Published on 12, July, 2020
One thing I've always struggled with since being on this forum and understanding more about autism, is the fact that levels are no longer used.
I understand the idea of the spectrum and that we can all shoot off at angles and pick up where something affects us deeply.
However, levels were to do with the amount of support required, so how much a person's functionality is impacted by autism.
Level 1, 'Asperger's Syndrome', 'high functioning' were for people who had what was then termed as 'mild' autism.
I realise that 'mild' probably isn't appropriate for us.
However, there are threads on this forum relating to a 'solution' for autism and 'acceptance'.
I can answer for myself and my own struggles but I feel sometimes that the people who are without speech (some of whom I think are actually on this forum, from reading profiles), who cannot live independently without support, are not taken into account.
This is a reason why I actually find it quite hard to answer these questions, because I see myself as 'level 1', high functioning and I can't answer for people whose lives are so very deeply impacted by their autism and their carers.
Clinicians love labels, because it allows them to classify and then go down a set procedure to 'deal with it'. I personally don't think these labels are very helpful because the ability to function in society is so dependent on the environment and the circumstances we find ourselves in- I don't think it is fixed.
Sadly there is just not much support out there for us. I would be worried that say someone might be classified level 1 because they are doing well at time- but then maybe their circumstances change, new job, stressful event, moving etc and they might need more support and not do well at all- would being 'level 1' then make it more difficult to get support? I don't know. At the moment I feel like regardless of labels, there just isn't much support out there at all anyways.... so not sure if the labels would help.