Your severity and functioning-level by these criteria?

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This is, for a change from my usual polls, an AS-only poll, sorry to everyone else. (Doesn't matter if you're dxed or self-dxed. AS-only means that other PDDs aren't included, only AS) This time AS is what I want to look at.

So, if you have have AS:

What's your functioning-level and how severe is your AS?


I ask for both, because it is perfectly possible that you don't get what most people talk about, but you just start a new conversation and everybody joins in. Or that you have to think about your special interest all the time, but you have learnt to cope and can do normal tasks while thinking about it. Or you have stressing sensory issues, are troubled by your shoes, the sun but you manage and can shop anyway. And so on...


Level of severity is often subjective. This is supposed how to you started, what your AS is like when you do nothing to manage it. For this particular poll please consider the following criteria:

Mild AS, for example:
1. (almost) normal ability to read and display body language
2. you understand most typical conversations
3. need few routines to survive the day or few more than non-autistic people
4. a special interest that you don't have to think about often
5. you have sensory issues, but you can easily avoid them and/or they don't stress you

Moderate, for example:
1. marked inability to read or display body language, but you get basic things right usually (happiness, sadness, anger)
2. you understand few typical conversations
3. you need many routines to survive the day and obviously some more routines than non-autistic people
4. a special interests that you have to think about most of the time
5. you have sensory issues and you can't avoid some of them and/or they stress you noticeably

Severe AS, for example:
1. marked inability to read or display body language and you don't get basic things usually
2. you understand almost no typical conversations
3. you need detailed routines to survive the day
4. a special interest that you have to think about all the time,
5. you have sensory issues and they cause you stress all the time


Functioning-level is often subjective too. This is how well you can manage your issues. For this particular poll please consider the following criteria:

HF means you for example have...
1. several (>5) friends and/or the ability to befriend new people by yourself, you can have acquaintances
2. a regular job or the ability to work in a regular job without losing it
3. the ability to have many advanced conversations and you fail rarely
4. the ability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest and major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) are rare
5. the ability to cope with daily sensory issues usually

MF means you for example have...
1. few (<5) friends and/or you can rarely befriend new people by yourself, you can't have acquaintances
2. a sheltered job or the ability to work in a regular job but you tend to lose it
3. the ability to have simple or very few advanced conversations and you fail often
4. the ability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest but major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) happen often
5. the inability to cope with daily sensory issues in non-necessary situations (free-time, anything that has nothing to do with jobs, shopping for necessities) and you need to flee/change these situations

LF means you for example have...
1. no friends and/or an inability to befriend people by yourself
2. no job and the inability to work in a regular and a sheltered job
3. the inability to have simple or advanced conversations
4. the inability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest and major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) would almost always happen
5. the inability to cope with daily sensory issues in necessary situations (job, shopping for necessities, home) and you need to flee/change these situations

If you have a few for example 3 of hf and 2 of mf, consider yourself hf for this poll.
If there's a tie, pick the one you feel best with.

It's not perfect because many people with AS are so different and unique that they don't fit in such categories easily, but please try to think you way around questions or just ask them.

Given that I have no official diagnosis (don't plan on one either), I'm not going to cast a vote. I will however give what I would cast if I had a diagnosis!

Based off of your descriptions (and my own personal assessment of myself), I would have to say I have mild AS and am high functioning. Not all of the descriptions of either perfectly match me, and a little from the lower can be brought into the equation. Overall though, that is what matches me best.

First part:
1. I can recognize happiness and anger, and surprise for the most part. Test results though have shown that I've mistaken anger, surprise, and fear for something else. I don't really know though, I make so little eye contact that I rarely see the face.
2. I understand most typical conversations. I am often a critic, actually.
3. I've had a hard time grasping "routines" and just how complex they have to be to count. I do tend to do the same things often, but most people follow a daily routine as it is. From what I understand though, routine in this sense is supposed to be non-functional. I have been known to get upset if I can't do my typical activities, but who wouldn't?
4. I tend to talk about my interests quite often. To most anyone. I find it hard not to! Note interests and not "special interests". While I've had more involved interests than others in the past, they aren't as involved or involved at all anymore. I do however enjoy talking about them.
5. Sensory issues was worse a child. Clothing, light, sound, and some textures are my problems. For the most part they aren't a big deal anymore. My clothes can often be kind of uncomfortable: socks and pants mostly, underwear a lot (boxers don't work for me), sometimes shirt. Light used to be worse, and now I only have to have some lights shut off. Sound might be more of an over protection of hearing! Some textures on hands and feet bug the hell out of me. Quite often I took to walking on my toes to avoid some textures on the bottom of my feet. Socks help with that greatly, thankfully.

