Moderate functioning autism.

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Can someone describe their own view on what moderate functioning autism is like?

I think I am too severe for the "high functioning" label of Asperger's and I think classic autism fits me better.

I am losing my communication abilities slowly.

OK, I'll have a go but as Aspergers is a spectrum disorder everyone will be different here.

Ninety nine days out of a hundred I probably look and act like any other functioning member of humanity, OK, my standard dress is jeans and a t-shirt which might seem a little odd for a 55-year old but most folk don't seem to notice. Food however is a big BIG problem because there are so many things that I don't like that it gets a little crazy, I'm therefore on a very limited diet and when each week we head for the supermarket I always get the same stuff. Get me to a decent restaurant and I'll probably find something on the menu I like but it isn't guaranteed, forget about foreign restaurants like Chinese or Indian, not gonna happen.

Socially I've got better over the years but it can still be a struggle. After decades of getting it wrong I finally managed to get reasonably successful when it comes to the ladies but I still crash and burn now and again. Most parties are difficult but I can handle them reasonably well.

I have a very poor work history and the longest I've worked for one company is six years. Gradually I seem to antagonize my work colleagues until the environment is so toxic that either I leave or they throw me out. For the last eight years I've worked for myself doing short-term contract work which is something I feel much more comfortable with.

I've suffered from depression since the 1980's, this appears to be a common condition amongst people with AS.

The best way to describe me is something that an ex-boss once said to the auditors. "&#&$^ is our I.T. Manager, he's a bit odd now and again but he's also ultra reliable and will always get the job done even if he upsets some of the staff along the way".

I don't think "high functioning" has a consistent definition. When doctors use it, they might mean anything from "He's employed, supporting a family, and you can't tell he's disabled," to, "He knows how to go to the toilet by himself."

If you wanted, you could create a consistent definition for yourself, but that has a drawback--you'd have to define the term all over again whenever you wanted to use it.

There are some rating scales that try to put a specific number on it that is understandable by anyone who knows the scale.

For example, GAF is a scale from 1-100, with 100 being superior functioning.
Explanation of the scale:
http://www.psychiatrieweb.mywebhome.nl/ ... -Scale.pdf

WHODAS, a disability assessment scale, with results on a 1-5 or 1-100 scale, from no disability to extreme.
http://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Librar ... stered.pdf

When you talk about severity of a disability, it is better to talk specifically about the issues you have in everyday life, for example: "It is difficult for me to communicate and I sometimes cannot initiate a communication even when I want to." Or, "I regularly have to leave a situation where others are comfortable because sensory overload is making it impossible for me to stay."