Severity

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I'm mild in that I can do some kinds of work with no or only very minor accomodations, and was usually able to do school with no accomodations whatsoever. However, my social limitations and people skills are probably in the moderate range. I'm not the type of person you want dealing with customers if you can help it. Sometimes I even know I'm saying the wrong thing as I'm saying it but can't do a damn thing to stop the train wreck. My field is network administration. While I do have to deal with people, in that role I make them happy with my actions (fixing their problem) far more than words, so I really don't have to interact with them much. I have an excuse: working on their problem, and being busy managing the whole network.

Where I failed most recently was manning a helpdesk. In that role I had to make the customer happy with my words, not my actions, and I'm not a good talker when placed on the spot. And I'm bad with phones to begin with. So I didn't do well at all.

I do have a couple of very mild sensory issues, but they do not impact my normal functioning.

Last edited by WardenWolf on 18 Jul 2009, 11:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

When I was smaller, in kindergarten, I had an aide.In grade 2 and 3, I went to the "resource room" for an hour a day for extra help.In grade 4 and up, I was mainstreamed and went to class with everyone else and didnt have an aide.In high school I struggled with math and physics and needed one on one help just to pass.I did well in English and Social (history, politics, and economics) without need for any help.As far as physics went, I was only able to learn if I had a teacher or someone sit beside me the whole time and walk me through every step and stay there as I did it, so my mind wouldn't wander, then me forgetting the whole thing and losing track and not learning.When my mind wanders, I go off into my own little world basically.When I took some law courses in grade 12 which were done by distance learning, I did not need any help and was able to do them on my own.I worked at the Vegreville KFC as a cook, cashier, and a supervisor.I did well with that mainly because the way the work was done, was that it was structured, and it allowed me to work in a more independant and structured mindset and not deal with whats going on with others as much.My mind was able to focus on the tasks I had to do.

I did well for the same reason working at the co-op in Vegreville for 2 years as a stock clerk.I worked on stock independantly and it was basically the same structured thing everyday.I am able to handle customers every now and then.

I tried working at an a and w in red deer for a while, but was laid off after less than a month.They say it was due to too much staff, but looking back, I did have issues with my executive functioning abilities there due there being so many people in the kitchen and them alternating between tasks and it being very busy, loud, and confusing.There were days when I felt I was going to have a meltdown when it got really bad.I hadnt had a meltdown since I was about 5 or so, but it was so overwheilming that I had that feeling.Luckily, I was laid off and didn't have a meltdown.When I got home, I usually paced back and forth with the hands on the head or I paced as I rubbed the back of my neck.The way the A and W is structured, it is NOT A GOOD PLACE FOR SOMEONE WITH AUTISM/AS to work.I have never disclosed my ASD to any employer and never will.I am working at a supermarket in red deer as a courtesy clerk.Most of my work involves getting baskets, doing price checks, putting returns away, and other odd individual tasks.This job is not bad for a person with Autism/ASD to work.It is very individualized and independantly oriented work.The only issue I ever had was when kid or a bunch of kids would be screaming or having tantrums really loud.Loud sudden noises and high pitched noises almost make me want to cringe, but usually, I just flinch and am able to walk away and move on.

Overall, when I was small, it was mild to moderate, but when I became older it was very mild to mild depending on the situations.My social limitations are in the mild to moderate range.I find it difficult to make friends and keep them and I can't keep a steady conversation going for too long without messing up.I sometimes end up saying and doing things that shouldnt be said or done and/ or I make a fool of myself.I have serious issues wtih eye contact and keeping it.Throughout my school years I have done things and made a fool of myself without knowing.Others laughed at me later on and such.I am not good with being in large groups of people, and when I do find myself in those situations, I am basically on the outside and not in the loop.I usually do make a fool of myself and get laughed at.I can't clue into non verbal cues too well.

According to your definitions, I'm mild. According to the psychologist who first diagnosed me, I'm very mild (his words). According to what I personally think; I tend to fluctuate between mild to very mild with symptoms and problems etc.

I tend to think of myself as moderate although I'm mild by the definitions. Over five decades you learn a lot about coping.

Well, no. For four decades or so I learned a lot about running away, and about remaining unnoticed whenever possible.

Give me a computer, a deadline and a corner and I'm happy was the story. It's a good look when you're young, but its value fades as time passes.

moderate to severe because of my meltdowns and other problems in normal day like when i sometimes get task to go to shower for example if i dont go immediately i often get lost to my obessions for several hours

I ticked the 'very mild' box, because on the face of it, I look like I'm doing ok, got a job etc. My AS trips me up when I find myself in a social or otherwise situations where I haven't learned already what to do. I can't improvise socially at all. And more than that, if my routines are disrupted or my senses are overwhelmed, I really come unstuck and have to retreat, after flapping, to process things.

It could probably be said that I fall into the 'very mild' category. So far, I'm doing relatively well as an adult, if you look past the fact that I don't have a REAL job, but rather a program for people who have trouble finding work in the first place because of personal problems; and the fact that I haven't managed to get to university yet but am taking steps to get there next year. Time will tell how I'll do at uni and at a regular job, but I'm confident. I have gone through periods of depression in the past 5 years, which didn't just have my AS as its cause but also other factors.

On second thought, I'm probably in the mild category, because now that I think about it, I have made use of some accomodations recently.

I have always thought that I was 'mild' in my autism, but never really understood what that meant.