Part two:
1. Friends never came easy to me. I tend to like familiar company, but overall I usually see people as more of a "tool" purpose. I don't -use- people, I'd feel too guilty, but people have uses. A year ago I stopped talking with somebody I've known for 12 years simply because they got upset with me. That person had little use, so no point in dealing with them anymore. I stopped talking to another person who I've known for again, 12 years. He was kind of rude with me, and I guess I wasn't in the mood, so I stopped talking with him too. Again, he didn't have much of a purpose for me, nothing to offer. I know more than 5 people, but if any could be considered a friend, I'd say about 2 of them.
2. Longest I've worked was about a month and a half a a dishwasher. I stopped going for reasons I still don't fully understand, and got fired for missing too much work. Longest employment on a job since then: one day.
3. I'm not quite sure how to make this one. I know I felt really awkward talking with a couple of other students here and there from college. I had to think of random things that just didn't feel right at all to keep conversation going (why can't they offer anything?), that pretty much was only my interest anyways. Overall though it's not so bad if the person I'm talking with shares my interests.
4. As a kid I'd throw a fit at having to stop what I was doing. Why can't parents just wait? I only need 30 more minutes or less! Then I'll go to the dishes, honest! I also used to go bonkers over cracked shells or bread. I would claim it inedible, and would make a huge scene in public places. If it wasn't my way, it was the highway, that is for sure. ~_~
5. No problem coping with sensitivities. Biggest ones to deal with would be some lights, and prolonged exposure would result in a head ache. That's pretty much it. Loud sounds can be uncomfortable, but most places aren't too loud for me, and clothing can always be adjusted.


Hope that helps a little. I always find it interesting reflecting time and time again!

I feel like a bit of everything. I know I was diagnosed as being mild-very mild but there are things on the other severites that I relate to and I'm a bit of everything of the functioning levels.

What fits me on the mild:
2. you understand most typical conversations
3. need few routines to survive the day or few more than non-autistic people
5. you have sensory issues, but you can easily avoid them and/or they don't stress you
Moderate:
1. marked inability to read or display body language, but you get basic things right usually (happiness, sadness, anger)
4. a special interests that you have to think about most of the time

What fits me on the HF:
2. a regular job or the ability to work in a regular job without losing it
3. the ability to have many advanced conversations and you fail rarely
4. the ability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest and major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) are rare
5. the ability to cope with daily sensory issues usually

MF:
1. few (<5) friends and/or you can rarely befriend new people by yourself, you can't have acquaintances
3. the ability to have simple or very few advanced conversations and you fail often (the reason I picked number 3 on both HF and MF is because it usually depends on my feelings or who I'm with)

So on the poll I pick mild and HF

I picked moderate for both.

Functioning was more difficult to determine. I've gotten much worse in the last few months. I'll highlight what I have in the MF and LF categories.

MF means you for example have...
1. few (<5) friends and/or you can rarely befriend new people by yourself, you can't have acquaintances This was my level until recently. But the acquaintances bit is confusing: I had a couple of online acquaintances form recently and I'm acquainted with a couple of professionals I see.
2. a sheltered job or the ability to work in a regular job but you tend to lose it This was my level until recently.
3. the ability to have simple or very few advanced conversations and you fail often
4. the ability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest but major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) happen often
5. the inability to cope with daily sensory issues in non-necessary situations (free-time, anything that has nothing to do with jobs, shopping for necessities) and you need to flee/change these situations This is inbetween MF and LF, so I erred on MF. Maybe just wishful thinking.

LF means you for example have...
1. no friends and/or an inability to befriend people by yourself
2. no job and the inability to work in a regular and a sheltered job Currently, am virtually housebound; little energy or tolerance for anything.
3. the inability to have simple or advanced conversations
4. the inability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest and major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) would almost always happen
5. the inability to cope with daily sensory issues in necessary situations (job, shopping for necessities, home) and you need to flee/change these situations

I dont seem to know, Moderare too high AS plus Mf or Hf.

Fluctuates with emoticons.

I picked moderate AS, high functioning.

I found this very interesting and I'm interested to see what other people think of the specifics for being in each category. I'd just always assumed I must be a mild case as I get along in life well enough (school/uni work has never been an issue + I have two casual jobs of ~25 hours a week on top of a full uni load).

