what its like to have high functioning autism

ten'000 Hours / Getty Images

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by social skills, beliefs, and sensory sensitivity not seen in neurotypical individuals.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-five) maintains five criteria for a diagnosis of autism:

1. Social difficulties may include "abnormal" approaches to conversations or social interaction or difficulty initiating or maintaining social interactions. It may also involve issues expressing and interpreting nonverbal communication, such as tone, trunk language, or eye contact. Also, autistic people may have difficulty "developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships."
2. Repetitive or fixated behaviors, interests, or activities: Repetitive movements or spoken communication, such as "stimming" beliefs or repeating words or phrases. Someone may experience difficulty with flexibility effectually routines or rituals or show intense fixation in some interests. Additional symptoms may include atypical responses to sensory experiences, such every bit a preference for deep pressure or an disability to tolerate physical affect.
3. Symptoms brainstorm early in life though severity tin can increase over fourth dimension as "social demands exceed limited capacities, or may exist masked by learned strategies."
4. Symptoms crusade difficulty in areas of operation: For example, symptoms that interfere with school, work, and other interactions/environments.
5. Other diagnoses are non probable: Someone may also be diagnosed with autism if another diagnosis does not explain the higher up issues amend.

The "severity" can be based on either the individual's social skills or patterns of behavior and is based on the amount of support an individual needs. Per the DSM, an autistic individual'south level of functioning is labeled as Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3:

Communication

• Level one: Individuals might have difficulty initiating interactions or relationships or might have lower than boilerplate interest in these interactions.

• Level two: Individuals might be unresponsive to social interaction or speak with limited vocabulary and might have "markedly odd nonverbal communication."

• Level 3: Individuals might be nonverbal or only speak in quotes, and they are likely to exhibit minimal responses to social approaches from others.

Behaviors

• Level i: Inflexible routines might cause interfering with functioning, and individuals might struggle with transitions, organization, and planning.

• Level 2: Significant difficulty coping with modify, frequent repetitive behavior, and distress or difficulty changing activities or focus.

• Level three: "Extreme" inflexibility or difficulty with alter, repetitive behaviors that interfere with performance, and meaning distress when the routine is interrupted.

Autism and Asperger'southward

Prior to the publication of the DSM-5, psychologists distinguished autism from Asperger's syndrome, and at that place is a long history of research surrounding ASD. However, psychologists disagreed on the difference between Asperger's syndrome and autism, and research showed that individuals' diagnoses depended more on which provider granted the diagnosis than on specific symptoms.

Although some individuals continue to adopt the diagnostic language around Asperger's, the term is by and large considered problematic due to Hans Asperger's ties to eugenics in Nazi Germany.

Psychologists disagreed on the difference between Asperger'south syndrome and autism, and research showed that individuals' diagnoses depended more than on which provider granted the diagnosis than on specific symptoms.

What Does "High Performance" Mean?

Then, what does it mean if y'all are autistic and "high functioning?" Information technology depends. Typically, if someone is diagnosed with ASD: Level one, they are considered "high functioning." However, someone'south social skills might be Level 1, and their behavioral problems might exist Level ii.

Furthermore, although autism is a lifelong diagnosis that an private does not "grow out of," an private might feel autistic exhaustion, a condition that causes increased functional deficits.

Factors that contribute to labeling an autistic person every bit "high-operation" include how well they are able to hold a job, form and maintain relationships, communicate, and mask their autistic traits. Essentially, the meliorate someone can blend in with a neurotypical society, the college functioning they are. Because of this, many high functioning autistic people practise not become diagnosed until later in life.

Diagnosing High-Functioning Autism

Typically, a psychologist with specialized training in ASD diagnoses autism through a specialized evaluation. Some commonly used measures used to diagnose autism include:

• The Autism Diagnostic Ascertainment Schedule (ADOS): The ADOS is sometimes referred to as the "gold standard" for autism assessment and includes a standardized assessment of an individual's social interactions and imaginative play in children to make up one's mind whether someone meets the criteria for autism spectrum disorder. There are sections of the ADOS that are specifically for children, but they can also sometimes be used in evaluating adults.
• The Autism Diagnostic Interview, Revised (ADI-R): The ADI-R is a structured interview used to assess autism in those aged four and older.
• The Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (ASRS): The ASRS uses observational data from guardians and teachers to decide whether an individual meets the diagnostic criteria for autism. Information technology is used for those between the ages of i and a half and xviii years old.
  

Treatment for High-Operation Autism

Treatment options for autism include occupational therapy, physical therapy, and talk therapy. Although Applied Behavior Assay (ABA) is sometimes referred to equally the "gilt standard" of autism handling, the autistic community has raised concerns that the treatment is sometimes abusive.

Since approximately 70% of autistic people have at to the lowest degree one co-morbid diagnosis, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, bipolar, psychotic disorders, and suicidal beliefs, an autistic individual might want a psychological evaluation to determine what other diagnoses they might take. This data helps determine the virtually appropriate course of treatment.

Approximately lxx% of autistic people have at to the lowest degree one comorbid diagnosis.

Loftier-functioning autistic individuals are typically able to live independently only benefit from individual therapy to manage challenges from existing in a world with neurotypical expectations. If they have difficulty forming and maintaining relationships, they could participate in an historic period-appropriate social skills group.

Autism and Stigma

Much of the linguistic communication around autism is focused on the deficits and struggles that autistic people might confront, and deficit-based language has been shown to increment stigma. In fact, autism is associated with different cognitive strengths, and research has shown that a strengths-based arroyo to treatment can be effective.

For example, although the DSM frames autistic people's social interaction manner as a deficit, many autistic people tin successfully mask it when interacting with neurotypical individuals, and about autistic people socialize well with other autistic people.

Addressing and reducing stigma is key in supporting and advocating for autistic individuals.

Peer Support for Autistic Individuals

Peer support and advocacy are key for autistic individuals. Those looking to connect with organizations run by and for autistic people tin can refer to the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network and the Asperger/Autism Network.

These organizations include information about getting diagnosed, treatment options, advancement, and social support for autistic people and their loved ones.

mcguirehadge1942.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-high-functioning-autism-5198358

Share this post