I have Asperger's and was diagnosed in my mid 20's. I've never heard of levels. Therapy helps. Find a therapist with experience with Autism.
I guess it's now called Level 1. High functioning Autism. Level 3 would be sever symptoms where you need help with day to day activities like getting dressed and eating. Makes me think you don't have Level 3 if you're functioning enough to use the website and even attempt to reach out to other people.
That seems like a fairly typical answer from someone who doesn't actually understand levels, which you wouldn't given that you're using 'high and low functioning' which were never official autism diagnoses.
And they're detrimental to autistic people. 'high functioning' was assigned to Aspergers, those who could work and be productive members of society. Autism with no intellectual disability.
'low functioning' was for those stupid non verbal idiot people who we have to take care of. Autistic disorder - autism with an intellectual disability.
Under the old diagnostic criteria I would have been labelled as Aspergers. But you and I have a very different level of impairment. I need one to one support with every single daily living activity - medication, showering, dressing in clean clothes, eating every meal, tidying my apartment, washing my dishes, socially interacting with a group of people. I cannot, as you said, live independently and I receive 30 hours of 1-1 support paid for by my countries government to support me. I was assessed properly, by a specialist in the area, and given a level 3 tier label.
Levels do not refer to what you can or can't do. In any case, I'm often non verbal in person and have severe sensory issues to the extent that showering is painful and I can only eat the exact same brand and flavour of honey yoghurt for breakfast for the past 1.5 years. I have to order my socks online so they don't have seams, and sleep in special blankets. I constantly wear ear and eye protection. Levels refer to my support needs, not my functioning.
Level one is 'requires support' which is not a lot.
Level 2 is 'requires substantial support' which is a fair amount
Level 3 is 'requires very substantial support'
Again, I literally require 1-1 prompting or full assistance with regard to any and all activities of daily living. I am unable to survive independently. I exist because of my support workers.
They changed to levels because they realised, rightfully so, that Aspergers was catching too many people in a 'high functioning' label who were really struggling, like I myself do. Can you honestly sit there after I've told you all the stuff I can't do independently and tell me I'm high functioning or not level 3 because I can use a computer? Do you really think that little of us autistic people who need support to function better? Like we all have to be completely stupid or something.
*Most* level 3 people have co-morbidities such as severe, moderate or mild intellectual disability, movement disorders, speech delay. I don't have any other developmental issues. What you're describing as level 3 autism in them is a cluster fuck of various different developmental issues. I just have the autism.
So you need to view it as just the autism, and not throw all the other stuff in too, because that isn't what level 3 looks like.
Level 3 people don't always have a voice, but this level 3 guy does and I really am not a fan of your tone. Why the hell would I lie about that? I literally have a diagnostic letter and 25 page full assessment written going into extreme detail about my autism. Hey I hung out with this gay guy and did meth with him tonight and he said 'you are obviously highly intelligent but you clearly have severe autism' so uh yeah my dude, just because my brain isn't mush doesn't mean I'm not level 3?
'level 3 guy use computer. Level 3 guy not acting retarded enough for 'high functioning' Asperger's man to agree with his diagnosis. All level 3 people must be dumb because we are better than them due to being high functioning. Level 3 and low functioning people are all useless and can't do anything or achieve anything, unless high functioning Aspergers people.
Sorry, but there isn't actually a tiny bit of difference between your brain and my brain. I'm just as smart, in fact I have a law degree (from when I was level 1 before I burnt out severely) so I've probably achieved more. But hey, can't let a 'low functioning' guy seem like he's managing better. That just wouldn't be fair, we have to maintain the sense of superiority over the stupid ones.
If you and I are actually the same except for the one fact of how much support we each require to live our lives, how can you view yourself as better than non verbal autistic people? Ido Kedar is non verbal, he was forced into ABA as a child before his mum pulled him out and got him a letterboard. Boom. Communication. Graduated valedictorian of his honours mainstream classes at highschool and published 3 books.
And he was called low functioning. How about that.
Like sorry I keep coming back to this. I am actually astounded that you said what you said. To imply that because I try to enagage with people online using a computer I cannot be high functioning. Is it not possible that I am both able to utilise technology but simultaneously have poor ability to understand tasks of daily living. My WHODAS (global disability score) was 70%. I scored in 'severely impaired' in every category but mobilisation and 'extreme impairment' for community and social access. My score was severe overall. I scored 4/8 with an independent life skills questionnaire, and the things I was able to do independently were book a cab or an uber, take my medication if reminded, operate my phone. And I scored far far lower than the average within my demographic in all areas of social inclusion (in person and electronic), home integration, productivity, and some other area.
It's actually so fucking annoying when other autistic people say the same shit that government services use to deny me the support I need. If I'm seen as too smart by the agency that does my funding, I lose part of it, especially if I advocate for myself, god forbid, like some kind of assertive autistic person. No, my intelligence has time and time again resulted in supports denied. Because people lump me in with your lot who have little to no huge impact of autism on your life and could manage without the label and probably get away with not telling people, when I actually need support workers to go 'actually Eli you have to change that shirt it's got yoghurt and coffee on it. And maybe have a shower. Have you brushed your teeth and had your meds? Oh you haven't even had breakfast? Okay let's start there's when they walk into my house.
But I'm smart. So I can't be level 3.
When I got diagnosed and I told people the vast majority of friends and people u knew were like 'you didn't already have a diagnosis?' or said things like 'you did always seem a bit Aspergers' or some of them congratulated me for finally going through with it. When people meet me it's not a matter of them finding out if I'm autistic, it's a matter of when and to what degree, dependent on the effort I will put into masking.
I masked (covered up) my autism for 20 years because I was smart and self aware enough to know that doing the things I did and acting that way made me not get any friends. So I stopped. And I studied people and learnt their exact behaviours, emotions, and script. Life is a script to me, and everyone follows it. It's predictable. And I can usually stay one step ahead on a good day and make it seem like I know what I'm doing. But it comes at a huge fucking cost to my energy levels. Acting like I don't have sensory issues and trying to cover up and compensate for my social deficits broke me eventually and I wasn't able to do it anymore. So I used to be level 1, when I masked it. When I stopped masking I became tiered at level 3. An obvious consequence of not masking.
My life is far better for it. But holy shit I wish neurotypical people and other autistic people would understand that levels don't refer to literally what someone is or is not capable of doing like writing or speaking, gets that often there are other developmental disabilities muddle up there, and realise that functional labels are harmful.
❤