What are some signs you are moderately autistic

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I’m curious to know what the symptoms of being moderately autistic as opposed to only minority autistic are? Can someone please let me know. Thanks

It might include the ability to interact socially with other people or in large groups. I don't like large gatherings. I hardly ever feel like I belong in them. I often compare a large gathering as feeling like I am trying to penetrate a brick wall.

A mildly autistic person may be able to come across as slightly awkward to near neurotypical. However, a moderately autistic person may appear as "very strange" or "very awkward" to others. It might also be plausible to assume that stimming is more prevalent in the moderately autistic population.

I don't know, that's just some of my ideas about it. There are probably better explanations to be had.

I'm diagnosed Moderate ASD / Level 2.

I can only speak for my own assessment. I have every one of the DSM descriptors including all of the given examples. Every characteristic interferes with my ability to function in normal society, on a daily basis. I don't think I could ever be viewed as NT even if people don't know what to call my diagnosis.

I can mask well enough to not appear visibly autistic but I get overwhelmingly burnt-out. I demonstrably struggle with some social norms to the extent that it can impair my ability to mesh even with overall friendly groups, employers, etc.

I pretty much can't not get distracted by stuff related to special interests. How I accomplish anything on the computer is besides me because it connects me to all of my special interests, pretty much. It's a good thing that driving is a bigger special interest than cars because otherwise I wouldn't be able to be trusted to drive.

I sometimes struggle with setting appropriate boundaries and with recognizing other people's.

This has become less of a problem as I learn more but I often struggled with understanding nuance in topics unless I knew enough to understand the nuance from synthesis. I've gotten better at intellectually applying the concept but it did take conscious effort as a teenager.

I struggle with crowds unless they're big enough to become anonymous, after that tipping point I struggle with self-awareness. Prior to that I struggle in the opposite direction, I can't not fixate on my self-awareness despite it being poor.

Half of the people I encounter wouldn't expect I have autism, but there's a significant portion (especially if I've disclosed it) who question how I made it to adulthood without a diagnosis.

"Level 2" is similar to "moderate"

Autism Diagnosis Criteria: DSM-5

What tells me I’m probably moderate instead of mild (diagnosed as a child, symptoms have become more pronounced with age and/or changing life situations, I fell further behind at each “transition” one is supposed to make) is the level at which it affects me. Many with “mild” ASD can at least get by to some extent in the NT world. I cannot. I stand out as “different” even in groups consisting of others who are on the autism spectrum. I have never had my diagnosis questioned by anyone and have only gotten the “you must be mild” comment once that I can remember. It seems that pretty much everyone can tell something is “off” about me right from the start. Any crowded situation, I shut down almost immediately. If I need to do something like get groceries or pick up a prescription by myself, I need to focus intently on getting the task done, or I get overwhelmed (usually I’m with one of my parents, so it’s less of a problem). I need a little bit to “warm up” in social interactions. With people I don’t know well, I’m lucky to manage one coherent sentence. I’m essentially incapable of speaking understandably over the phone.

Essentially, it’s fairly obvious that my autism is in fact disabling in ways that affect my everyday life. What really differentiates it for me is how vastly different my life is from that of people with mild ASD. I don’t feel like I fit in there much more than I do with NTs. But it’s called a spectrum because there really aren’t any distinct lines separating one from another (to the best of my understanding).

James from Love On The Spectrum US in my opinion is Level 2 Autistic, or otherwise known as moderately autistic.






I would say Subodh (who's also on the show) is level 2.5. It's clear that he's autistic and may have some intellectual challenges, but he's still able to communicate verbally and do some things on his own.






Abbey is anywhere from level 1 to 1.5. She's able to communicate effectively but may have some apparent but minor social difficulties and maybe some difficulties with living independently (for now). She doesn't come off as immediately autistic to the general population (professionals may be able to tell) but she may come off as a bit awkward.







Dani is level 1. She's able to communicate effectively, doesn't have any odd or awkward demeanor that would give away her autism, and has shown that she's smart and capable of holding down a job. However, it's clear that she has some social deficits if you really pay attention. Being too honest and blunt, and falling for people too fast, are just some examples.







Kaelynn in my opinion is level 0.5, and is probably the most mildly autistic person on the show so far. Like Dani, she's capable of communicating effectively, doesn't have an odd demeanor or mannerism that would give her away being autistic, and she appears to be highly intelligent and capable of functioning really well. She lives on her own, can hold down a full time job, and appears to have friends. I would say she's more socially skilled than Dani is as well. She can easily pass off as neurotypical and her autism is more of an identity than a serious disorder.

Moderately autistic usually means having both high-functioning and low-functioning severities.

Could you give an example of such? I sometimes think I’m moderately autistic and such.

Look at the video of the chubby blond guy named James with the glasses.

He seems mild-to-moderately autistic.

Well, everyone on the spectrum are different of course, but there are people that are overall mild/high-functioning, people that are overall severe/low-functioning, and people that sit somewhere in the middle of the spectrum where they may have a job or something they're really good at but may find it hard to mask their symptoms. Or they may be able to mask in some environments but when exhausted they may be non-verbal and/or need time alone (not want, need).

As a person on the mild end of the spectrum, I am high-functioning all the time, even during my depressive episodes or panic attacks. I can communicate my feelings at any given time, and I can turn up for work (as hard as it may be, I can still do it and not have autistic shutdown or anything). My ADHD interferes more with my executive functioning. But even with ADHD and anxiety on top of ASD I'm still basically normal-functioning like the average person.

I think the women are so cute!

im a good example of moderate functioning
i am a bus driver which is also my passion and special interests but when im not at work i can be non verbal during a meltdown and angry and difficult to live with because of my autism,it takes a very patient and loving person like my husband to stick around but even he gets exasperated with me at times

I don't understand your question.

Like how much would it change your executive functioning

The problem with functioning severity level labels is that there is no clear definition that actually works. So what they have done is rate you by how much support you might end up needing. But the problem with that is that supports are only given for a very small definition of what severity is. So you need to define exactly what you are trying to ask. Are you trying to figure out what supports you need or are you trying to figure out what severity level of Autism you would be get an given? If you are trying to figure out what severity level of Autism you would be given, you have to get an official diagnosis. That is the only way you can get an actual assessment of that value.

The reason I say this is that for some, if not many or us, we figured out ourselves that we were Autistic but we had no idea of how severe we actually were until we were formally diagnosed. If you want to know if you are 1, 2, or 3 on the Autism severity rating scales, you have to use those scales to measure yourself. If you don't have access to them, you have to determine the types of supports that you individually need as you need them. Functioning severity levels are not black and white. They fluctuate enormously from day to day and even sometimes moment to moment. If you need to figure out a support system that works for you, you have to tailor it to you and to your specific functioning needs as they fluctuate.

The Autism severity rating is a tool to help providers figure out what support systems a person will need. That is its function.