I agree that effort, and improving for that effort, is a factor; also, perhaps the efforts of parents and others who guide you when you're young? I think that, without the guidance I enjoyed in my childhood, I would have been a lot more severe at this point.

I've recently been thinking about the terms 'mild' and 'severe' with regards to autism for a bit (not much, but still) as they'd sometimes come up in threads here on WP, and I also wonder about the neurological nature of this: would it be visible in the brain (on a scan) of someone with an ASD, how severe or mild it is?

Very mild. Really I should of picked mild from definitions on the first post but I didn't read it, because even though I am affected very mildly I do let teachers know and I have IEPs and that. Also my mild-ness does fluctuate over time, I don't stay at the same level.

You're confusing severity with functioning-level or not taking into account that there's a difference of both I think?

The difference for me is huge that's why I'll talk about that.

My symptoms are severe, some moderate and two I can think of are mild. I'm high-functioning though.

I am able to do lots of normal things.

It's always very hard to do those things because of my impairments, but I can get lots of things done without anybody else noticing that it was hard for me.

I know what you mean. I don't really know how severe I am, I wouldn't know how to rate something so qualitative on a scale. But I do know that my functioning level is way way above the severity of my symptoms. In fact, the gap between the two is dangerously large - I push myself beyond my outermost limits every day.

I don't drive.
I am semi-self-employed..but when i have had jobs, I had troubles with them..including but not limited to getting them and keeping them...and it only gets worse as I get older.
I wasn't able to make it very far in school
I have meltdowns that can get sort of severe
I waste hours every day stuck in non-productive routines centered around my obsessions
It is hard for me to be in public for very long without having some sort of freak-out..
I have severe executive dysfunctions
But I have no trouble with acquiring relationships..I have a few friends...I can be somewhat social sometimes.

Am not sure if I am mild or moderate

It's different in the nature-vs-nurture aspects.

By nature, it's mild. I'm very sensitive to loud noise, and have some social defects. I do drive. I don't have real friends. I very easily spend every waking hour (and I mean EVERY waking hour) on some form of computer; even if I'm outside, I have a hard time pulling myself away from my phone.

By nurture, I grew up in an environment with very few people, had terrible bullies, and my parents took me to a church that convinced me that I was a demon (because of the way I was treated). That caused me to completely shut down for many years, and I'm still experiencing the after-effects. AS doesn't cause me to be quiet and be at a complete loss for words (as a young child, I talked a lot, just about very limited things), my experiences growing up do.


If I was able to have geeky friends with the same interests that I had growing up, I'd have been able to talk better in general. But instead, I want many, many years without talking to anyone. As a result, it's difficult for me to even talk about things in my interests, and even then, I'm presented with very few opportunities.


The non-AS problems that I have, such as headaches, fatigue, falling asleep uncontrollably during the day, and difficulty sleeping at night are bigger hindrances than AS is.

My experiences in social interaction are a far larger detriment than current AS-related difficulties. Though these can be attributed to AS in some way (taking what the church said too literally, AS problems perpetuating the bullying). Though, at the same time, if my parents taught me to fight back instead of just take the abuse, the church didn't convince me that I was evil, or we lived in a larger town so that there were more people to interact with, things would have turned out much differently.

I would say moderate. I can't work without accomodations - I had a mentor come into the interview with me to help me answer the questions, and then he came into work with me for the first 2 months to help me do my job. I didn't have accomodations at school because Aspergers didn't exist in the UK back then. I have lived independently but cannot drive.

I would say that I am very mild in terms of the definition here. Thus far I have been able to get along just fine with no kinds of accommodations. I'll be the first to admit, though, that other people in my life pick up the unfinished pieces I often leave behind. So that's assistance of sorts, though it's not specifically AS assistance.

The symptoms themselves are mild, though in some ways they seem to have been getting stronger since I've discovered that I am most likely autistic. I read an article that was posted here recently that says that it is not unusual for autistic symptoms to get a bit more pronounced when someone finds out they're autistic. It also could be that I'm just noticing them all more, and before I just chalked it up to being quirky.

I chose mild. I don't require any major accommodations but I have big problems with social interaction. I don't work well in groups and speaking on the phone is a particular problem. On the phone I tend to go rigid and can't communicate in a clear and precise manner. I work fine in a quiet environmet but put me with groups of people and I have problems.

I voted "Moderate", but it pretty much depends on what criteria you use. My former home support worker said during my diagnostic process (to me, not with the diagnostician present) that she thought my autism is veyr mild if at all existent. The reason she thought so is that I have learned pretty good social skills and don't tend to come across in conversations like I'm just imitating NTs. I also don't have a perseveration in the traditional sense of the word, as in, one subject I coudl obsess over all day and am so good at that I could make a career out of it (like Temple Grandin with the animal biology thing).

ON the other hand, I have pretty bad executive functioning issues, cannot deal with not having an external structure in my daily life, have a lot of cognitive overload (relatively less sensory overload, but the two co-occur often), have bad meltdowns when unexpected things happen or when I'm overloaded, occasionally exhibit SIB (eg. head-banging, hand-biting), have motor stims, take some social rules literally, have little intuitive sense of empathy (I have "learned" empathy, which makes me look quite considerate to casual observers), etc. I appear very severely autistic and low-functioning sometimes, and very high-functioning at other times. I can't live independently, but it's often not understood why because I look so normal to some.