What is the difference between HFA, moderate and severe?

[claw4]

Ds has a dx of general ASD, he is quite high functioning in some areas, not so high functioning in others.

Is it learning difficulties, or just difficulties, behaviour, functional ability etc? Is there a criteria?

I think it depends how much their autism effects their day-to-day lives and the level of care needed.

To me (as a professional not a parent), a severely autistic child is likely to have little spoken language and/ or echolalia and problems with sensory processing and integration. They may have great difficulty with or little interest in social skills as well as general delays and, often, obsessive or compulsive behaviours and severe learning difficulties. But all that can describe people with other diagnoses as well.

A highly functioning autistic person is likely to be able to carry on a fairly 'normal' daily life but with difficulty understanding subtleties of language and communication. Often, it's not obvious that there is anything different and they come across as a bit quirky. Someone who is high-functioning can find ways of 'fitting in'. A severely autistic child sees no need to fit in. I often feel that the children I work with think that I am the one with the problems, not them. And, to be honest, they are probably right. I interfere and make them do things that they have no interest and see no point in. Why struggle with a knife and fork when it's quicker to eat with your fingers? Why speak when you can communicate effectively by growling or laughing? I see them sighing and rolling their eyes at me...

Purple, sorry you think that way. Information can be useful, but you need to realise (in general, as you have made this about you) that you work with people who have SN, and as such don't have the emotional baggage that comes with loving and raising those same people.

I stand by my point that whilst some children/teens with severe ASD may exhibit behaviours on your list, that will not categorise them in terms of ASD severity.

Lougle, I'm not the one making it about me. And I take great care to make it clear in my posts that I'm a worker not a parent. They are very different things and it really doesn't need to be stated quite so forcefully

overall, I would agree that the severity of autism does not necessarily tally with the functioning level.

dd1 has never shown any of the things on your list, for example, purple, (well, the not toilet trained when she was younger - but not quite the same thing) and yet her autism is severe. she is moderatley high functioning - she copes extrememyl well in most situations - but her autism remains severe, in that it affects her so very deeply and comprehensively.

it all goes back to the triad, really - autism is such an umbrella term, and so many other things which are common co-morbids get linked into the definition, when really, they are not central to the syndrome.

my brother, for example, would today be classified as HFA. in that he can read, converse well, live independently (just about), and hold down a job (when he can cope). but he is so totally incapable of being flexible - in thinking, in outlook, in understanding; he has zero empathy (and I really mean zero) which has an impact on his life that is pretty hard to imagine if you have not come across similar - in these respects, his autism would (imo) be severe. the effects are so very great that they cannot be classed as anythign but severe.

Yes, Silverfrog. I shop in a store where a young man works. He very obviously has ASD. He works full time, but there are some real giveaways. Absolute rigidity in his manner of serving, very scripted conversation, the fact that he can't bear for someone to put their shopping down behind someone else's without a divider, even if there is a clear gap. It is clear that he copes perfectly well, but he does so by ironing out as many variables as he can, so that he can focus on coping with the people.

The list from purple for me describes severe autism, but that does not mean that HFA/MFA/AS cannot have severe problems or that dx is static. As having one child who would be described as HF and one as LF (I hate those terms) I have cried about both in many different ways.