The Line

Post Reply New Topic

Where is the line between mild asperger's and being just one, weird NT? Where is the line between severe asperger's and autism? I can't get it.

I've met so many aspies - none of them is like me. When I'm around them - I feel autistic. They present so high level of functioning - they conversate and exchange looks as if there was nothing different about them... They are noisy and don't seem to react to the sounds that surround them (even though they are obvious; like buzzing of the lamp, or the ticking clock, or whiring of the radiator...) They don't react to the light. They are not bothered with touch, obviously [since they shake hands so freely and restle on the floor and pretend they are on ring or something (boys, of course)] I can't understand. They are all diagnosed aspies...

So? Anyone can explain? Where is the line?

There is no line that separates "High Function" and "Low Function," or "Aspie" and "Autie."

It's called an "Autistic Spectrum Disorder" because it exists as part of a continuum - that is, a smoothly-flowing stream of characteristics that tend to overlap and blend into each other.

Look at it this way; you are standing alongside a river. Upstream is to your left, and downstream is to your right. You could say that your position represents the boundary between the two regions. But what of the people that are a hundred yards to your left? They are upstream to you, and you are downstream to them.

It's all a matter of personal perspective.

And to confuse matters even more, the guy standing directly across the river from you has upstream to his right, and downstream to his left; while the girl on the innertube in the middle of the river sees a constantly changing perspective where first you are downstrem of her, then alongside, and finally upstream of her - but from your position the perspective is reversed!

I hope this explains it.

That's a problem not only for you, but for professional diagnosis as well.

You description would fit me in large parts. Though if you compare me with a NT and observe me for a longer period, you would notice the differences:
Sounds: I'm not extremely sensitive to them, but constant noise and some special sounds are terrible.
Touch: I don't mind handshakes or other contacts of that kind, as long as they are short and I can see them come in advance. I go crazy (in my mind, I have quite some control over what I let out on the world) when somebody touches me unexpected.

That's why it's called a spectrum. You can be anywhere within that area. Even worse: You can be extremely delicate about one kind of thing (say touch) and totally ignore others.
Some things can be learned like eye contact (I can't though) or a general level of self control (What I can quite well).

The key word here is "present." How people present may have nothing to do with how they feel inside. Appearances can be very deceiving.

When you see people that you think are more high functioning than yourself, you are just seeing the outside. Some of us, for various reasons, have tried to "act normal" for so long that we've gotten quite good at it. I've been a mimic practically from birth. I fooled everyone. Even myself. Nowadays, I can look someone in the eye, shake hands, introduce myself, and sound so, so sure of myself, but it's just a form I put on. I sometimes use it with people who seem uneasy or unsure of themselves; it seems to put them at ease. Or I use it when I'm feeling nervous, to hide my own feeling of being ill at ease. Underneath, I'm jelly. My mind is racing, I'm irritated by certain kinds of people, light, noise, but I don't often show it in public. I usually just deal with as much as I can and then exit.

So many people think I "have it all together." If they only knew!

I think it is hard to draw a line because each person is affected differently. Some aspies are hypersensitive to sensory stuff, like what you are describing of your own reactions to light and noise, but others are hyposensitive, to they don't react at all. And many people do learn to 'act normal'. I've had to learn to act normal to survive, and some days it's easier for me to do so than others. And often people don't see the effort it takes, because I am in general quite good at hiding it - only when I go home and collapse on my sofa exhausted and dizzy does the strain comes out.

But the line between Aspie and 'weird NT' - well, to be diagnosed as having Aspergers, there are certain criteria you must fit, and you must have a certain number of characteristics in all of the categories. Some 'weird NTs' might have a certain characteristic which is like an Aspie characteristic, but in all the other areas, they don't.

As for the line between Aspergers and autism, the so-called experts seem undecided on it. Some say that classic autism has language delay but Aspergers doesn't (that was the diagnosic criteria used for me to be labelled with Aspergers). I've also heard that it is differentiated from classic autism by presentation of motor difficulties and unique cognitive ability. But there is still controversy over the differentiation and whether it is useful or not.

This is probably the hardest question that has ever been posted. I personally don't think that I've ever actually met another person who was what they call an aspie but I have meet a few people who I think were autistic since their symptoms are more visible.
But then again they might have had other developmental conditions that just made them appear to be autistic.

Last edited by garyww on 10 Dec 2008, 7:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Mild aspergers is aspergers. It just means they are not that badly effected by it and they come off as normal. I heard lot of aspies are mild because it's a form of autism.
There is also borderline AS which means their symptoms aren't always onset but it still effects them enough they are impaired by it and need help or it means they didn't have enough to meet the criteria but they are still effected by their symptoms they need help or it means they don't always meet the criteria and other times they do.
I would assume borspies feel they don't fit in with other aspies but they also don't fit in with NTs and can't relate well to them. So they are in between. That's how I feel anyway. I feel I can't relate to aspies here often because they have worse problems than me but yet I have worse problems than NTs.


It's possible to have mild AS but have bad sensory issues.
it's possible to have mild AS but have bad coordination and motor skills
It's possible to have mild AS and have bad executive dysfunction
It's possible to have AS and have severe depression

If someone has mild AS but they have other conditions too, it might make it seem like their AS is more severe than it really is. My ex aspie mate had ODD but his AS was mild his mother said but it seemed like his was real bad because he had ODD and it effected him real bad. So he didn't come off as a regular boy.


So a mild aspie can come off as not normal because they have other conditions too. If they have bad sensory issues, their AS will look worse.

Well it's the same with me, just that I can't relate to aspies, because my problems seem to be way worse than theirs...

Dont be fooled by what you percieve. Although they may appear to be handling the situation normally I can tell you from having to do this that they are not. I cannot stand for someone I dont know to touch me at all. A handshake or hug etc. really freaks me out but I do not show a reaction when someone is around.

I have great coordination and motor skills (except for agraphia). My neurologist while watching me walk: "You ever do ballet?"

Me: "Yes, and I used to do competitive gymnastics."

But my lack of eye contact and general discomfort with people are the hint and the sensory stuff is the diagnostic giveaway. Certain smells will make me throw up. Sounds can give me panic attacks/headaches/make me start screaming. Don't touch me if I'm not expecting it or I'll punch you. Don't touch me even if I AM expecting it or I'll pull away. I avoid bright lights and can't stand showering because of how the water feels on my skin. I'm also very sensitive to changes in temperature.

Yet, there's no difficulty in things like metaphor/innuendo and I get when people are lying to me. I can be extremely manipulative and am a great liar. This is why I intended to go to law school but considering I can't make eye contact and don't like people...

Yep. Good luck with that.

I would guess that I fall under 'mild Aspergers'. My fundamental thought patterns are very definitely Aspie - I can see that by how many topics raised here I can understand and how I finally feel that, on this board, I've found other people with minds like mine - yet I can see when I look at videos of diagnosed aspies talking about themselves that I'm also considerably higher-functioning and better at communication than the majority.

I think I can manage in some situations that many AS people find difficult, yet I cannot manage in others that would be straightforward for an NT. Sometimes it's as if I almost get there, but not quite. Sometimes I feel that I can observe and then ape NT behavior to an extent, but it never comes quite naturally; it's always slightly 'put on' and stylized.

Some high IQ and HF aspergers may not look like affected at all, but they are and can handle better their difficulties. Others have some luck after training and therapy (CBT mostly). There are a lot of people that have very normal lives and nobody around even suspects that they are actually on the spectrum (maybe a bit odd indeed).