Autism

[BlueSeagull]

I was reading another thread and the poster had been told her child was severely autistic, however the replies said that is no longer a used term. You are either autistic or not, is there no terminology (sorry can’t think of correct word) for different levels of autism.

I ask this as 2 of my friends both have children who are autistic however one child will likely go on to be able to live independently however the other will not I would imagine the time will eventually come when they have to have residential care for their and others safety.

But with the use of ‘severely’ both children sound to have the same need.

The autism spectrum isn’t a linear scale from mild at one end to severe at the other. That isn’t what is meant by a spectrum.

Everyone has differing needs and presentations. For some, their needs, presentation and the level of support required can change throughout life.

The DSM uses levels 1, 2, 3 to describe support needs. In the UK, the ICD is far more commonly used and that doesn’t have levels.

Currently, in order to get a diagnosis, the impairments must be clinically significant (DSM-5) or result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning (ICD-11). Difficulties that meets these thresholds aren’t mild.