Maybe I should give my brain a huggle for its positive attitude and doing well

I have moderate AS, but I have a few lf traits such as not being able work (I never have and have anxiety about starting a job), I can't change routines or stop (I get shaky/ on edge) and I have a lot of stress from sensory issues. I barely set foot in a supermarket because of them.
I guess I'm borderline moderate AS/severe AS.

Oh, I don't know. I fall in between for a lot of these.
*Attempts anyhow*

Severity:
Mild AS, for example:
2. you understand most typical conversations (most days, best days... I think. What is a "typical conversation", pray tell?)
3. need few routines to survive the day or few more than non-autistic people (I choose this one because 1: I don't really do much, period; 2: I have certain things in place, but they're somewhat flexible, although if one were to mess it up too much, I normally get a meltdown.)

Moderate, for example:
1. marked inability to read or display body language, but you get basic things right usually (happiness, sadness, anger) (yeah, that's my norm.)
4. a special interests that you have to think about most of the time
5. you have sensory issues and you can't avoid some of them and/or they stress you noticeably

Severe AS, for example:
1. marked inability to read or display body language and you don't get basic things usually (on my worst days.)
4. a special interest that you have to think about all the time, (some days)


Functioning-level:
HF means you for example have...
(Don't fit any for this.)

MF means you for example have...
1. few (<5) friends and/or you can rarely befriend new people by yourself, you can't have acquaintances (mostly fit this.)
2. a sheltered job or the ability to work in a regular job but you tend to lose it (I might be able to do a sheltered job, but I doubt anyone would ever give me one. Regular job, no.)
3. the ability to have simple or very few advanced conversations and you fail often (Yes, but only with people I know... and not always. And less than 1% of the time for strangers.)
4. the ability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest but major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) happen often
5. the inability to cope with daily sensory issues in non-necessary situations (free-time, anything that has nothing to do with jobs, shopping for necessities) and you need to flee/change these situations

LF means you for example have...
1. no friends and/or an inability to befriend people by yourself (Ah. Well. I have three friends. One in real life, two online. However... I can't befriend people myself/ and the friends I have now sort of did all the befriending for me...)
2. no job and the inability to work in a regular and a sheltered job (Might sheltered. Might. Don't know. Doubt I'd ever get the chance.)
3. the inability to have simple or advanced conversations (Always, with strangers, sometimes with people I "know" [IE, a doctor.])
5. the inability to cope with daily sensory issues in necessary situations (job, shopping for necessities, home) and you need to flee/change these situations (On some days, always on worst days.)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soooooooooo.... where the heck do I fit, exactly? I haven't a clue.

I'm not diagnosed either, so won't vote, but I seem to be all over the shop, low, medium and high functioning on different criteria, and not only that but my level of functioning also changes, and has changed through my life.

It is both fascinating and appalling how discussions of "What AS and/or Autism are/consist of" resemble medieval/renaissance religious/philosophical ones about "How many angels can you fit on the head of a pin?", or "Which people will be saved/go to heaven".

AS/Autism seems more like a concept to gather round, base one's identity on, blame things on, justify exclusion, etc, than something solid with an objective existence. How many more things will scientists find that correlate with AS/Autism before realising that its closest relative is phlogiston.

People can't even agree on whether it is an illness/"real" disability caused by genes or environment, which should/could be eradicated, ( because it genuinely prevents people from living a "full" and happy life ), or simply natural variation which society could/should accommodate.

.

I have mild AS and I'm high functioning.

I'm in the middle on both.

There are times when I'm high functioning, yes, but then something comes along and kicks me down. And it doesn't even kick me down to medium, I'm down in the lowest depths of low. If it wasn't for the internet, I don't think I'd have many friends at all. That's the one area where I differ. I know a TON of people, people I've met of my own free will. I just don't care to keep them around long, so about 4/5 of the people I know and would call friends I didn't know last month and won't talk to next month. So they aren't friends, and barely meet the criteria for acquaintances.

Severe and severe in person, for good or bad.

I get by.

