"On the spectrum"

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I agree completely. I just don't like feeling described like I am a Christmas Tree ornament when someone asks if I am "on" the spectrum.

If its "immediately obvious" to everyone who first meets you that you are autistic (or if they don't know from autism its obvious to them that you don't fit in to normal society) than you are not "high functioning". And if that's your official dx then something is wrong with your dx. You must be "middle functioning" or, "type II", or whatever.

To my understanding "high functioning" just means "you have a shrink condition, but you manage to blend in". And the phrase was used in psychiatry long before it was applied to autism for individuals with other conditions (like psychosis and schizophrenia) who blend in to society. Doesn't mean that you function SO highly that you don't have struggles. So if you don't succeed in blending in then I don't see how they could classify you as "high functioning".

OP, I do understand your concern. I see that you are level 2, which clearly means that you have issues that are far more serious than mine. It does seem to usually be people who are level 1 that tend to use the term "on the spectrum".

I don't want to suggest that anyone who is level 1 (myself included) does not have issues - we do, and they cause us serious difficulties - that's why we were diagnosed. But at the same time, we should also recognise that there are people "further down the spectrum" who have it far worse than we do.

My psychologist has actually previously told me that he didn't think that Asperger's and classic autism should have been lumped in to a single diagnosis in the DSM-5 - he thinks they should have remained separate diagnoses. Maybe he's right - maybe that would help to aleve your concerns.

“On the Spectrum” is used for classic-Kanner autism frequently, too.

My mom still feels autism and AS are two different things and she seemed shocked they had lumped them together and got rid of AS. I didn't know how to explain to her that people with an AS diagnoses do have the same struggles as those with classic autism. People with an AS diagnoses were not able to get the same help people with classic autism got so this was the purpose of lumping it together. Also they say they are both the same now but AS is just milder and my mom didn't agree. She comes from the days when autism was severe and she grew up when autism was very rare.

Is there a clear dividing line between having ASD and not having it? Do we believe in a categorical or dimensional/spectrum approach ?
Some seem to do very well within having the dx,while others really struggle. Doesn't a spectrum approach allow for the full range of functioning?
Ultimately it should be about accentuating any positive aspects whilst doing the best to help overcome more negative aspects.

Only to a degree. I assume most people probably see it as a linear spectrum. I see it as each characteristic (language, communication, social interaction, etc.) is it's own spectrum. That makes it a lot more complex.

This comic does a good job of illustrating what livingwithautism is referring to with regards to it not being a linear spectrum:
http://the-art-of-autism.com/understand ... planation/

I'm not the first one to post it on this forum; I saw it posted here a few months ago or so. Personally, I think even this is probably a bit of an oversimplification; I think there's more to it than just language, motor skills, perception, executive function, and sensory. But it does a good job of illustrating why it shouldn't be seen as a straight line.


EDIT: Added the comment after the link.

Last edited by SplendidSnail on 06 Jan 2018, 5:56 pm, edited 3 times in total.

High functioning (though I dislike the term) means that you have normal intelligence and verbal skills. It doesn't necessarily mean you're able to blend in.

I agree with LivingWithAutism that the Spectrum is not linear, and that it is quite complex.

One could be relatively good in some domains, and not as good in others.

And all this could depend on the person's mood that day.

Not a personal slight. I'm not offended by it. More concerned because people like me are grouped in with people who are capable of having families and jobs, for example. I don't believe in a spectrum much, because now people are all lumped together, even though there are several clear presentations of autism. For example, the Kanner presentation (aka classic autism), the Asperger presentation (aka a high-functioning form of autism), the Atypical presentation (people who don't exactly fit the other two or fit but have atypical symptoms) OR many other possible presentations. Not one big spectrum.

It says in her signature she's level 2. Type II refers to diabetes.

livingwithautism and I are both level 2 and we have a great deal in common regarding how autism affects our lives.

Now days, I couldn't care less if the subject comes up.

If you’re a bowler, you have even more in common.

It's really hard to figure it out sometimes. There's one situation where people can't get friends and family to believe they're autistic. And those who talk about being able to mask their autism. And those who talk about their spouse and kids and friends and high end career. And then there's people like me where none of that applies and never will. But really I guess what separates me is my significant special needs classification.

Krafty, you bowl?