How should I classify my autism to the average person?

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Am very open about being autistic on a couple of other big forums im on.
Want them to be able to be able to understand classic autism better through me.

Obviously have smarts when it comes to posting; answering questions and giving opinions and advice.
- But am mostly nonverbal.
- Appear inattentive
- Very withdrawn and keep to self, always sit away from others when possible etc.
- Can not really go anywhere by self without getting lost.
- Can not do any kind of cooking without supervision.
- Can not tie own shoes, clip own nails, cut own meat.
- Need to be helped getting dressed or inspected after dressing self - will put stuff on inside out,
mismatching socks or will even forget to put on shirt, pants or shoes before heading outside.
- Need a helper at school to make sure i find way to classes and have books, homework etc.
- Have severe incapacitating meltdowns.

In the eyes of the average person am thinking this would make me "very autistic" in general or as compared to more HFA aspies they might know.

.

You could say you have classic autism...(every autistic and functioning level is different)

Yep. you can use what works for you.

I kinda like "moderately autistic" also. It seems accurate to your situation, and I don't think it would sound harsh or scary to the uninitiated.

But I also kind of like the light-heartedness of Autism Classic. It reminds me of Coke Classic, and may hence be a disarming way to work it into casual banter.

I face something similar when I choose to disclose that I am in recovery. It is a balancing act of being accurate without using clinical jargon that puts people off.

EzraS, I enjoy reading your posts. Did you mean that others might not understand the word "functioning"?

I think to most the word autism describes you, for many people with Asperger's we don't even register on any perceived ASD spectrum. It depends on the person I think, people who know about ASDs tend to divide into autism and Asperger's, take your pick.

1. You seem to be very intelligent.
2. Like the posters above have said, the term you use is really your own pick but I would say you're moderately autistic.

Regardless of what you tell them, unless they are educated in the field of ASDs they are only going to have a very superficial understanding of the differences between low/medium/high functioning. If they are to better understand autism through your functioning level they will still need a thorough understanding of the spectrum as well as other individuals to compare yourself to, and unless they have a decent amount of autistic friends/familiars they'd have to research extensively.

As you are mostly non-verbal, what I would suggest would be to perhaps carry around a little book, or some kind of card set (you could hand individual cards out) that briefly explains your situation and maybe links to this website or some other relevant place. Your parents could help you write and make them, and it would save you from a whole lot of frustration. The dot-points you have used would be a good way to convey the information, as it would keep it short and concise. If you would be worried about losing/dropping the book/cards you could find a way to securely attach them to your clothes or perhaps wear something akin to a utility belt. By doing this, you could help anyone understand your classic autism efficiently.. at least to the point of an understanding.

If they need to know your 'functioning level' however, then I'm going to have to agree with others and say that it's completely your choice what words you use to describe yourself.

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Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk