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Level of autism

Ella_Roulette

Hi, 

I was diagnosed and told im level 1 Autistic. On the internet it says the mildest form of autism but I feel I struggle with all aspects in my life. I did try and explain although I seem quite at times it's because I shut down in myself when anxious like during my assessment. I'm worried if means I'm just mild and don't need as much help or understanding or I should keep masking because people think I'm weird. Has anyone else found this? 

Thank you. 

Parents

  • I struggle with this too. I am also supposedly “high functioning” yet I struggle with basic stuff like work, being in crowded shops, airports and so on. I think technically the level of autism is based on the level of support needed, but with an assumption that anyone on the spectrum needs some support (which is not often available for adults!). My experience is that the official diagnosis doesn’t capture how situational it is. How functional I am varies on so many factors: the number of people around, how tired, stressed or emotional I am, how familiar a situation is, how long I’ve been in a particular situation, my ability to take “time out” from it if I need to... It doesn’t capture the exhaustion and burnout afterwards either.

    I think you do deserve understanding, and I hope you can find some on this site. I also don’t think you should mask, although to those of us who are more high functioning, it can be hard to break the habit of a lifetime and stop masking.

  • in reply to Luftmentsch

    Yes, that sounds exactly like me. I've asked for help with phone calls and emails and my partner prompts me to brush my teeth, drink water, eat. That's true. No that's very true. I didn't think of it that way. 

    Thank you so much. Yes, I need and want to stop masking. It's exhausting and I'm only doing it for others while harming myself. Thank you again 

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  • in reply to Luftmentsch

    Yes, that sounds exactly like me. I've asked for help with phone calls and emails and my partner prompts me to brush my teeth, drink water, eat. That's true. No that's very true. I didn't think of it that way. 

    Thank you so much. Yes, I need and want to stop masking. It's exhausting and I'm only doing it for others while harming myself. Thank you again 

Children
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