I Have SEVERE AS, with the only exceptions being that I need few routines(mild) and I understand few typical conversations(moderate). Everything else is severe and very debilitating, especially because I live in a group home, and because of my high intelligence, it confuses people and they think it is all behavioral, even though they know I have Aspergers(ignorance I say).
I am though a mix because the with
HF: I have several acquaintances and I have the ability to get a regular job without losing it(if it is a job that does not require skills that I lack because of AS, otherwise I would not be able to work at all).
MF: I have the ability to have very simple conversations or very few advanced conversations(the only advanced ones I have are related to my special interest, which is anything medical) but fail often, especially when people start involving emotions and/or ask for support.
LF: I have an extreme inability(or I should say no ability) to change my routines and stop my special interest, which causes major consequences. When it comes to change because of someone else's benefit(I live in a group home and have to do things for the other clients and ruins my routines) and I also have the inability( or no ability) to cope with daily sensory in necessary situations and I need to pretty much flee, avoid, and change these situations.
Unfortunately, I live in a group home, and even when i was with my family, these situations are part of my daily life. This is where all of my depression, anxiety, and other "breakdowns" that have happened and/or still happening are caused by these. These situations that I am around according to my therapists, doctors and professionals, was the reason for all of my "troubles" not actual depression,anxiety and any other psychiatric and/or behavioral disorders and illnesses.So I was put on medications, behavioral programs, and being in this agency group home for 10 years for nothing all because my family and the group home agency were just plain ignorant and misunderstood Asperger's.
I have a meltdown, where I can be very mean to the staff and the client that caused the change, where I would throw things at them, insult their intelligence, and hate and get mad at them. Otherwise I would have a shutdown in all other instances, especially if it was a major life permanent and/or long term change, where I "regress" automatically in all of my skills, especially my best skills, and I can no longer function(even toilet myself), and I withdraw from others and do anything to make myself unapproachable so that no body would bother me and/or force me into these "situations" ever again.

I wouldn't put any of these labels on myself. What is a label but a useless constraint? I try my best to deal with life and what other people choose I have no control over.
As far as understanding conversation, I can understand it. I have a low tolerance for drama and bs though, that's a definite and since so many people are high drama/bs and thrive on it, they dislike that quality in me. They want me to be in on it and I refuse.
I would consider myself an independant type who isn't "emotionally needy" but not low functioning. I function better than most, imo.

Well, I voted myself as being “high functioning with moderate AS”… although I do not have a formal diagnosis at this time….


Moderate:

1. marked inability to read or display body language, but you get basic things right usually (happiness, sadness, anger)

Sadness, anger, deep thought/contemplation…they all look like “angry/upset” to me. I have to ask people if they are mad at me all the time because I cannot tell what emotion they are experiencing.

Sarcasm almost always feels “real” to me, so I get defensive when sarcasm is directed at me (even when it was apparently intended to be humorous).

2. you understand few typical conversations

What is a “typical” conversation? This comment made me think of conversation with other women, mostly. It isn’t that I don’t “get” the conversation so much as it is that I am not very interested in it so my mind wanders to things that ARE interesting for me. However, if there is some subtle language “thing” going back and forth between people, I almost NEVER pick-up on it….. I tend to “hear about it” later from someone else who “got it”. This is not just inside jokes…. It includes those “wink-wink, nod-nod” looks that people sometimes give. Those are the sorts of things that I can never seem to interpret correctly.

3. you need many routines to survive the day and obviously some more routines than non-autistic people

I have a lot of weird routines. Most people don’t notice them, but I do…. Most of them are “non-functional” to most, but not to me…. (too much to really type about, but they are all subtle and go unnoticed for the most part).

4. a special interests that you have to think about most of the time

I have several interests that fill my mind and make it difficult to focus at times.

5. you have sensory issues and you can't avoid some of them and/or they stress you noticeably

I have a lot of trouble with sounds more than anything. I have some clothing issues, but those are easy to fix. Sound is another issue all together. I startle very easily and have even been known to jump back and “scream” when someone suddenly speaks to me (ie. Someone speaks to me at the dairy fridge in the grocery store). I also lose track of conversations and can’t focus on written material if there is any extra noise apart from “typical” white noise.

HF means you for example have...

1. several (>5) friends and/or the ability to befriend new people by yourself, you can have acquaintances

However…I do not have more than five “friends”.

2. a regular job or the ability to work in a regular job without losing it

….if that job is solitary and quiet.

3. the ability to have many advanced conversations and you fail rarely

What is considered a “failure”? A failed conversation? If so, then this totally fits me.

4. the ability to change your routines/stop doing your special interest and major consequences (meltdowns, shut-downs, other) are rare

5. the ability to cope with daily sensory issues usually

This is the only point that I don’t agree with. I have a VERY hard time dealing with sensory issues. Particularly those related to sound. For this reason, the description of ”‘moderate” seems more fitting.

I'm moderate on both.