Severity

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In regards to the degree of how my Aspergers affects me? Well, I do have a great deal of trouble not merely from being able to do well with occupational scenarios but, also from the social manner as, I'm not having dates every single weekend or such Still, I'm able to carry out all other tasks in my life like purchasing and preparing my own meals, doing laundry, paying all bills and so forth..The previous mentioned tasks are fairly easy but, sometimes I'll admit that having depression along with AS can compound my scenario however I keep trying my best though..

I don't know... I can work and go to school, but I guess I need the accomodations a little, but haven't really had any since sixth grade. I'm going to college, so yeah--definitely going to have accomodations. I voted mild, but I could be anywhere from very mild to moderate. Can't drive, but that's because I don't think I'm ready yet.

I would like to have put Mild-Moderate but I chose mild...
The problems I have would come under moderate but I think that generally I would be mild. I have an odd set of characteristics, and my interests arent very noticeable because some of the interests are things an NT might be interested in but presented in a long-winded, verbose manner.

I do have obsessive reading and use reading as a comfort zone but NT women have often read the same books as me. There are some interests I have that NT women often dont share though. When I was at primary school none of the other girls wanted to collect insects and have them as pets. I am also often noticing details which those around me dont notice.

My biggest problems are my acute senses, and my difficulty with fine tasking and multitasking.

Psychiatrists tell me that I appear mild. I don't monologue and I use/understand body language to some degree when I communicate. Nothing's different in the way I talk and express myself.

Some other issues are more severe though. I get overwhelmed and have meltdowns/anger quite often. I'm a perfectionist with a very low frustration tolerance. The minute something doesn't go quite right I freeze up and feel the urge to immediately give up. Certain odd tasks are extremely difficult for me as well. A lot of times I find myself not knowing how to get started on things and I avoid certain tasks like crazy. The line between disliking something and being truly unable to do something is sort of blurry. Intense dread will lock up my brain to the point where I can't work through anything.

My depression is somewhat independent of my condition but it tends to have a multiplying effect on a lot of the symptoms. Either one alone wouldn't be so debilitating but both together have a severe effect on me.

By the chart, I'd be very mild but that's just about disability. I live so much in my own lonely little world, so in that way I'm quite autistic.

I also wonder if any of us would be rated by unbiased outside opinions as more severe - either in general or in certain areas - than we perceive ourselves as. I have found out, for instance, that although I thought my appearance (tone of voice, expression, physical movement, etc) was perfectly normal, it is actually not. Which has gone some way towards explaining why people almost always begin talking 'down' to me within minutes of meeting me; what I thought was a normal presentation looks off to them and seems to say, "This person is not quite right."

I consider myself mild to moderate as I got through college alright, but am horribly deficient in math * major dyscalula* I lived at home and worked as well. I wanted to dorm, but yet I didn't and could not understand that feeling till now.

Have never had a descent paying job in my life and it seemed not long after I was hired people didn't get me at all. I am easily overwhelmed and cannot be given a list of instructions verbally as I will simply not remember them. I cannot be at a position where job demands change constantly as I cannot remember this or that task well if not performing them on a regular basis. And my confidence at this point in my life is at an all time low.

I am married with one daughter and a stayathome mom. People are either impressed that I stay at home for my daughter's sake or look at me like I am from some other planet *no joke intended*. My sisters are in medicine and have good jobs while I have been and we are floundering financially, but I am greatful for his promotion.

I worked myself to the bone and waited for the confidence and whatever I needed to be successful. I even felt I would grow out of Aspiness or going to college would give me the boost I needed to feel adequate and and *normal*. Now I feel burned out and go from one day to the next making every attempt to be there for my family. Sometimes I believe it is an absolute miracle I even got married when I think of how I have isolated myself at this point in my life.

I'm not sure where I lie.

I can drive, though I don't do it often and prefer not to. Its not easy for me.
I cannot work however and am on Disability. I'm a stay at home mother now, so this is acceptable to me.
I dropped out of college years ago because I couldn't manage everything alone, so I'm guessing I wouldn't be able to go to school without accommodations. I did however manage high school without help. I had no choice. If I didn't keep the grades up, I would have been sleeping on the side of the road. Literally.

Where does that put me? Moderate or Severe?

Mild:

Education: Loved school, liked most of the teachers. Other students...not so much. Major bullying from 6th-9th grade did a lot of emotional damage. Almost being sexually assaulted in school with an object by a pack of bullies (a teacher showed up just in time) worsened existing major trust issues. Was accepted to NYU and Columbia, but my family at the last minute sabotaged me financially so I didn't go to college.

Daily Life Tasks: I make lists, organize things, get things done. However, I am scared to drive (feel I will kill someone, also dislike bridges, and turning across lanes), so take public transportation, walk, or ride with my hubby. I have a knack for learning subway systems, airports, etc....probably genetically from my father who was a pilot.

People: As an adult, people think I'm too intense, my interests are weird and boring and others don't relate to me. I find it extremely hard and exhausting to try to blend in or make friends. Sometimes I look ridiculously shy. Other times I have a rigid, officious manner that intimidates people I want to know.

However, on the plus side, I've been happily with my husband for 20+ years. On the down side, he and my paternal uncle are the only friends I have that don't live far away or are on the internet. For some reason, I've always gotten along better with men than women.

Work: Self employment makes things a lot easier. When I've had normal jobs I could always keep them but never got promoted (see the People category). Much of it was due to shyness / rigidity factors. Other reasons include secretly being anti-authoritarian (but people can smell this) and being uninterested/bad at office politics.

As far as work itself goes, I'm always the model employee, as long as I work in a lonely vaccuum. Being self employed lets me do this.

Burnout: I get overwhelmed and burnt out for 1-2 days at once or twice a month. Sigh. Sometimes it's emotional (I don't feel anything and robotically do my work). Other time's it's creative burnout (all I want to do is watch movies or organize things).

Based on the descriptions, I chose mild because I normally do fine in school, but sometimes I need to do my work somewhere else (like the teacher's office) because there is too much stuff going on and I have a hard time focusing (I think that's one reason why I had difficulty when I took honors classes and no one would ever shut up long enough for me to do my work) and sometimes I need a break from the classroom and work altogether. A lot of times I don't tell the teacher that the noise is bothering me (because talking to people makes me nervous and so does getting up in the middle of class), so this usually happens when it is too late and I've already had a meltdown and the teacher is like, 'If you do that again, your getting suspended' (which makes me feel worse) and the class is staring at me like I'm an insane person and making comments.

But I'm also scared to learn how to drive. I want to wait a few more years and my dad agrees that I'm not ready. I also try to avoid people as much as possible and sometimes I'll skip lunch and go to the band room or library where there are less people and I will always be able to do something that interests me.