Mild vs Moderate vs Severe Autism.

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I have what people call moderate autism. I don't initiate conversations and I don't usually talk around people unless I am very comfortable around them. I struggle with hygiene such as showering.

I also struggle a lot in school due to learning and behavior problems. I have meltdowns at school too. It also takes me a long time to learn things and I need things to be repeated a lot. I am in mostly special education classes because of that. I have friends at school though. They also have autism. I am also dating a girl that I met at school who also has autism. When I am in non special education classes, people are nice to me usually. I always manage to find a partner in partner projects or group projects because of that. Also I like to wear band shirts and shirts with cool stuff on them. I also have a tattoo which people ask about a lot. When I do talk it is usually about my special interests which are Horses, Music and Tattoos. I wear music shirts and horse shirts.

I do horseback riding and it helps with my confidence. I talk more when I do it. I also like horses a lot. I know how to pick hooves and how to put a saddle on. I do need some assistance though. It is really nice to have an hour out of the week to do that.

I stim a lot. I like to flap my hands when I am excited, I open and close my hand when I feel bored or when I cant sit still. I rock back and forth when I am stressed out and I pace. I used to skip when I was excited or jump. I also spin but I am not supposed to do that.

A lot of people assume that I do not have a large vocabulary. I have processing issues when it comes to talking that make it difficult to say what I want to say. I get anxious and frustrated, also I don't always like talking. People are concerned that I am so quiet all the time. I want to talk sometimes but it is scary to be honest. I do talk about my special interests though. I just choose to use words that are easy to say. I have a lot of social anxiety. People are sometimes very understanding though. For example people will ask for stuff on my behalf. Also once in regular class a teacher said the long version of my name and another student let them know that I like the shortened version because they could sense that I didn't like the long version. The person was my table mate and I thanked them. I am working on self advocacy in school but I am also working on other things that are more important. People seem to be accepting that I don't like to talk or that it gives me anxiety. I am exempt from presentations and stuff like that.

That is so cool that you can groom, tack up, and pick hooves and that riding helps you! I love horses too. I am very close to them. Grooming is one of my very favorite things to do. I love riding as well and just hanging out in the fields with them.

Yeah, I really like horses. Horseback riding is soothing for me. It helps me to feel more confident. I talk more during it. My parents like that it helps me too. They like when I talk more. My parents watch my lessons when they can. My instructor is also very kind and patient. My instructor also knows I have Autism and learning difficulties. That helps a lot.

I get the impression that ASD levels are purely to do with support needed for your ASD . However if you have co-morbids they might not accurately reflect your overall functioning and the level of support you need.

Autism = Mild
Comorbids = Severe

although I'm not sure where my autism starts and ends

All forms of Autism make it hard for a person to obtain employment.
Having a College education often makes an Autistic person less employable than never going to College.
Jobs that are repetitive with minimal social interaction are best suited for Autistic people.

Holding a job in general is hard. Nothing is easy in life.

Sometimes i think i may have been misdiagnosed.

I wouldn't exactly say fraud or imposter, maybe a feeling of disbelief. Ever since i was first diagnosed, i run down the list of traits i was supposed to have, and only half or maybe even a third of the traits were really applicable. Sometimes It;s just hard to get my head round this thing. I mean, there's a few more disorders that share the same cluster of symptoms. So I've never been 100% sure, but it kinda fits. I guess i just don't wanna believe what the jerk psychologist told me was correct.