autism?



kraftiekortie
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15 May 2018, 12:05 am

I guess, in Splendid Snail’s case, there is.



Dylanperr
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15 May 2018, 12:58 am

kraftiekortie wrote:
I guess, in Splendid Snail’s case, there is.

That's what I am level 1 Moderate Autism.



EzraS
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15 May 2018, 2:06 am

Dylanperr wrote:
Is there such thing as level 1 moderate Autism?


Within each level of 1, 2 and 3 there is a range of mild to severe. I am level 2 moderate to severe. Some areas I function pretty well and other areas I function poorly.



xatrix26
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15 May 2018, 6:40 am

I wouldn't recommend going without support altogether as I attempted this strategy (unwillingly) and I had a myocardial infarction (heart attack) at age 34 due to Autistic burnout. The five other neuroses I have to go along with Autism (GAD, OCD, PTSD, BiPolar, ADHD) have only worsened before I sought support. But I am unusual as Aspies go, and there aren't many Aspies that are labeled as severe like I am.

This is only because I didn't get the support that I needed at a young age when I should have. Those who were charged with my care did not care one iota and I suffered tremendously as a result.

Autism is a spectrum and infinitely complex requiring the care and support of trained professionals and if you have access to such resources then whatever you do, avail yourself of their help. Ignoring your special needs can have catastrophic results on the rest of your mental AND physical health.


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livingwithautism
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15 May 2018, 7:20 am

EzraS wrote:
Dylanperr wrote:
Is there such thing as level 1 moderate Autism?


Within each level of 1, 2 and 3 there is a range of mild to severe. I am level 2 moderate to severe. Some areas I function pretty well and other areas I function poorly.


I agree. I am level 2 moderate to severe; I would say I'm not as severe as you, but close.



Trogluddite
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15 May 2018, 8:01 am

My diagnosis is ASC level 1, but my diagnostic report still indicated particular areas where they felt I needed support - including; occupational therapy for executive function problems, autism specific counselling for anxiety/depression, and support to find and keep employment.

Even more important, IMHO, are the kinds of support described by B19 and xatrix26 - the day to day support to help deal with the added stress of living in an "alien" world. This can be so much harder to find when family, friends and colleagues are nearly all non-autistic. Even if they wish to, they are less capable of helping us with those things than usual because they cannot see our problems from an autistic perspective, and so offer us help which is not suited to an autistic mind. In this way, it is quite possible to still feel extremely isolated and depressed even when there are people around who are sincerely doing their best to help. Their attempts to help can even make things worse sometimes, when their well-meaning advice only results in frustration by drawing our attention to traits which make us unable to take their advice (which we have often heard and tried already many times before.)

Like many other late diagnosed people, I have spent decades limping from one crisis to the next, having acute burn-outs every few years from trying to cope by myself, and receiving ineffective "treatments" from mental health professionals who did not identify my autism or how it was the root cause of my mental illnesses. That has been a recipe for extremely poor self-esteem, chronic anxiety and depression and, at times, thoughts of suicide - not to mention the practical problems with housing and finances due to being unable to sustain a job and having difficulties dealing with bureaucracy.


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EzraS
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15 May 2018, 8:21 am

livingwithautism wrote:
EzraS wrote:
Dylanperr wrote:
Is there such thing as level 1 moderate Autism?


Within each level of 1, 2 and 3 there is a range of mild to severe. I am level 2 moderate to severe. Some areas I function pretty well and other areas I function poorly.


I agree. I am level 2 moderate to severe; I would say I'm not as severe as you, but close.


You're one of the very few people in the forum I feel close to being on the same page as.



sorrowfairiewhisper
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15 May 2018, 8:26 am

I definitely would need some support! especially financially , i wouldn't know where to begin on how to deal with things such as taxes, i need assistance with form filling and updating stuff just incase i misread or misinterpret a question. Even though i could fill out a form such as my name, address and details like that. I think it differs depending on the individual wants and needs and levels of abilities.