Explain to me why you offence is caused by saying things like 'mildly autistic' etc.

[Purpleturtle45]

If ASD is a spectrum why do people commonly disagree that you can be mildly autistic or severely autistic etc.

My daughter is diagnosed with ASD, however you wouldn't really know unless you knew her well. She goes to mainstream school and copes well with everyday life most of the time so to me I would say she is mildly autistic but I often see people getting ripped to shreds on here for using that term.

Genuinely wondering how 'spectrum' can literally be in the title of the condition but people disagree there can be different severities.

It is how it works - you cannot get a diagnosis of autism unless it severely impacts your life. It’s the main criteria for a diagnosis.

I will concede though that the word ‘mild’ could appear dismissive to a person with autism, given that they will take the word literally. Their struggles won’t feel mild.

But they should be reminded that the word ‘mild’ is being used in the grand scheme of autism sufferers, not in comparison to the general population.

People can describe their own autism however they like.

What they shouldn’t do is describe other people’s autism as “mild” just because that person presents in a certain way.

We’re talking about autism not asthma. Your life needs to be severely impacted to get an autism diagnosis. There is no medication for autism anyway.

I’m autistic as are many in my family! I don’t care if someone says they’re mildly autistic. It doesn’t affect me.

Some people choose to be offended by all sorts of pointless stuff whilst the rest of us get on with our day. 🤷🏻‍♀️

No, if someone is saying it doesn't negate your struggles then it doesn't negate your struggles.

Decades ago, people feared a diagnosis of any sort of MI. Now everyone tries to jump on the bandwagon: parents for their children, TV presenters, public figures. It opens so many doors and often funding- and on a very simplistic level, it allows you to jump queues at theme parks and public events!

This is the issue with the autism diagnosis though - there needs to be a clear distinction between those of us who are verbal and can function in society with support, and those who will never be independent and will need lifelong care.

But nobody can expect to live their life without being compared to others.

But if a child is severely impacted but then as they get older they find it impacts them less does that mean they're cured? No.

Except it does. Who are you to tell me how it feels in my own head?

I think we're all in a real muddle on this and have failed a generation of children. It's very sad because everyone was trying to do what they considered to be the right thing, but outcomes for kids are no better, in fact worse, despite the increase in diagnoses and accommodations. Meanwhile children with very profound disabilities find themselves in an exponentially growing queue for support.

I think at some point we have to accept that this is simply not working.

So why are posters telling me my daughter can't be autistic because she doesn't have severe struggles with life?

So you’re dismissing the difference between having a good job and being able to achieve great grades and live independently compared to not getting grades, and not being safe to live independently because they’re the same. I can only speak for the people I know who are neurodiverse and I think saying they’re all the same is unhelpful. They definitely see differences between themselves so giving an undifferentiated diagnosis isn’t describing the truth

Sadly I agree, and it’s a pretty sad state of affairs that that’s the case when it comes to disabilities.

You can interpret things wrong.

Well yes quite, but what if that distinction is ‘mild’ and ‘severe’?

Unfortunately the pc explanations are really not helpful for severely autistic people, those with very limited capacity and unable to do any of those things. In time i believe there will be a shift towards differential diagnosis again because this everyone is equally autistic is not helpful for them. My friend supervises care for her brothers who have dol orders, 2:1 carers out of the house and they do not reflect that colourful diagram. (My dd is autistic, original diagnosis Asperger’s, she does reflect the picture)

It’s not working because people are still clearly ignorant as regards what autism is.

It’s underdiagnosed and msssively unsupported. Parents battle with the ignorance in education, healthcare and even on forums such as MN.

Women and girls were ignored for years, not even being recognised in the diagnosis process. They’re still being massively let down now because they don’t present like boys. The ignorance has a catastrophic impact for girls and boys. NHS diagnosis has to improve and be more readily available and the ignorance and abelism needs to be sorted. Nice little courses aren’t enough.

They shouldn’t be doing that.

To get a diagnosis, your daughter must be severely impacted by her condition in some way. That’s the criteria 🤷‍♀️

It's human nature to compare, not sure why people are being outraged by that.

You don’t have to use that distinction.

You should have X diagnosis and Y diagnosis. Two separate conditions.

Autism is a complex condition. People don’t understand what that means. Cancer, pregnancy, flu - these are simple, binary diseases or conditions. You either have it or you don’t. You are either pregnant or you aren’t.
What we label as autism is actually quite
simple in concept. It’s an imbalance one or more of the brain and body’s normal functions (refer to the spectrum wheel in the initial responses to OP question) leading to internal conflict and “non-typical” behaviour. The magnitude of the imbalance and in which areas defines how much the individual is impacted in day to day life. Depending on the level of impact you can absolutely broadly apply the labels mild, moderate, severe etc. And that is perfectly fine. Equally the phrase “ we are all on the spectrum” is technically correct, and shouldn’t be taken as insulting by those impacted by autism. Equally it shouldn’t be banded about by those who aren’t in order to minimise the experience of those who are.
Ultimately this is a problem with labels. Humans love to label things. To put a name to it in order to help understand what
is going on. But as soon as you do so it become binary. All of a sudden little jimmy “has” autism, and whether it’s true or not that label gets thrown around to explain his behaviour for the rest of his life. It would be much better to say we are all different and have unique requirements, some more so than others. We should be viewed as individuals and in the ideal world we would all be assessed at school, at work and in life for what we need in order to function at our best to and for the help provided accordingly.

I've read all your posts OP but not all the responses so apologies if someone has already said this.

I dont find the term 'mild' offensive, I understand what someone is trying to communicate when they say it, but I dont find it accurate. Autistic people have spiky profiles. So their are some Autistic people whose executive function is very low, but whose social abilities are very high. You might describe these people as 'mild' because they are able to socially interact, and thats the main 'interface' we have to judge whether someone is Autistic. So instead of mild, I'd say they have lower social needs.

Yes, and it’s either raining or it’s not, but drizzle and pouring rain are still not the same.

There are lots of things that are binary (they exist or they don’t), but if they do exist then they can be mild or severe.

You’re pregnant or you’re not, but you’re not heavily pregnant at 3 weeks. And it’s insulting to suggest the first and third trimester are equivalent because they’re both pregnant. And grade 1 and grade 4 cancers are not the same and are rightly distinguished. Why is autism different? OP isn’t saying mildly autistic people aren’t autistic.